Eric Nguyen
Encyclopedia
Eric Michael Nguyen was an American professional storm chaser
, meteorologist, and photographer from Keller, Texas, United States. In 2008 Nguyen released his first book of photography titled Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers with co-author Mike Hollingshead
.
near Los Angeles, California
in 1978 and raised in Keller, Texas
after his parents relocated soon after his birth. Eric was strongly interested in severe storms and tornado
es as a child and became heavily intrigued with mobile instrumentation systems for weather data collection. Eric began studying meteorology at the University of Oklahoma
in 2001. He graduated with a BS in Meteorology in May 2005.
. Nguyen began publishing images regularly in Accord Publishing's popular annual Weather Guide Calender series, Smithsonian Magazine, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, as well as Weatherwise, Storm Track
, UCAR Quarterly, textbooks, and other venues. His Mulvane, Kansas tornado/rainbow image is one of the most frequently licensed tornado images of all time and several other of his photos have appeared in publications and presentations around the world. Nguyen's storm and tornado photography was considered among the most expressive in the field, with a particular emphasis on unusual palettes and the use of foreground elements to create dynamic line structures in the composition. On April 21, 2007, Nguyen and his storm chasing partner, Amos Magliocco, were struck by a tornado in Tulia, Texas. Nguyen's scientific grade weather instrumentation survived the hit and measured the sharpest pressure fall ever recorded on Earth. Upon his death, hundreds of weather enthusiasts from around the world praised Nguyen's skills as a photographer and chaser in the online journal Storm Track The University of Oklahoma hosted a memorial tribute ceremony in the National Weather Center on September 22, 2007. The keynote speaker was Dr. Charles A. Doswell III. An endowed scholarship for graduate and undergraduate meteorology students was created in Nguyen's name at OU's prestigious School of Meteorology. Nguyen's imagery is represented by the stock photo agency Corbis International which notes that the Mulvane, Kansas tornado image is "Widely considered among stormchasers as the greatest tornado photo of all time..." A five-week exhibition of Nguyen's photography was held at the Todd/Browning Gallery in Los Angeles from March 15-April 23.
on September 9, 2007 as a result of injuries sustained during a suicide attempt on August 31, 2007. Nguyen had suffered a sudden relapse of a mental illness and experienced severe negative reactions to anti-depressant medication.
ISBN 978-0-500-51404-7 (hbk.) ISBN 978-0-500-28737-8 (pbk.)
Storm chasing
Storm chasing is broadly defined as the pursuit of any severe weather condition, regardless of motive, which can be curiosity, adventure, scientific exploration or for news professions/media coverage....
, meteorologist, and photographer from Keller, Texas, United States. In 2008 Nguyen released his first book of photography titled Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers with co-author Mike Hollingshead
Mike Hollingshead
Mike Hollingshead is an American professional storm chaser and photographer from Blair, Nebraska, United States. In 2008 Hollingshead released his first book titled Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers with co-author Eric Nguyen....
.
Early life and education
Eric Michael Isbell (last name changed to Nguyen after marriage) was born in Newport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
near Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1978 and raised in Keller, Texas
Keller, Texas
Keller is a city located in Tarrant County, Texas, in the United States. In 2011, it was ranked 93rd in Money Magazine's list of best cities to live in the United States. It is a northern suburb of the city of Fort Worth and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex...
after his parents relocated soon after his birth. Eric was strongly interested in severe storms and tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es as a child and became heavily intrigued with mobile instrumentation systems for weather data collection. Eric began studying meteorology at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in 2001. He graduated with a BS in Meteorology in May 2005.
Career
In 1994, Nguyen began chasing storms in Texas and soon expanded his range to the larger area of the central United States commonly known as Tornado AlleyTornado Alley
Tornado Alley is a colloquial and popular media term that most often refers to the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Although an official location is not defined, the area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains is usually associated with it.The areas...
. Nguyen began publishing images regularly in Accord Publishing's popular annual Weather Guide Calender series, Smithsonian Magazine, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, as well as Weatherwise, Storm Track
Storm track
Storm tracks are the relatively narrow zones in the Atlantic and Pacific along which most Atlantic or Pacific extratropical cyclones travel.The storm tracks begin in the westernmost parts of Atlantic and Pacific, where the large temperature contrasts between land and sea cause cyclones to form,...
, UCAR Quarterly, textbooks, and other venues. His Mulvane, Kansas tornado/rainbow image is one of the most frequently licensed tornado images of all time and several other of his photos have appeared in publications and presentations around the world. Nguyen's storm and tornado photography was considered among the most expressive in the field, with a particular emphasis on unusual palettes and the use of foreground elements to create dynamic line structures in the composition. On April 21, 2007, Nguyen and his storm chasing partner, Amos Magliocco, were struck by a tornado in Tulia, Texas. Nguyen's scientific grade weather instrumentation survived the hit and measured the sharpest pressure fall ever recorded on Earth. Upon his death, hundreds of weather enthusiasts from around the world praised Nguyen's skills as a photographer and chaser in the online journal Storm Track The University of Oklahoma hosted a memorial tribute ceremony in the National Weather Center on September 22, 2007. The keynote speaker was Dr. Charles A. Doswell III. An endowed scholarship for graduate and undergraduate meteorology students was created in Nguyen's name at OU's prestigious School of Meteorology. Nguyen's imagery is represented by the stock photo agency Corbis International which notes that the Mulvane, Kansas tornado image is "Widely considered among stormchasers as the greatest tornado photo of all time..." A five-week exhibition of Nguyen's photography was held at the Todd/Browning Gallery in Los Angeles from March 15-April 23.
Death
Nguyen died in Arlington, TexasArlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
on September 9, 2007 as a result of injuries sustained during a suicide attempt on August 31, 2007. Nguyen had suffered a sudden relapse of a mental illness and experienced severe negative reactions to anti-depressant medication.
Publications
Nguyen authored and coauthored scientific publications and conference papers as well as the photography book, Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers. Publications include:ISBN 978-0-500-51404-7 (hbk.) ISBN 978-0-500-28737-8 (pbk.)
- Richard Ferrare, Edward Browell, Syed Ismail, Susan Kooi, Vince Brackett, Hank Revercomb, Bob Knuteson, Paolo Antonelli, Noah Misch, Jonathan Gleason, Eric Nguyen, Scott Currens, 2004: Airborne Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor and Aerosol Fields Over The Southern Great Plains During IHOP Field Experiment. 22nd International Laser Radar Conference, Metera, Italy.
- Victoria Sankovich, G. Shaw, J. Gleason, S. Newsome, E. Nguyen, R. A. Ferrare, E. V. Browell, S. Ismail, S. Kooi, V. G. Brackett, H. Revercomb, B. Knuteson, and P. Antonelli, 2004: Characterization and Visualization of Water Vapor and Atmospheric Stability During the IHOP Field Experiment. 2nd Symposium on Lidar Atmospheric Applications, San Diego, CA.
- Blair, S. F., and E. M. Nguyen, 2005: An examination of the 12 June 2004 Mulvane, Kansas tornado. Preprints, 4th Annual Southeast Severe Storms Symposium, Starkville, Mississippi, CD-ROM.
External links
- Eric Nguyen's Homepage of Meteorology & Storm Observing (Nguyen's Website)
- Tribute to Eric Nguyen (Amos Magliocco's website)
- Eric Nguyen's imagery (Corbis International gallery)
- Eric Nguyen's OU Homepage