Engaged Alumni: Reid Kisselback '17

Reid Kisselback ’17 and colleague Caitlin Irla pose for a photo at NewsChannel 13-WNYT in Albany.

Capital Region native Reid Kisselback ’17, BS Atmospheric Science, is a meteorologist with NewsChannel 13-WNYT in Albany.

How did you get interested in Meteorology?

I was always interested in weather. Actually, my middle name is Michael in honor of my uncle who was fatally struck by lightning. And so, growing up in our household whenever we had severe weather there was always kind of an extra interesting dynamic for me as to why is it this way. Why does weather act this way? That always stayed with me. 

Hurricane Katrina happened when I was in fourth grade, and I just remember having my eyes glued to the television and being so awestruck that one storm could cause so much damage. And then when I got to high school we had something called Science Research, a course through the University at Albany’s University in the High School Program. You earned college credit and got to do research on whatever interested you. Obviously, I went with meteorology. 

My mentor in the program, Dr. Kristen Corbosiero, actually eventually became my advisor when I became a student here at UAlbany. I did research on hurricane scales and if they properly projected the risk to the public, which I thought was a really interesting study. I got to present it at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which was a really cool experience and the natural next step to getting me to UAlbany. I always felt I was at home here. 

From there I just interned as much as I could, through the Weather Service, through the New York State Mesonet, and then finally heading into my senior year I interned for WTEN and I thought, oh, this is really fun. This is what I want to do. That’s what put me on the path to broadcasting.

What did you find more challenging to learn, the science of meteorology or the art of broadcasting?

Both are hard in certain aspects. I didn't realize there'd be this much science and math behind it. What I learned was I really respect the science. I hated the math part because it was so hard, but at the end of the day you're better off for knowing it. Broadcast wasn't horrible for me because by the time I left college, I was in good shape. 

When I came in I was this very shy kid who didn't really like to talk that much. But through the programs I was involved in at UAlbany, like Orientation and being an RA (Residential Assistant), the a cappella group and improv class, and other things like that, I became more open and got a lot better at public speaking.

So you used the college experience at UAlbany to grow?

Yeah. The thing my dad always tells me is you get what you put into it. So if I'm here, I want to get the most I possibly can out of it. If it's something that's going to make me better down the line, I'm all for doing it.

You visit a lot of schools to talk to students about meteorology. What age groups do you speak to?

Pre-K right through college.

Why did you decide it was important to make time to talk with school kids?

It’s important to be there for the youth and show them that this is a possibility for them, especially being from this area originally and now being back here. I’m from Cohoes. I remember we had a meteorologist come and visit us in high school. I just remember thinking that's so awesome. 

So now I want to be able to share that kind of experience with the next generation and make it fun for them. Learning can be fun. Usually when I speak at a school I'm talking about what I do, but I also like to play games with the students or do an experiment while I’m there. By the end of the visit they're so into it that you can't help but leave with a smile on your face. Part of it, too, is I'm a little selfish. I keep going back because it makes me so happy.

Obviously, you vary what you talk about based on their grade level. It might be as simple as reading a book about weather to them like Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, or showing some photos of our studio at WNYT and talking about how I do the job, or playing Weather Jeopardy, or for those who are interested in weather as a career, sharing tips that might help them.

What do they ask you?

Oh, everything. It can be questions like, “Have you ever covered a tornado?” or “Were you ever in one?” to “What’s the craziest weather thing you've covered?” or “If I leave out some grape soda will that evaporate and turn into a cloud?” Those questions are fun. They always keep you on your toes.

What’s your favorite season to enjoy and what’s your favorite season to forecast weather for?

Favorite season to just enjoy personally, hmm. I think more recently it's turned into the summer just because now that I'm married and have the dog, we like to just go out and explore. I take the dog for runs with me and just enjoy the nice weather.

But as a weatherman, I also like being outside and seeing where a storm is forming. You can find a good spot where you can go to watch it come through, if you want. That's the nerdy side of me, which my wife knew she was getting when we got married.

Forecasting-wise, that one’s a little bit tough. I like forecasting severe weather in the summertime because it puts your knowledge to the test. You only get so many minutes to explain the weather on-air. You can describe how the atmosphere looks, what we think is going to happen, and then when it happens, it's your job to literally tell everybody what's going on and what they need to do.

