Meteorologist professor retires, continues work

By Kyle Boggs
Summer Reporter

Dayton Vincent "stumbled" into the field of meteorology. Now that he is retiring from a 31-year career in the field, he finds himself reminiscing about how he got to where he is today.

Vincent resided in upstate New York and attended Rochester University. It was here that he became active with the R.O.T.C. and aspired to be a pilot for the Air Force. In order to obtain this, Vincent had to first pass a test to become a jet-jockey. After this training, the plan was to eventually become a pilot.

However, when it came time for his exam, he found out that the Air Force was making cut backs and pilots were not needed. Vincent decided to take the test anyway, but because he knew he wouldn't be a pilot, he wasn't prepared and his heart wasn't in it. When the test was over and the results were in, his heart sunk. The Air Force was in need of pilots after all, but Vincent had not qualified to become one.

In the R.O.T.C. program, Vincent went on to earn awards and honors such as Outstanding Cadet in the summer of his junior year as well as become a commandant his senior year.

Vincent said even though he didn't realize it at the time, it was the Air Force that got him into the field of atmospheric sciences. When he couldn't be a pilot, Vincent still wanted to be involved with flying some how. He learned that the Air Force was in need of meteorologists.

"I figured if I couldn't actually fly a plane, I could help the pilots from the ground," he said.

"The Air Force sent me along with 60 other students to St. Louis University," said Vincent. "I had to take 16 meteorology courses in 12 months."

When Vincent was fully trained, he served as a meteorologist in the Air Force for three years in Oklahoma. Obtaining a master's degree was the first thing he wanted to do. He did this in Oklahoma and then got a job with the Navy in Virginia.

"I worked there for about two years and studied the weather effects for Ballistic missiles."

Ballistic missiles are missiles that are guided during ascent but fall freely during decent. Therefore, "it is important to know and understand the weather patterns that the missile may encounter," said Vincent. "We wouldn't want to accidentally have a missile land where it shouldn't."

Vincent said the Navy gave him a good understanding of middle-latitude meteorology. He became involved in a tropical meteorology project that involved atomic and hydrogen bomb testing. Previously, bombs such as these were detonated about 15 miles above the Earth's surface in the tropic region.

"The Atomic Energy Commission wanted to know how this might be affecting the environment," said Vincent. "It was concluded that if you detonate a bomb 15 miles above the Earth's surface, it will take a few years, but it will vastly spread out," he said. "Once it reaches the 30 degree level (the jet stream level), it will only take one to two weeks for the radiation to have a small but significant impact on the Earth."

Because of the research done by Vincent and his team, a treaty was signed which banned any further bomb testing in this fashion.

When his work was completed with the Navy, Vincent decided that he "wanted to teach and work with young people." He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for four years and obtained a Ph.D. He specialized in tropical meteorology and its general circulation. "It was a bit hard for me because I was older than most of my classmates and I had to commute a long way every morning," said Vincent.

When Vincent graduated, he was offered a teaching position at Purdue University. Vincent took the job in 1970 and officially retired from Purdue Saturday. He taught courses such as "General Circulation of Atmosphere" and "Tropical Meteorology." Eventually, Vincent became more interested in research. He began to study tropical cyclones, eastern Pacific weather patterns and the impacts of El Nino.

Vincent isn't dropping everything and leaving Purdue. In fact, he plans to come by a few times a week for research. He also plans to rejoin Andreas Fink, a colleague in Cologne, Germany, at the end of the summer for additional research for a paper they are collaborating on.

Vincent met Fink in Cologne while on sabbatical leave. He has returned every other year in the '90s to work with him.

"I am looking forward to working with him again, he's not just a good colleague of mine, but has turned into a great friend as well," said Vincent.

His wife, Lola, has always gone with him to Germany because she has family there and it is a fun trip to take together, she said.

"We are really looking forward to having more time together," she said. "His retirement will take getting used to, but it's wonderful to be able to share so many of the same interests."

Because Vincent has been at Purdue University since 1970, he has witnessed many changes to the area, as well as the technology in his field.

When Vincent first came to Purdue, he did the bulk of his work with punch cards and typewriters. His students now laugh when he mentions these prehistoric tools and actually teach him how to use the digital and computer based technology used in meteorology today.