WSJ Highlights CopterSonde in Weather Forecasting Feature
The Wall Street Journal recently featured our team’s work in an article titled “The Drone Tech That Could Solve Weather Forecasting’s Biggest Blind Spots”. The piece highlights how our uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) are successfully bridging the gap in boundary layer observations, providing crucial real-time thermodynamic data to enhance short-term severe weather modeling.
Dr. Elizabeth N. Smith
Research Meteorologist
Elizabeth joined NSSL as a research meteorologist in January 2020, where she focuses on boundary-layer processes relevant to near- and pre-storm environments and convection initiation.
Dr. Antonio R. Segales
Research Engineer
My research centers around developing small unmanned aircraft systems for adaptive atmospheric sampling which involves CAD modeling, systems optimization, hardware and software integration, and control theory. I have led the design of the CopterSonde series of vehicles, which is used to perfrom controlled and targeted weather sampling at high temporal and spatial resolutions. I am also advising other projects in which sensor integration or new UAS are required.
Dr. Tyler M. Bell
Assistant Professor
Dr. Tyler Bell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Meteorology and School of Aviation at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Bell earned his B.S. (2016), M.S. (2018), and Ph.D. (2021) in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to joining the faculty in Fall 2025, he served as a Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for High-Impact Weather Research and Operations from 2020 to 2025.