William A. Gallus
Dr. Gallus is an Associate Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences at Iowa State University.He received
his Ph.D.in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University in 1993.His current research interests emphasize improved prediction of severe weather and heavy summertime rainfall. He teaches several courses on synoptic and mesoscale meteorology, and chases tornadoes as a hobby.
Biographical Information
Dr.Gallus grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and received a Bachelors Degree in Meteorology from Penn State University in 1987. Upon graduation, he received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, which he used to pursue an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. After graduating with a Ph.D. in 1993, he accepted a visiting postdoctoral scientist position at the National Center for Environmental Prediction in the Washington D.C. area. He has been at Iowa State University since 1995 where he is currently an Associate Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Science. He is married to the former Gina Mellott of Las Vegas, NV, and has three sons. He is currently a member of the First Evangelical Free Church of Ames.
Throughout his career, his research has been directed at improving some of the more difficult weather forecasting challenges remaining – prediction of severe weather and heavy summertime rainfall. His interest in tornadoes has motivated him to experiment with the use of virtual reality depictions of tornadic storms in the classroom, and to collaborate with Aerospace Engineers to develop the country’s first laboratory tornado simulator that produces a rather large translating tornado for engineering studies.
He has been actively involved with student groups while at Iowa State University. He has been the faculty advisor for the award-winning ISU student chapter of the American Meteorological Society since his arrival in 1995, and also serves as the faculty advisor for the Navigators.
My Personal Story
I was raised in a good home environment with a believing mother and a Catholic father. My mother made sure my brother and I attended church every Sunday, and we were part of a Bible-believing Grace Brethren Church. I accepted Jesus as Lord when I was 9.For me, being a Christian primarily served as a future hope and the strength to endure never-ending persecution at school. Being the top student in a blue-collar city meant much abuse from others. In addition, I was not athletic and did not believe it right to fight back when picked on, so it was always easy for me to understand the Bible passages about being hated for being a Christian.
When I went to college at Penn State, my Christianity went from 2D to 3D. First, I was now in a place where the ability to get good grades was valued, and the persecution ceased. Second, I quickly became part of an awesome campus church group known as Alliance Christian Fellowship. It was the first time in my life where I was surrounded by good Christian friends and had deep relationships with many other Christians. It was here that I learned what Christian love was about and realized that God had amazing blessings for us here on earth and not just stored away in Heaven.
At graduate school in Colorado, I found the same deep Christian fellowship in a more typical Baptist church. It was there that I met my wife, who came from a less ideal family situation. In some ways, her salvation at the age of 18 has allowed her to more easily live by faith, and she serves as a good role model for me. We have been blessed with three active sons, and I try to remind myself frequently that the incredible love I feel for them is what my Father in heaven feels for me.
Looking back at my life, I sometimes feel my personal story is not as exciting as others, since God blessed me with good parents who helped me to hear the Gospel at an early age. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the journey God has taken me along, and see how he teaches me through trials that occasionally come my way. As a scientist, I am even more thankful that He saved me as a child. Instead of science being a tool to deny Him as is so often the case, I find that science is like a magnifying glass that lets me see even more clearly His hand in everything. From the awesome power and terrifying beauty of the tornadoes that I love to chase to the incredible order of the laws that govern atmospheric motion, there is clearly no excuse for anyone not to know Him.