Jackson State University's College of Science, Engineering, and Technology is known for producing many African American graduates in STEM fields.
In November, the university’s meteorology program marked its 50th anniversary, celebrating years of impact and innovation.
The Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, started in 1975, was the first program of its kind at a historically Black college or university. Since then, Jackson State has graduated more Black meteorologists than any other school in the country.
A social media post noted that one in four African American meteorologists in the United States earned their degree from Jackson State, and a third of those working in the National Weather Service are alumni.
In Black History Month 2025, HBCU alum Jordan Ambrose, who earned degrees in meteorology and atmospheric science at North Carolina A&T University, became chief meteorologist at WDHN, a TV station in Alabama.
Patricia Brown Jones, the first graduate of JSU’s meteorology program, worked for NOAA and the National Weather Service for more than 40 years.
In an archive interview, Jones shared that she started as a meteorology intern at the Weather Service Forecast Office in Atlanta, Georgia.
Four years later, she became a Journeyman Forecaster, and after another four years, she took on the role of Warning and Preparedness Meteorologist for Georgia.
In 1993, she was promoted to Senior Hydrometeorological Analysis and Support Forecaster at the West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
She later returned to Jackson, Mississippi, to work at the Weather Forecast Office for six years before moving to New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a Senior Service Hydrologist in 2003.
After graduating in 1980, Jones mentored many Jackson State University students. She also served on several boards focused on mentorship, such as the Gulf States Leadership Institute, the Boys and Girls Club of Slidell, and Junior Achievement. Each year, she takes part in science and career fairs as a judge, presenter, or resource professional.