Chapter News
October 2006

ASHEVILLE

Minutes of Meeting
19 October 2006

The second meeting for 2006-07 of the Asheville American Meteorological Society (AMS) chapter was held in Room 400 of the Veach-Baley Federal Building in Asheville, NC on October 19, 2006. There were 20 persons in attendance.

The speaker for the meeting was Mr Axel Graumann, meteorologist with the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville. Mr Graumann is the project lead and customer service interface for the Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS) and for other satellite data services from NCDC.

Mr Graumann works in the Remote Sensing and Applications Division at NCDC. He stated his division handles about 700 requests per year and fills approximately 200 orders annually.

Mr Graumann discussed the 3 nodes for the current CLASS IT system configuration. Node 1 is located at the National Environmental, Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) in Suitland, MD. Node 2 is located at NCDC and Node 3 is being built at the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) in Boulder, CO. Once the NGDC node is completed sometime in 2007, the responsibilities of the CLASS-Suitland Node will be reduced to data ingest, which is conducted on a LAN, and to subscription services. The Suitland site was chosen to maintain those functions at a node closest to the data source, while the NCDC and NGDC nodes will be responsible for data preservation and delivery of archived data. Mr. Graumann then reviewed a short history of CLASS. It began as the Satellite Active Archive in 1994 with just POES data. The original goal was to get satellite data out to the greater user community.

Mr Graumann said the CLASS system creates and retains browse imagery from the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES) and the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) systems.

Other services outside of CLASS that the NCDC is responsible for include the production and archive of special event imagery, facilitated by a quick search capability, custom image products for forensic meteorologists and insurance firms, and derived scientific data products produced with NCDC. The derived products include Blended Sea Winds since July 1987, High Resolution IR Sounder from 1978 to present, and the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project B1 Rescue data, which contains radiance data at 10 km resolution every 3 hours from 1983 to present.

He also gave examples of poster products created by his team. Example shown, include 2005 Significant Hurricane Strikes Poster, 2005 Atlantic Hurricanes Poster, and the Landfalling Hurricanes Poster, which shows locations and strengths of all landfalling hurricanes on the continental U.S. since 1950. Other products archived at NCDC are global vegetation indices on a 16 km mapped grid, , sea surface temperatures, ozone, aerosol/optical thickness, and gridded SSM/I products including precipitation, snow cover and sea ice.

Axel then stated there were three levels of CLASS service. These included the web access for the one time orders, bulk orders for high volume requests, and subscription services which are automated near real-time .ftp push or pull.

As far as contents of the 35 basic data sets in CLASS they are grouped into:

a. Raw-- including POES, GOES, and DMSP.
Derived satellite products- including aerosols, sea surface temperatures, heat budget, ozone, etc.
Coming soon will be data from MetOp-2 (the first European polar-orbiting weather and climate with advanced instruments to help monitor climate and weather in three dimensions) followed by data from the NPP and NPOES projects .
Model data and NEXRAD (radar) is being looked at for potential future storage.

Throughput and storage to the CLASS system consists of 4Tb per month through the web interface. Over 400K files are delivered to the CLASS each month. Future challenges will include the handling of a 10-fold increase of data during the next 10 years and to build a new interface to enable users to successfully locate and request large volumes of data. The overall goal is to establish a Global Earth Observation - Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) interface/database which will tie together 90 plus environmental observation systems, in a virtual web services oriented architecture transparent to the user. Design goals are inter-operability by 2015 in standardized GIS formats which are platform and language independent.

URLs of associated websites are: www.ncdc.noaa.gov, www.class.noaa.gov and www.ncdc.class.noaa.gov.---John D. Gray.

CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

Monthly Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2006

Meeting was called to order by Vice-President, Gerald Watson, at 7:35 pm.

Current events discussion included:

The Apex chemical fire. Noted was Jo Ann Feldman's local news coverage, while some criticized local news for incorrect information and emotional reporting. The reverse 911 system was touted as the reason 20,000 people evacuated without incident. It was suggested that the fire may be a good subject for a future meeting lecture.

A moderate (1.5) El Nino is currently underway, but has had little affect on Atlantic storms.

NOAA precip and temp outlook shows near normal precip and temp for North Carolina.

The Hawaiian earthquake was mentioned as not getting the best, most expert coverage by meteorologists.

Minutes were read and approved.

