Weathering the changes: 30 years at the Bureau

September 2007

Lynda Drosdowsky (BSc(Hons) 1975, MBA 1990) was once “a typical critic of the Bureau of Meteorology after having been caught out umbrella-less more than once during a Melbourne downpour”. Yet, following a short period at the Bureau as a university student, Ms Drosdowsky went on to work there for another 30 years.

Ms Drosdowsky is currently a policy advisor for the Bureau of Meteorology’s Additional Weather Services department. This area provides data to private sector meteorological companies so that they can offer value-add products to weather-sensitive industries such as mining and energy.

Over her career, Ms Drosdowsky has worked on some interesting major projects including: a report on Tropical Cyclone Kathy (1984); an investigation of relationships between weather and natural gas consumption in Sydney (1992); and a study of the relationships between weather and cane crops in the Herbert River region, Queensland (1992).

With climate change being at the forefront of media attention, Ms Drosdowsky says that the Bureau faces challenges as it adjusts to new attitudes.

“Bureau activities always provide media interest, but the recent drought had a major impact. An example of this was a heightened sensitivity to the use of the word ‘Fine’ in forecasts because it tends to imply a positive interpretation to a lack of rain,” Ms Drosdowsky said.

Ms Drosdowsky’s position is a sought-after one, with the Bureau receiving thousands of applications each year for their postgraduate meteorology traineeship. She advises alumni not to feel disheartened when applying for a job there:

“Don’t give up applying. Some applicants get in on their third or fourth try. Also, the Bureau is not the only organisation to employ meteorologists – try applying for a position at one of the private meteorology companies,” she said.

Links:

Bureau of Meteorology website