The countdown is on for free tickets to meteorologist and extreme storm chaser Reed Timmer, who will headline this year’s Nebraska Science Festival.
Timmer — among the few to ever document both an F5 tornado and the most devastating hurricane in U.S. history — will present April 10 at Joslyn Museum’s Witherspoon Concert Hall. His 7:30 p.m. presentation is free to the public but requires a reserved ticket and is suitable for ages 12 and older.
Tickets for general admission seating to Timmer’s presentation will be released at noon on Feb. 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available this year online at Eventbrite. Users will need to create a login and password, then search for “Reed Timmer NE SciFest Keynote Presentation.” Once there, you may reserve up to four free tickets.
Tickets are not available at the door. Although the presentation is free, tickets are required for admittance on April 10 when doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for past speakers have gone quickly.
The third annual Nebraska Science Festival — presented by UNMC and scheduled for April 10-18 — will feature an array of science- and technology-related activities in communities across the state.
Timmer has intercepted more than 250 tornadoes and a dozen powerful hurricanes during the past decade, including Hurricane Katrina. He currently is working on a Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.
Timmer’s experience with a vast assortment of hazardous weather and natural disasters, as well as his extensive education in the science of meteorology, have made him one of the world’s most respected experts on severe weather forecasting, safety and survival. He is a strong advocate for extreme weather and disaster education and conducts storm spotter seminars for the National Weather Service, emergency managers and the general public.
As a star on Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” in 2008, Timmer became the first person in history to capture high-definition video inside a tornado. The eight-episode series had a record 19 million viewers during the 2008 season, and was one of the highest rated shows on Discovery Channel.
Discovery Channel’s “When Nature Strikes” in fall of 2008 featured his intercept of Hurricane Ike on Galveston Island as a deadly 15-foot storm surge threatened his position on the sea wall. He also has appeared on all major news networks, including Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, CNN with Wolf Blitzer, CBS, NBC and The Weather Channel.