Treasurer, Wyat Appel gave the treasurer's report:
Current Balance: $4839.64
operational: $4377.03
AA fund: $462.61

Gerald Watson suggested we go around the room and introduce ourselves.

No new business was introduced.

Vice President, Jerry Watson, introduced our speaker for the evening, Dr. Sankar Arumugam. Dr. Arumugam joined NCSU in August 2005 as an Assistant Professor. He co-chaired for the AGU fall 2004 Sessions, Chaired for the AGU fall 2005 Sessions in Water Hydrology, Water Management, and Hydroclimatic Prediction. He has been a reviewer for several scientific journals, including AMS Journal if Climate and Journal of Hydrometeorology.

The title of his talk was Climate Forecasts and Reservoir Management: Possibilities and Challenges

A dynamic reservoir water allocation strategy that uses probabilistic inflow forecasts with pre-specified reliability was presented, and exemplified with data from a reservoir system in Manila, Philippines. The current practice in this region is to allocate only the projected reservoir contents using a zero inflow forecast for the coming year. The utility of climate-based reservoir inflow forecasts, as an alternative to this apparently conservative strategy, is demonstrated.

Utilizing the climate forecast from the Atmospheric General Circulation Model forced by persistent sea surface temperature conditions, we develop retrospective operational streamflow forecasts for the Angat reservoir system in Manila. By combining streamflow forecasts with a dynamic water allocation model, we show that a considerable reduction in system losses (spill and evaporation) could be achieved. We also show the importance of updating climate forecasts on a monthly basis as a viable and valuable part of operational reservoir systems management.

Dr. Arumugam stressed that reservoir management needs to be dynamic. Water supply is an important issue. How much snow pack is available? What is the potential for stream flow and flood flow? Several variables are incorporated into a water allocation model. There are two approaches. The first employs a general circulation model by downscaling a regional climate model, along with a hydrological model, to forecast reservoir inflows and flood flows. The second uses exogenous climate predictors with a statistical model to forecast reservoir inflows and flood flows.

Dynamic water allocation model formulation includes reservoir inflow forecast ensembles, water contract specifications, a water allocation model for bulk sector contracts, which is a simulation and optimization model. The resulting dynamic risk management framework is used to prescribe probabilities.

Challenges include: What if forecast goes wrong? What if we say it will be a high flow year and it is not? Emergency mandated restrictions may become necessary. The goal is to have a small "end of year storage constraint". Also need to integrate weather forecasts with monthly seasonal outlooks.

Priorities for water follow the general order: Municipal, Industrial, Agricultural, and Hydro Power. Some years there is water to supply all priorities. Some years maybe only the first priorities are served.

Comparisons are made between current conditions and past conditions and weights are given for previous years' conditions to build ensembles based on past years with statistical model approach to get forecast. The forecast serves to reduce system losses (evaporation and spills).

In conclusion, these forecasts have proven more useful than climatology.

Gerald Watson announced November's speaker will be Dr. Sandra Yuter.

The meeting adjourned at 9:02 pm.---Janice Godfrey.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Minutes of the second meeting 2006-2007
October 25, 2006 at Guapo's Mexican Restaurant - Tenleytown

The meeting was called to order at 6:52 p.m. by the chairman, Jason Samenow. Mr. Samenow had the new members stand to be recognized. Mr. Samenow introduced the chapter officers at the meeting - Nancy Lee, member-at-large; Michael Fortune, vice-chair; Mark Gunzelman, treasurer, Camden Walker, secretary, Kevin Ambrose, newsletter. The next meeting is November 16, 2006 at the University of Maryland.

Mr. Samenow welcomed the club to the new venue (Guapo's) and hoped the food was enjoyed. It is also the first time doing Chapter Night with 11 presentations by members within DC-AMS. Bryon was unable to make it for his presentation on the Inca trail. CapitalWeather.com presentation, originally scheduled for tonight, was postponed until December.

Michael Fortune gave a quick update on overall club status and events. There will be no January meeting because of the National AMS meeting in San Antonio. Six Past Officers of DC-AMS were also awarded plaques to recognize their service to the club.

He then introduced the first speaker at 6:59 p.m.

