 | Fourth Annual AMS |
Fourth Annual AMS Student Conference and Career Fair
"Impact the World with a Career in the Atmospheric and Related
Sciences"
Have questions, suggestions to make this conference better, or just want more information? Then PLEASE contact us! Send an e-mail to conference Co-Chairs: Ken Carey, kcarey@mitretek.org, and Andrea Bleistein, Andrea.Bleistein@noaa.gov
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Are you a student interested in meeting your peers, those like you who want to get a great job? Not sure what you want to do when you finish undergraduate or graduate school? Or would you be interested in hearing from some of the very best speakers in our profession? If you are a junior or senior undergraduate or first-year graduate student, you need to participate in the 4th Annual AMS Student Conference and Career Fair! This incredible event—targeted specifically at helping junior and senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students—will be held in San Diego, California, on January 8-9, 2005, in conjunction with the AMS Annual Meeting and we want YOU to be involved! Our primary goals are simple: raise your awareness of the nearly endless job possibilities with the skills our profession offers, and allow you to closely interact with the best teachers, students, researchers, weather providers and entrepreneurs in our profession so that you will be better prepared to acquire the very best job for YOU! You’ll be surrounded by people who want you to succeed – professionals who will offer you their wise insights and lessons learned – and some of the very best and coolest students around! The career fair is scheduled to provide a forum for students to personally interact with employers and representatives of graduate institutions, and includes the opportunity to establish contacts, and set up interviews. In this conference we will highlight how each one of you can, “Impact the World with a Career in the Atmospheric and Related Sciences!” Focusing on our theme, we will help you better understand the importance of technical, leadership, and oral and written communication skills to your future job. Since atmospheric, oceanographic, and hydrologic sciences are truly a global undertaking, we will also explain how the national and international communities work together to advance environmental issues and understanding. |
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Again, all junior and senior undergraduates, as well as first-year graduate students, are invited to participate in the 4th Annual Student Conference. There is no fee for attending the conference but preregistration is required since there will be no on-site registration. Please note that registration includes admittance to the Student Conference only. Attendees must register separately for the 85th AMS Annual Meeting. |
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Conference Agenda (PDF, Updated: 12/15/2004)
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A Look Back at the 3rd Annual AMS Student Conference – Opportunities Abound in the Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Hydrologic Sciences!
On 10-11 January 2004, in conjunction with the 84th American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, the AMS hosted a very special event – the 3rd Annual AMS Student Conference. This event was created primarily to inform students of the opportunities and options available to them as they contemplate careers in the atmospheric, oceanographic, and hydrologic sciences. This conference featured some of the most renowned scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and senior leaders in our profession. Based on the student feedback and obvious speaker passion and interaction with the students, we believe this conference had a profound and long-lasting impact on students interested in our profession! The theme of the conference was “Career Choices – The Sky’s the Limit!”. The conference goals were focused on the following initiatives:
- Bringing students together in one place to hear what is going on in various careers related to atmospheric science.
- Providing students a venue to learn more about the support, practical guidance, and information the AMS can provide them as they work toward their potential careers.
- Creating and fostering an environment for networking, both with other students as well as with professionals in their fields.
- Bringing young professionals together with those who actually hire students, to raise the their visibility and to demonstrate the many options for students to consider.
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From the onset of planning and preparation, my conference co-chair, Ms. Rose Auld, scientist and forecaster from the National Weather Service Eastern Region headquarters, and I dedicated all of our efforts to bring together the very best speakers on the most relevant topics. In addition, we achieved a milestone by allowing students to directly participate in the planning of the conference and inviting students speak and serve as panel members. After introductions by the AMS Executive Director (Dr. Ron McPherson), and the AMS President–elect (Dr. Susan Avery), we convened special sessions that we called "Getting Plugged in to Your Career," What’s the Forecast," "A Closer Look on the Private Sector," and "Emerging Trends in Science and Technology." A special session focused on undergraduate and graduate research, and the closing finale featured a presentation on ethics in science. |
| Featured speakers spanned all aspects of the atmospheric, hydrologic, and oceanographic sciences. Dr. Susan Avery, the AMS President, exhorted the students to take charge of their careers and get involved in professional organizations like the AMS to enhance their career choices and options. Dr. Percy Thomas, the NOAA/National Weather Service Director of Training, provided a presentation on “Power Steps for Success” that continued to positively impact students. Jon Nese gave an exciting rendition of his work at The Weather Channel and encouraged each of the students to follow their passion into a science career. Brian Frugis, an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, won over the audience with an exciting overview of the incredible performance that earned Cook College the 2002-2003 Student Chapter of the Year Award. | |
During one of the extended breaks, student chapters displayed posters demonstrating their chapter activities and benefits. The Career Fair had a strong but balanced involvement from the private, public, and academic sectors. It also provided a venue for active networking. Attendees received fact sheets on alternative careers and tools and techniques to enhance their career opportunities in the atmospheric sciences.
