
Outlines of my career as a professor at Florida State University and my life as a frisbee enthusiast.

# Career

My professional journey began at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where I completed a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Meteorology (1977–1988), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship (1988–1990). It was during this period that my foundational interests in atmospheric dynamics and nonlinear systems took root. This early work laid the groundwork for later explorations into chaos theory and complex geophysical systems.

## Building a scholarly portfolio at Florida State University

I joined Florida State University (FSU) as an Assistant Professor in 1990, initially in the Department of Meteorology. Over the next three decades, my career progressed through Associate Professor in both Meteorology and Geography, to full Professor, and ultimately to holding the Earl B. and Sophia H. Shaw Endowed Chair in Geography (2008–2023). I also served as Chair of the Department of Geography (2015–2021) and a Faculty Associate at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute (2012–2023). In 2024, I was honored with the title of Professor Emeritus.

These roles provided a platform to build a vibrant research program that bridges statistical climatology, tropical cyclone science, tornado risk, and the mathematics of complex systems.

## Shaping the field: key publications and intellectual contributions

My publication record maps this evolution.

### Tropical cyclone intensity and climate change

-   **"The increasing intensity of the strongest tropical cyclones" (Elsner et al., 2008)**, with 1458 citations, showed that the strongest hurricanes are intensifying globally. This paper became a cornerstone in discussions of climate change impacts on extreme weather.
-   **"Trade-off between intensity and frequency of global tropical cyclones" (Kang & Elsner, 2015)** explored how warming climates might redistribute cyclone characteristics.

### Statistical models and prediction

-  My book **"Hurricanes of the North Atlantic: Climate and Society" (Elsner & Kara, 1999)** connected atmospheric science with societal impacts.

-   **"Prediction models for annual US hurricane counts" (Elsner & Jagger, 2006)** and related works pioneered Bayesian and Poisson-based approaches for seasonal forecasting.

### Nonlinear dynamics, chaos, and complex systems in atmospheric science

- Early work on **attractors and dimension estimation** with A.A. Tsonis, such as **"Nonlinear prediction as a way of distinguishing chaos from random fractal sequences" (1992)**, was influential in applying chaos theory to weather data.

- Later, **"Singular spectrum analysis: a new tool in time series analysis" (Elsner & Tsonis, 1996/2013)** equipped climate researchers with a framework to extract signals from noisy geophysical series.

- My work on **network analysis**, notably **Emily Fogarty’s dissertation on hurricane networks (2009)**, further extended nonlinear system insights into spatial interaction structures.

### Tornado risk, damage, and societal exposure

- In tornado climatology, papers like **"The increasing efficiency of tornado days in the United States" (Elsner et al., 2015)** and **"A spatial point process model for violent tornado occurrence in the US Great Plains" (Elsner et al., 2015)** helped quantify shifting risks and revealed how tornado intensity interacts with land use and population exposure.

## Mentorship and human capital development

An equally meaningful part of my career is the mentoring of over **16 PhD students and 20 MS students** at FSU. Their work spans improving flood forecasts, building hurricane damage models, to dissecting tornado climatology. For example:

-  **Kelsey Scheitlin (2010)** developed a spatial hurricane climatology.

-  **Nam-Young Kang (2014)** advanced global warming links to western Pacific cyclones.

-  **Sarah Strazzo (2015)** investigated climate model fidelity in reproducing cyclone-SST relationships.

-  **Tyler Fricker (2019)** focused on tornado casualties and landscape drivers.


## Research funding and institutional impact

Over my career, I secured approximately **\$1.9 million in competitive research funding**, including grants from the **National Science Foundation, NOAA, and the Risk Prediction Initiative**. These supported interdisciplinary collaborations and student-led field campaigns, enriching FSU’s profile in climate risk sciences.

## Honors and recognition

This sustained record led to recognitions such as the **Gilbert F. White Distinguished Lecture (2013, AGU)**, FSU’s **University Graduate Mentor Award (2019)**, and culminating with the **Late Career Research Award (2022, FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy)**.

As Professor Emeritus, I continue to collaborate on papers examining health outcomes related to hurricane threats, advise former students, and contribute to public understanding of climate hazards through talks and interviews.

# Frisbee Life

I first picked up a frisbee back in 1975 to throw it around the yard and in the neighborhood, not knowing then how deeply it would shape the course of my life.

## Enthusiasm and new friends

As a college student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I joined the UWM frisbee club in 1977 and quickly immersed myself in the vibrant flying disc culture of the time.By 1978, I was already testing my skills in organized competitions, taking 3rd in the Accuracy event at the Alfred Boys frisbee tournament in Waukesha, where disc golf was played using objects as targets. Those early years were full of camaraderie and excitement as the sport was just finding its competitive footing. I, along with my brother John, made friends with young, talented, and warm-hearted folks, including Andrew Lemann, Bethany Porter (Sanchez) and Dave Bolyard.

## Disc golf

I became an early supporter of the Professional Disc Golf Association, proudly holding PDGA number 1483 — one of the lowest issued in the state. I competed in some of the first PDGA-sanctioned events, including the 1980 tournament in Chicago, where the professional side of disc golf was only beginning to take shape. Throughout the 1980s, I found success on the course: finishing 3rd in Golf at the 1980 Wisconsin State Championships, winning a major tournament at Vollrath Park in 1983 (setting a new course record and earning a cash bonus from the Bratwurst City Frisbee Club), capturing the Brown Deer Classic in 1984 by 9 strokes, and placing in the top 20 at both the 1983 and 1984 PDGA World Championships. I also contributed off the course — helping design the first proposed disc golf course in Milwaukee and playing a key role in building the first installed course at Brown Deer Park. In 1985, I co-organized the Frisbee and Hacky Sack Festival at Brown Deer Park, an event that introduced countless people to the joy of flying discs.

## Double disc court (Escape!! frisbee)

My journey eventually took me to Florida in 1990, where I began a new chapter as a professor at Florida State University. There, my passion for disc sports took on a new dimension. I introduced Double Disc Court (or what we like to call Escape!! frisbee) to many ultimate players in Tallahassee and beyond, helping to cultivate a thriving community of enthusiasts (Tally Pod). Since 2003, I’ve dedicated myself to promoting this exciting sport — now reaching players worldwide through my [YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/@james.elsner), which shares strategies, highlights, and the pure fun of DDC. I've made friends with outstanding players in the sport including Conrad Damon and Harvey Brandt. I’m currently ranked among the top 15 DDC players in the world^[As of June 2025], a testament to my enduring love for the game and competitive spirit. Looking back, I’m grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had to help build communities, design courses, teach new players, and compete at the highest levels. It’s a privilege to still be part of this remarkable sport’s story. ^[This document benefited from drafting support by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which helped summarize, organize, and format some of the material.]
