2455 Hayward Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
(734) 936-0483
mihalka@umich.edu
Kristen Mihalka
Education
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi
PhD Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science
Advisor: Sushil Atreya
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi
M.S. Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science
University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo
B.S. in Atmospheric Science Cum Laude
Minors in Math, Physics and Arabic
expected 2012
2008
2007
Honors and Awards
Chi Epsilon Pi, University of Missouri, founder and member
Ernest Hollings Scholar, recipient
National Collegiate Scholar, member
Honors College, University of Missouri, member
2007
2005 to 2007
2004
2003 to 2007
Professional Society Memberships
American Geophysical Union
Sigma Xi
American Meteorological Society
National Weather Association
2008 to present
2006 to present
2003 to present
2003 to 2008
Employment Experiences
Research Assistant
University of Michigan
 Working with Dr. Sushil Atreya on advance the
knowledge of the cloud structure and composition
on the giant planets by adding sedimentation and
using result from the VLA. Support work also done
for the JUNO and MSL mission.
August 2007 to present
Visiting Scientist
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
 Worked for Dr. Paul Mahaffy on the calibrating of
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument
Suite on the Mars Science Laboratory to
launched in 2011
June 2008-August 2008
Research Assistant
University of Missouri
 Worked with Dr. Patrick Market and Dr Timothy
Dowing to study Saturn’s atmosphere and the
Effect that water and ammonium can have on the
atmosphere using Explicit Planetary Isentropic
Coordinate Research Model.
Fall 2006-Spring 2007
Mesoscale Meteorology Honors Research Project
University of Missouri
 Worked with Dr. Patrick Market on a case study
on a trowaling and warm conveyor belt event
associated with thundersnow in the upper Midwest.
Intern NOAA
Geophysical Data Center
 Worked with Bill Denig conducting research on
ionosphere data quality in an online database.
Research Assistant
University of Missouri Columbia
 Worked with Dr. Anthony Lupo to classify blocking
events in the southern hemisphere for the last
five years.
Intern at NASA
Goddard’s Space Flight Center
 Studied the transport of aerosols around the
world by calculating the fluxes in different
regions with Dr. Yoram Kauffman.
Study Abroad
University of Reading England
Conference Publications
Fall 2006
May-Aug 2006
Fall 2005 – Spring 2006
June-Aug 2005
Winter 2005
Mihalka, K. M., and S. K. Atreya. The effect of precipitation on the cloud
concentration at Jupiter, American Geophysical Union meeting, San Francisco, CA,
December 2010
Mihalka, K. M., S. K. Atreya, P. A. Egeler-Dowd. Cloud Structure of Uranus and
Neptune. American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 2009.
S. K. Atreya, K. M. Mihalka, P. R. Mahaffy, G. T. Delory, W. M. Farrell. Planetary
Electrochemical Effects, Invited Paper, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San
Francisco, California, December 2008
Lupo, A. R., J. V. Clark, A. M. Hendin, A.S. Kelly, K. M. Mihalka, B. L. Perrin, K. M.
Puricelli. The Global Increase in Blocking Occurrences. The 88th Annual Meeting of
American Meteorological Society, 19-24 January, 2008 New Orleans, LA
Clark, J.V, Mihalka, K., Lupo, A.R., Puricelli, K., Perrin, B., Kelly, A., 2007: The
increase in Southern Hemisphere blocking. Is it real? The 32nd Annual Meeting of the
National Weather Association, 13 - 18 October, 2007, Reno, NV
Clark, J.V., K.M. Mihalka, and A.R. Lupo, 2007: Blocking in the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere: An update to include 2000 - 2006. The 87th Annual Meeting of
the American Meteorological Society, 19th Conference on Climate Variability and
Change, 14 – 18 January, 2007, San Antonio, TX
R. Redmon, W.F. Denig, E. Arauj0-Pradere, K. Mihalka, B. Weatherhead, M. ZhiZhin,
and E.A, Kihn, 2006: Restoring Confidence in the Quality of Ionospheric Data in SPIDR.
IRI Workshop 2006, 16 – 20 October, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Clark, J.V., K.M. Mihalka, and A.R. Lupo, 2006: Blocking in the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere: An update to include 2000 - 2006. The 31th Annual Meeting of
the National Weather Association, 14 – 19 October, 2006, Cleveland, OH
Extracurricular Activities
NASA Folk Life Festival (Messenger)
2008
Michigan Geophysical Union
Event Coordinator
2008 to 2009
Meteorology club
Secretary
Vice President
Alumni Newsletter, writer
2003 to 2007
2005 to 2006
2006 to 2007
2005 to 2007
Kansas City Weather Calendar
Chairman
2003 to 2007
2006 to 2007
Storm Chase team
Storm Chase Committee
2003 to 2007
2004 to 2006
Center Stage
This organization teaches unprivileged children to dance
2005 to 2007