Sofia Montalvo graduated from NC State University in 2014 with a master’s degree in atmospheric science. She now serves as the Operations Technical Director for U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC), where she helps the agency map sea ice for improved commerce and navigational safety across the world.

USNIC is a tri-agency partnership comprised of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It strives to be the globally recognized authority for ice and snow decision-support services, Montalvo said. 

The agency provides products and forecasts of snow,sea- and lake- ice for the Navy and mariners who are operating in polar, subpolar and Great Lakes regions. According to USNIC, the agency’s mission is to safeguard life and property at sea, defend access and commerce, and further enable Naval maneuver and superiority.

Montalvo has served in her current role for two and half years, where she shares expertise and forecasts for sea ice, guides agency priorities and advises department heads. Given that the agency’s commanding officer and director rotates every two years, Montalvo plays a key role in helping the agency maintain continuity in its mission. 

As USNIC’s subject-matter expert in sea ice, Montalvo is the go-to person for guidance on the topic. If government customers need to avoid sea ice or navigate through it, Montalvo answers their requests. If a project moves forward to support sea ice research, Montalvo ensures it’s consistent with the science and Naval operations. In general, Montalvo is prepared to step right out onto the operations floor and conduct sea ice analyses and forecasts.

Last year, Montalvo and her department provided forecast support for an annual mission known as Operation Deep Freeze. For this mission, the Coast Guard must navigate ships to McMurdo Sound in Antarctica’s Ross Sea to resupply research stations. Montalvo’s team provided a highly accurate long-range forecast of how the sea would melt in the region, ensuring the Coast Guard reserved enough fuel for the mission and could navigate safely. 

A large part of Montalvo’s role — her favorite part — involves international collaborations. She often travels to other countries, where she promotes USNIC’s priorities and strategies and enhances the visibility of USNIC’s products and expertise. These collaborations are also a chance to garner more support or funding for the agency. Crucially, they allow Montalvo the chance to learn about and prioritize Arctic and Antarctic research initiatives, which she can then push to secure funding for.

In the Q&A below, read more about Montalvo and her time in the NC State Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, as well as her advice for current students:

How did MEAS help you in your career path?

MEAS helped me with being super open to continuing to learn. I was not an expert in the research I was doing at NC State, and so I had to learn a lot to get that master’s thesis done. 

Also, using your network to help support you in your work; our friend group and our class group, we’re super supportive of each other. We were always reviewing each other’s work and studying together, that kind of thing. Last week, five of us got back together and had a reunion.

Maintain those connections that you make while at NC State, and then realize that the network continues as you go. The technical director for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command down at Stennis Space Center, he got his Ph.D. at NC State in the early 2000s. So, realizing I have a connection with him through that was incredible. Just, keep your mind open and continue to learn and absorb new things. I wouldn’t have succeeded to this level here at the ice center without that.

What is a favorite class or memory from your time in MEAS?

Even though it was really hard, I really enjoyed the class with Matt Parker and Sandra Yuter on precipitation. They proved to be a great resource during the class, but after the fact even more. Matt Parker’s modeling class was also one of my favorites. And, I really liked working for Walt Robinson as his TA. He was great.

For favorite memories — the rock wall at the gym. That was a favorite pastime of mine, and then a bunch of us did some intramural soccer and flag football, and that was really fun until I got injured too many times, and I had to stop doing that.

What advice do you have for students?

I have two things. I think having a goal for what you want to do for your life is really nice, but you need to also be open to new possibilities and new opportunities. I did not expect to make it here and do sea ice mapping for navigation. When I left NC State, I had studied tropical weather, but I have found a passion in doing this type of work now. I honestly don’t know what’s gonna happen next, but I’m excited for any new opportunities that’ll come my way as well. Also — I think everybody who wants to work for the National Weather Service knows this — you have to be willing to move wherever you can to get a job. I think that’s the case for any meteorologist or oceanographer. Be willing and able to move where you can, and you might learn something new about yourself as you go. 

The second item is with the advent and the continuing evolution of AI/ML, remember that artificial intelligence is trying to mimic your own intelligence. You can use it as a tool, but don’t make it replace your input or your intelligence. One of our big initiatives here is to start using it operationally, but I’m not replacing any people with it. I’m asking them to use it as a new employee that they’re supervising, and then they can use their intelligent brains to work on the harder problem.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I am a Golden Shellback, a Blue Nose and a Red Nose, so I’ve completed the dateline and equator crossing, the Arctic Circle crossing and the Antarctic Circle crossing. 

I never expected to be able to do any of those things, and the fact that I have now many times is really one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

The equator-dateline crossing was while I was working at the National Data Buoy Center before the USNIC. That was my job in between grad school and here. Then I worked as an operations forecaster at the ice center for three and a half years and they deployed me several times.