Last week the College of Arts and Sciences recognized Wes Haines (B.S. Geography, 2008; M.S. Atmospheric Sciences, 2013) with an Emerging Leadership Award in recognition of his professional achievements as well as civic engagement.

Wes earned his bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Science from the Department of Geography in 2008 and completed his Master's in 2013, advised by Dr. David Bromwich. During and subsequent to his degrees Wes worked at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center in various IT positions. In 2016, Wes left Ohio State to found HomeTown Ticketing, now a national leader for digital ticketing for the k-12 market. In 2022, Wes stepped down from his role at HomeTown Ticketing and rejoined weatherUSA, a weather services company that was born from a website he developed as a high school student. weatherUSA provides weather alerts for users as well as customized weather data and forecasts to companies in diverse industries. Wes also currently sits on the board at HomeTown Ticketing and is a consultant with the State Climate Office of Ohio, run by Dr. Aaron Wilson.

Wes was joined at the Arts and Sciences Alumni Award ceremony by his mentors, collaborators, and friends from Byrd Polar and Geography. Wes was also joined by his mom, Theresa Bair, and partner Jerry Zou (M.S. Atmospheric Science, 2017; Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences, 2020), currently a research scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA, and who is a superstar in her own right!

Congratulations Wes! This award is very well-deserved!

See more on the event at https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/news/announcing-2024-arts-and-sciences-alumni-award-honorees