Jessica Halle Ph.D.

Weather Enthusiast

Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, Jessica has always felt more at home staring at the clouds or in the ocean. From the time she was a little girl, she had a knack for predicting the weather. So much so that it drew suspicion, with her own mother once saying “Jessica…I swear the wind starts picking up when you get dramatic.” Coincidence? The government says yes. I say no. After earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Exercise Physiology from Florida Atlantic University, Jessica got her PhD in from the University of Tennessee studying cancer cachexia and the long-term effects of chemotherapy on whole-body and skeletal muscle metabolism.

Unperturbed by the suspicion, Jessica conveniently moved to Oklahoma to “pursue her research interests”. But make no mistake: if you need someone to “predict” the weather, Jessica, known by her lab mates as “J-dog” or “J Thunder”, has you covered. J Thunder’s weather prognostication methods are not for the weak. First, one must be wearing a shirt with 2-4 words on it along with a simple graphic. This is non-negotiable according to J Thunder, and interestingly enough, every time I’ve questioned her methods I have gotten rained on. The next, and most important step, is to stare directly at the sun for 30 seconds. If you do not successfully complete this part, be prepared for a barrage of insults: “weak”, “loser”, “not built for this”, followed by getting hailed on. Somehow from this process, J-dog gains some divination about future atmospheric conditions (or the power to create them…??…??).

When Jessica isn’t keeping up appearances in the lab, she can be found hanging out with her puppy or wherever the major storm threats happen to be. One suspecting chink in her armor is her laugh—if you can keep her laughing long enough, or make her feel embarrassed, the tears start to flow. This may be the only way to stop her if she ever truly loses it someday.