Dr. Barbara Boustead is a meteorologist and climatologist as well as a Laura Ingalls Wilder scholar. Her research stands in the intersection of weather, climate, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she has expertise in both weather data analysis and the deeper stories of the weather in Wilder's books, homes, and life. Her love of weather and of the Little House books both grew from early elementary age and stuck with her throughout her life as she has woven together these seemingly disparate interests. Born in Michigan, Boustead lives in Nebraska with her family and frequently travels across the Plains and Midwest looking for storms, history, natural beauty, and sporting events.