HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 27 -- The University of Alabama in Huntsville issued the following news release:

Madison Wallner is a graduate research assistant of Atmospheric and Earth Science (AES) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

For Madison Wallner, a graduate research assistant of Atmospheric and Earth Science (AES) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, a childhood moment of awe has grown into a professional pursuit: the study of thunderstorms to predict why some events grow so much larger, leading to potential new prediction models.

Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Wallner's curiosity about the atmosphere began early. "The moment that truly solidified my decision to pur...