Meteorologist and extreme storm chaser Reed Timmer – among the few to ever document both an F5 tornado and the most devastating hurricane in U.S. history – will headline the 2015 Nebraska Science Festival on April 10.
Gearing up for its third year, the Nebraska Science Festival – scheduled for April 10-18 – will feature an array of science- and technology-related activities in communities across the state.
On April 10, Timmer will present at Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Concert Hall in Omaha. His 7:30 p.m. presentation is free to the public (but requires a reserved ticket) and is suitable for ages 12 and older.
Tickets for the general admission seating to Timmer’s presentation will be released in February on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available to obtain online; please check nescifest.com for more information. Although the presentation is free, tickets are required for admittance when doors open April 10 at 6:30 p.m.
One of the most successful and extreme storm chasers in the world, Timmer has intercepted more than 250 tornadoes and a dozen powerful hurricanes during the past decade, including Hurricane Katrina. He currently is working on a Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.
Timmer’s “hands-on” experience with a vast assortment of hazardous weather and natural disasters, as well as his extensive education in the science of meteorology, have made him one of the world’s most respected experts on severe weather forecasting, safety and survival. He is a strong advocate for extreme weather and disaster education, and conducts storm spotter seminars for the National Weather Service, emergency managers and the general public.
Growing up in the ever-changing climate of West Michigan, Timmer’s passion for extreme weather has dominated his life for as long as he can remember. His illustrious storm-chasing career began at the age of 12, when he destroyed the family video camera in his front yard while being pelted by quarter-sized hail in a severe thunderstorm. At the age of 18, he decided to pursue his ultimate dream, and enrolled at the University of Oklahoma to study meteorology and chase storms in Tornado Alley.
As a star on Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers in 2008, Timmer became the first person in history to capture high definition video inside a tornado. The eight episode series had a record 19 million viewers during the 2008 season, and was one of the highest rated shows on Discovery Channel.
You also may have seen Timmer on Discovery Channel’s When Nature Strikes in fall of 2008, which featured his intercept of Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island as a deadly 15-foot storm surge threatened their position on the sea wall. He also has appeared on all major news networks, including Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, CNN with Wolf Blitzer, CBS, NBC and The Weather Channel.
Timmer is CEO of Weather Fusion, LLC and Extreme Tornado Tours, LLC, offering forensic meteorology and consulting services, extreme weather media, and storm chasing tours. His tornado, hurricane, and blizzard footage has been licensed to more than 100 production companies and television networks since 1997, and has been seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide on television, Internet and mobile video devices.
Presented by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Nebraska Science Festival is a collaboration of organizations and individuals interested in the advancement of science literacy. The Science Festival is designed to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for kids and adults alike.
In addition to UNMC, other sponsors, to date, include the clinical enterprise (which includes The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC Physicians and Bellevue Medical Center), the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Metro Credit Union, HDR, West Corporation and media sponsors KETV and the Omaha World-Herald.
For the latest information and updates visit us on the web: www.nescifest.com; Twitter (@NESciFest) or Facebook (NE SciFest).