I do like that aspect, especially watching a weather cell organize and form and then projecting where it's going to go. Oftentimes I'm the number two guy, so Paul Caiano’s usually on-air and I am working behind the scenes, but when he comes back and talks to me and says, "We have to watch this one," we're on top of it together. 

The other thing that's fun and a bit of a challenge is snow. In this area, it's hard. We have all this terrain, and we get a lot of icing events. When you do a forecast like that, you're doing the very best you can. But sometimes you do the forecast and you're saying the temperature is going to drop around this point in time, and then it'll hold steady. Instead of that, you just get a longer period of ice or less snow. 

And so the ability to be able to explain what's going on to the public throughout the course of that, I think, has become a key part of our job, especially now with social media which gives us more space to talk about weather. As the weather event gets closer, you’re able to add to the forecast and make adjustments as you know more, so people are better able to know what to expect and to prepare.

Weather and climate are dynamic. Do you feel you have to be constantly learning to keep up and do your job well?

I feel like you're not doing the job right unless you're still learning, because there's always a way to do something better. That's the way I approach it. Every time I cover something big, I look at it as what did I do well and what could I have done better. And then you try to adjust on the better front. 

You only get so many minutes to speak to your audience so you want to have as much information to share as you possibly can in those minutes without overwhelming somebody's head. Plus, with technology changing in our field so quickly, I need to stay on top of things like what I need to learn about graphics so that I can make things easier for people to understand.

Are the experts in the UAlbany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, including your former professors, a resource to you in your work as a meteorologist?

Oh yeah, I talk with them all the time. A lot of my professors are still here today. Also, I have a good relationship with Mike Nolan in the Office of Communications & Marketing so that I can just text Mike and ask, “Hey, is there anyone at UAlbany I can talk to about this?” I also try to do what I can for the department in terms of helping with Atmospheric Science Career Nights and internship placements at the station.

Communities love their local meteorologists. We really depend on them. Do you feel a special responsibility to the community you serve?

I grew up here, and so for me, this is a way to give back to a place that's given me so much. I feel the responsibility of it. I don't want to let anybody down on that front. You feel that a lot, particularly in severe weather instances. You say to yourself, OK now it's real. People's lives, people's property are at risk now, and so you feel the pressure.

What advice do you have for students about how to get the most out of their college experience?

If you are looking for it, then you will find it. A big thing that some people forget is it’s OK to ask for help along the way to get to your goals. When I was here I was happy, but I knew it could be better. So I tried to find ways that I could make my experience better, whether that was through Orientation or becoming an RA or trying to start a community group so I could make the experience better for others. 

I'm one of those people who are very, very attached to things — not physical things, but if you are enjoying an experience, you want it to be just as good for somebody else. I want to go out of my way to make sure it's just as good for you, if not better, than what I have, because I've now learned stuff, and now that I've learned these things, I can pass that knowledge along to you so you don't have to spend as much time looking for it. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out. 

Don't be afraid to change your mind. A lot of people I met here came in for one major and left with another. I think for a lot of people that can be disheartening. They feel like they’re a failure in the role they started out in, but they’re not. You’re just realizing that this isn't the route for you and you want to do what's going to make you happy. So certainly, the best advice I can give is go look for what you need. 

Don't be afraid to ask for help, and just always make sure what you're doing is what's going to truly make you happy.

What would you tell someone who is an alum who might like to get involved or enhance their experience as an alum?

Always try to give back however you can. I got lucky because my first job was in Utica, and I actually got the job because the chief meteorologist there was a UAlbany alum. 

He reached out to the American Meteorological Society chapter here and said, “Hey, did anybody recently graduate that wants to be a broadcast meteorologist? We have an opening.” And they're like, “Yeah, Reid!” So I applied for that job, and I ended up doing my first job with an all-UAlbany department of weather, which was awesome. I got to learn from some of the smartest people I think I've ever met. 

And when I came here and joined WNYT, I still got to work with a bunch of UAlbany grads, including now my chief, Paul Caiano. My colleague Christina Talamo is also a UAlbany grad. Christina is a couple years younger than I am. When I would come back to participate in UAlbany career fairs, I would see Christina. She would always come up to talk and say, “This is what I'm still looking to do, and this is what I've been doing.”  That was awesome. When we had an opening at the station, I got a hold of her email through one of her professors and helped her get the job at WNYT. 

Always try to give back! If you see an opportunity, think of someone and try to help them succeed.