Weather Briefing using Animated 3-D Views in "VIS5D": Visual 5-Dimension (Vis5D) is freely available from the University of Wisconsin. Jordan Alpert shows how it brings to life simulations from the Global Forecast System every day. http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/gmb/wd23ja/

A weather briefing of the current day's weather was used as an example by Jordan. The numbers/data was taken from the NCEP model forecasts. The 5D model examined the model output and also used a GFS (global) viewpoint. It is a medium range method that is coded into 5D based on existing data. The interface included a U.S. map with variable options and widgets in a 3-D cube.

Emerging Activities at the NOAA Climate Program Office, with Josh Foster.

Josh stated he would like to prepare cities for Climate Change and other pilot programs such as this. His office covers three main areas:

Regional Discussion Program - universities/teams pool money together w/social community to foster greater cooperation and discussion. It represents 6% of NOAA budget.
Sectors program - Coastal & Water management.
Tracs program - Technology transfer program & research grants.

Research links communities through common language. Operations ideas can be gleaned from this research which is then passed on to users. Then on to educators.

The Singing Weatherman: When not at USA TODAY, Bob Swanson writes and performs weather music for children. Bob will give a live performance.

www.storminswanson.com
Bob is the assistant weather editor at USA Today. He came complete with a weather-inspired outfit, harmonica, and guitar. He sung about his personal history. Second song was about hailing cabs which he performs for student groups and utilizes audience participation. The weather-inspired outfit was made by his wife, Meredith.

Peg Kay reports on the Capital Science 2008 Meeting of the Washington Academy of Sciences.

www.washacadsci.org
Marianne Hayes also assisted Peg with the Capital Science conference. She had mentioned the website in past presentations but wanted yet more students directed to it since there is no maximum number of students that can participate in the conference. WAS also runs a peer review journal. An awards program. Dues are only 55 dollars. DC-AMS is an affiliate member of WAS.

Atmosphere and Ocean Observations on the "Explorer of the Seas": The meteorological and ocean sciences labs on the Royal Caribbean mega-ship "Explorer of the Seas." With Harry Strong.

The ship is a platform of mobile instruments. It investigates ocean-atmosphere interaction. Harry quickly picked up a guitar to sing Blue Suede Shoes for the club. He finds it inspirational and would often try, on the ship, to keep everyone entertained while at sea. Many organizations collaborated to construct the ship and fund its operations.

The ship cruises in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, and often it is within this triangular path that the ship mostly focuses its research. On board there is a Meteorological atmospheric lab, ocean lab, eco-learning center. The program, unfortunately, is in danger of losing its collaborative funding.

Preview of the AMS Weather Book : Jack Williams will showcase his book and describe how its graphics will be available to AMS members to use for Power Point presentations.

The publishing date will be late 2007. Weather stories begin each chapter. The graphics have advanced since the last Weather Book and will be portable and morphable-much more useable. Please suggest to Jack any ideas on a title for the general public. A lot of web URLs will be emphasized (to keep data up-to-date and less textual based content within the book that can be scientifically trumped in short time periods) along with profiles of leading scientists in the field. AMS advisory committee reviews each chapter.

Please send any ideas for the book to Jack. Also, any photos of at least 300dpi quality.

--The club was given a 5 minute break at this time. 8:10 p.m. -

Chasing Storm and Sunrises -- Weather Photography in Washington: Recent photos from photo trips to DC for thunderstorms, snowstorms, sunrises and cherry blossoms. With Kevin Ambrose.

www.weatherbook.com Kevin offered over 20 shots via his PowerPoint presentation. Some photos were new and some were from the past few years. He sells some to galleries but displays his work most often on CapitalWeather.com and to families he knows. Well-known shots include the Capitol in the snow, the Tidal Basin with Cherry Blossoms, Great Falls. His camera is an Olympus Digital Camera capable of 8 megapixels.

Climate Science Forum: A forum on climate science for the informed public, with Michael Fortune.

http://climate-science.org

This newsletter has been around since 2002. Products are listed that are used in climate fields along with science issues, and policy discussion. Michael wants to inform non-specialists and use language best for that audience. There is an Expert Forum section with interviews on climate change. The newsletter is non-opinionated. It also discusses climate products that are available in the field.

Medical Groups and NWS: Margaret Fowke will show us how to use NWS forecasts for planning and guidance in medical decisions, and introduce initiatives to add weather courses and weather internships to medical schools.

