A conversation with Paul Yeager ('85 BS), writer and meteorologist
From the Atlantic
by Nicholas Jackson
November 10, 2011
Though he has been a meteorologist for more than 25 years, Paul Yeager makes his living as a full-time writer. In recent years, he has written for various regional publications, contributed to AOL News, maintained a weather blog on AccuWeather.com, and penned books, including his most recent, Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities. Here, Yeager discusses why being a meteorologist is like being a doctor in that, once you've become one, you're always one; how water will soon be one of the nation's most valuable resources, leading us to find new ways to recycle waste water so that it's safe for human consumption; and why Benjamin Franklin deserves to be in a weather hall of fame for inventing the lightning rod and mapping the Gulf Stream.
What do you say when people ask you, "What do you do?"
I say that I'm a writer and meteorologist. My "day job" is a writer/editor at Penn State, in addition to my books and freelance writing, but my training is as a meteorologist. Being a meteorologist is like being a doctor -- you're always one, no matter how far you may stray from looking at weather maps and giving forecasts to the public.