Kate Sweely Fund for Atmospheric Sciences

In memory of their daughter, Doug and Lori Sweely established the Kate Sweely Fund for Atmospheric Sciences to celebrate Kate’s enthusiasm, dreams, and aspirations in the field of meteorology. Kate loved to study the atmosphere and delighted in the academic environment in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences before she passed away after a short illness prior to her junior year. The goal of the fund is to support and improve the academic experience for atmospheric sciences majors at UNC Asheville. This generous gift allows the department to supply free textbooks to every student in upper-level atmospheric sciences courses, gives students the opportunity to attend national conferences at no cost, supports the purchase of technological tools for students, and assists students in financial need.

Free textbooks for class
The Kate Sweely Fund for Atmospheric Sciences provides free textbooks for all upper-level atmospheric sciences courses at UNC Asheville.
Students attend the AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans
Students attended the 2025 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans with help from the Kate Sweely Fund for Atmospheric Sciences.