UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brent Tyler Rice has been named the student marshal for the the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences' fall 2016 commencement ceremony. He will be recognized during the Penn State undergraduate commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. Rice selected Jon Michael Nese, senior lecturer and associate head for undergraduate programs in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science to escort him as the college’s faculty marshal.
“I’m privileged to have Dr. Nese accompany me as a faculty marshal,” said Rice. “Dr. Nese is a crucial part of the meteorology department, having a hand in so many different aspects of the program. I chose him not only because he’s been my adviser, but because he deserves recognition for all of the time and effort he contributes to our department.”
Brent earns a bachelor of science, summa cum laude in meteorology, with a concentration in weather risk management. He also earns minors in statistics and energy business and finance.
“Being named the student marshal for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is really an honor,” said Rice. “It’s nice to see that all of the hard work I’ve been putting into my classes during the past four years has paid off. My parents taught me the importance of a strong work ethic whether on the job or in the classroom, so I’m thankful to them and the rest of my family for all of the support they’ve given me.”
While attending Penn State, Rice landed several impressive internships. In one internship, he worked with the National Weather Service, where he assisted in creating forecast products and conducted independent research on a major snowstorm of February 2010.
This past summer, Rice interned with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s electric power flow. His research involved relating recurring weather patterns with wind power forecast accuracy. In fall 2015, Rice enjoyed serving as a forecaster with Penn State’s Campus Weather Service, creating five-day regional forecasts for Pennsylvania.
No stranger to working with his hands as well as his intellect, Rice is an experienced dairy farm hand at his family’s RiceCrest Farms in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. His parents, Dale and Cheryl Rice, plan to attend the ceremony.