UW Grad Student Wins Inaugural National Scholarship

Brianna Hauke, a master’s student studying atmospheric science at the University of Wyoming, has been awarded the inaugural Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship from the Society of Physics Students (SPS), an organization of the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

“We are pleased to partner with the Heineman Foundation to offer this new scholarship to support and uplift graduate researchers in the physical sciences,” says Michael Moloney, CEO of AIP.

The Marian Rose Research Scholarship honors Marian H. Rose, a career plasma physicist, author and environmental activist, by providing one graduate student with $15,000 in grant funding.

“As the first recipient of the Marian Rose Research Scholarship, Brianna Hauke has demonstrated exceptional leadership and community engagement despite limited resources,” says SPS Director Alejandro de la Puente. “Her dedication and vision position her to make significant contributions to the field of physics and environmental change.”

Hauke, of Waunakee, Wis., came to UW after graduating in 2024 from Northland College in Ashland, Wis., with a Bachelor of Science in climate science, with minors in mathematical sciences, physics and geographic information systems. At UW, she is involved with the AIP community as a member of SPS, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union.

“I’ve always been interested in the physical sciences, but I feel like meteorology spoke to me. Everyone experiences the weather -- it affects so much of our everyday lives, but not a lot of people understand it,” Hauke says. “My current research is in satellite remote sensing and cloud physics, and I am interested in going into satellite meteorology using geostationary satellites like the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES).”

Geostationary satellites orbit the Earth at the same rate the Earth rotates, allowing them to always point at the same location. There are two GOES satellites, both trained over the equator looking at North and South America, and they can take images every few minutes, helping meteorologists make predictions.

Because the satellites are far from the Earth, technology needs to make certain assumptions while analyzing images. One of these assumptions flattens the images, presenting all pixels -- whether it be land, clouds or sea -- at the same level.

Hauke is working to create a correction factor that adjusts the values to consider those, such as the height of clouds.

“I’m using deep neural networks to make that correction method, which will help forecasters and climate modelers make better observations,” Hauke says.

According to Hauke, winning the award has validated her choice of study and strengthened her resolve to give back to the climatology community.

“I hope to use my degree and knowledge to help solve problems in satellite meteorology and to help better prepare forecasters and climate modelers to help save lives and be informed on climate change,” Hauke says.

About the Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship

The $15,000 Marian H. Rose Research Scholarship supports graduate research in the physical sciences, with a focus on environmental sciences. This scholarship honors Marian H. Rose, a career plasma physicist, author and environmental activist. Rose graduated from Barnard College and received her doctoral degree from Columbia University. The scholarship is funded by the Heineman Foundation and administered by SPS.

For more information about this prestigious scholarship, visit www.spsnational.org/marian-h-rose-research-scholarship.

About the American Institute of Physics

As a nonprofit, AIP is a federation that advances the success of its member societies and an institute that engages in research and analysis to empower positive change in the physical sciences. The mission of AIP is to advance, promote and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity.

About the Society of Physics Students

SPS is a professional association explicitly designed for students and their advisers. Membership, through collegiate chapters, is open to anyone interested in physics and astronomy. Within SPS is housed Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics and astronomy honor society, which elects members based on outstanding academic achievement.