Meteorologist Erica Hoyt

Congratulations to Kayla McDonald (meteorology & journalism) and Erica Hoyt (‘25 meteorology, GIS & journalism) who won 1st place in the “interactive reality” category from the Broadcast Education Association's Festival of Media Arts competition for their in-depth storytelling on a new scale measuring the severity of Arizona dust storms.

The project challenged them creatively and technically, pushing them to think deeper about the scientific storytelling and audience experience. See their multimedia project here: https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/11/19/phoenix-dust-scale/

I had a blast talking with seventh graders about the weather! So much fun!

Erica Hoyt is the Cronkite School’s top innovator and proving she’s a triple threat, earning three degrees on her way to a career in meteorology! Along the way, she leveraged emerging technology in her weather and climate storytelling, helping audiences gain a greater understanding of their environment.

Congratulations to Erica and all our fall graduates!

Check out these graphics I made!

Our first multimedia web-story of the semester is LIVE on Cronkite News! 🎉

Meteorologist Kayla McDonald and I talked with meteorologists across the Valley to break down the Phoenix Dust scale and how it is used. So proud of the weather team!

Check out our lead story!☀️

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/11/19/phoenix-dust-scale/