One of the many examples of student excellence at the conference was an invited presentation by the recipient of the AMS Father James B. Macelwane Award. An excellent follow-up included a hand-picked panel of recent graduates who shared wisdom recently gained from their transition into the work force. These graduate panel members included Gina Eosco with the AMS; John Hannan, Northrop Grumman Information Technology; David R. Novak, NOAA/NWS; Jason P. Samenow with the US Environmental Protection Agency; and Dr. Ahsha N. Tribble with NOAA.
To demonstrate student research at both the undergraduate and graduate level and to encourage those attending to continue and complete their research, we organized a special session on undergraduate and graduate research, chaired by Sarah Tessendorf, a graduate student at Colorado State University. Casey Thornbrugh, an undergraduate student from the University of New Mexico, gave a talk on “Contributing to the Prediction of Coastal Flooding: Simulating Wave Heights and Directions Along the Coast of Barrow, Alaska.” Maribel Martinez, an undergraduate student from Texas Tech University, spoke on “Hydrometer Habits and Their Relation to the Electrification of Two Tornadic Storms as Revealed by a Polarimetric Doppler Radar”. Both Casey and Maribel presented outstanding examples of top-notch and relevant research.
Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney, II (US Navy, retired), President of Monmouth University, provided a stimulating presentation on “Ethics in Science”. His closing luncheon presentation challenged the conference participants with practical insights into ways to deal with situations faced by scientists, managers, and faculty in our profession.
Conference feedback, acquired informally from students and speakers during and after the conference, and comments gathered via our post-conference evaluation surveys, convincingly validated independent assessments that the conference was worth all of the volunteer efforts. Most of the feedback was very positive. Conference participants particularly lauded the opportunity for student interaction with those working in the profession “…without the conference craziness.” They also liked the panel featuring recent graduates who conveyed to those present how they had acquired their jobs and also provided tips to help them succeed. Student feedback provided valuable comments for future conferences. They requested advance knowledge of what students should expect. They wanted more conference information beforehand, e.g., add to the conference website information about presentations, and advanced knowledge of attendees and those who will be part of the Career Fair. They requested parallel sessions with multiple presenters so students can choose what they want to see for part of the conference. Some felt there should be more student-student interaction, and consideration of including sophomores [Editor’s note: this conference was the first open to undergraduate juniors]. Others requested a “pre-opening” of the exhibition hall for students…with emphasis on companies that are looking for employees, interns, etc. Most importantly, the vast majority of the students who attended wanted to participate again in the next conference and offered to help encourage other students to attend future conferences.I must close with acknowledgement of the outstanding assistance we received from Stephanie Armstrong, Beth Farley, and Kelly Garvey from the AMS staff. The student conference and Career Fair simply could not have happened without their help and hard work. Rose and I worked closely with them and enjoyed the opportunity to overcome every challenge. It was our privilege to work with them. This conference was intended to provide an interesting and enjoyable opportunity for students to interact and network with their peers, as well as with professionals engaged in a career of interest to them. Thanks to the enthusiastic assistance and passionate participation of so many believers in the promising future of these students, I believe we were successful in meeting our ambitious objectives. Through events like this, the partnership and interaction between the AMS, students, professionals, and our communities can only be strengthened, and our nation’s weather service providers and users will be better served!
Ken Carey
Technical Lead
Mitretek Systems, Inc.
Center for Science and Technology
3150 Fairview Park Drive South, MS F540
Falls Church, VA 22042-4519
kcarey@mitretek.org
703-610-1933
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