After serving 8 years as a U.S. Air Force Meteorologist, Rocky is now continuing his doctoral studies at the City University of New York.  As an Environmental Science Ph.D. Student he is combining his passion for meteorology, knowledge of Geographic Information Science and his unique approach to interdisciplinary research to study extreme weather, climate and the resulting impacts to human life.

Rocky’s research examines the impacts of weather and climate with an emphasis on extreme weather and health in urban environments. Recent projects include statistical analysis of health and environmental data sets to improve understanding of the impact of high temperatures on human morbidity and mortality in the Southwest United States. Future research aims to better model extra-tropical storm surge in the Northeast United States through statistical analysis.

Developing research considers how to facilitate effective governance and communication strategies for climate adaptation. These efforts are motivated by the overarching goal of reducing unnecessary weather-related illnesses and deaths through effective mitigation and intervention strategies.