Margaret wanted to investigate better market planning in the medical field by using NWS products. It can save on costs. 14.1% of GDP in 2001 was medical costs. After hurricane Katrina, she had no problem obtaining an audience or being offered an ear. Her initiative strives to add NWS capabilities to medical school curricula. NOAA has partnered with public health organizations like the Red Cross and also DHHS. She wants to incorporate more of a health-based message into broadcast meteorology. Medical CPR certification may soon require weather quizzes, too.

Meteorological Philately : Dian Seidel collects weather, climate, and environmental stamps from around the world.

She had collected environmentally-related stamps for many years. She displayed a Bjerknes stamp from Norway and clouds that were printed as stamps. March 23 is World Meteorological Day and stamps had been released by some countries to commemorate it. She displayed international memorabilia from more than a dozen countries and U.N. stamps. She obtained her stamps lately from stamp shows. USPS just recently (2006) issued snowflake stamps. Dian had a very valuable First-day ceremony stamp with the USPS cloud series.

Kevin Shaw describes the Atlantic Coast Observer Network (ACON) and its activities.

http://www.jhuapl.edu/weather/education/joinACON.html

Kevin has worked for NOAA for 32 years as a nautical cartographer. ACON formed in 1985 to foster East Coast communication. Newsletter reports evolved into meetings and internet usage. There are now state organizations up and down the coast. A monthly report is generated from 30 observers with periodic meetings and social events that encourages networking. Kevin argued that user interaction will yield professional collaboration in addition to their holiday party and field trips. There are conferences and open-availability to join the network-just apply online.

Mr. Samenow thanked everyone for coming and all of the presenters. This concept of "Chapter Night" was deemed successful enough to do it annually.

The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.---A. Camden Walker.

HIGH PLAINS

The High Plains Chapter of the AMS met during the lunch hour of the High Plains 10th Conference in Dodge City. Fifteen chapter members were present, as well as 2 visiting members from the Wichita AMS chapter. This meeting was held in a vacant pool-side bar of the Dodge House Hotel and Convention Center.

After approving the previous meeting minutes and treasurer's report, the subject of defining a quorum was revisited. Since our membership is spread over such a large area, many members can not attend a given meeting. Thus, a proposal to change what defines a quorum (needed to vote on issues) from 1/2 of the members to 1/4 of the members was made. An email message will be sent to the membership to vote on this. President David Floyd/GLD announced the creation of the "Jim Johnson Memorial Scholarship". Jim Johnson, recently retired, was primarily responsible for the creation of this chapter 12 years ago and the main organizer of the 1st High Plains Conference in Dodge City in 1996. $500 was donated to the Chapter in Jim's name, to be used as a scholarship for a graduating high school senior who is planning to pursue a degree in one of the sciences. The High Plains AMS chapter will administer this scholarship, seeking out graduating seniors in Kansas and Nebraska who are planning to major in a science degree. Another $500 was anonymously donated, to be used for the 2nd year this scholarship is awarded. Our members voted to take this project on as an annual scholarship. Chapter dues will go to $15.00/year next year, the first dues increase since our chapter's inception. We also discussed restructuring the prize money awarded at our annual conferences to winners of the student competition. Members of the Wichita AMS chapter pitched an idea to become part of our annual rotating conference schedule, meaning each office would host the conference every 5 years, instead of the current 4. The Wichita chapter will prepare and submit a proposal to the High Plains Chapter, which will be reviewed and voted on.

At this meeting, we voted to award $500 to our first place graduate student presenter at the current conference, and $200 to the 2nd place finisher. We had previously voted to award $500 to the graduate winner and $500 to the undergraduate winner. Since we had no entries in the undergraduate competition, we modified the original plan.---Tim Burke.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Meeting Minutes October 3rd, 2006

Our Chapter Website:
www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams

Pokey Sticks were given out at the beginning of the meeting to those who paid their dues.

Dues
If you have not paid your $10 dues, you will be removed from the email list and will not receive ISU AMS meeting minutes (of course how are you going to know this since you won't be receiving these minutes??).

Forums
The meteorology forums were down for a short time, but are now back. If you haven't registered already, please do so. Remember to enter your FIRST and LAST name as your user name. Go to http://www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams/forums/ to register.

National Membership
You can still sign up to be a member of National AMS. It costs $15 and also includes a monthly subscription to BAMS (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society) magazine. Go to www.ametsoc.org for more information.

National AMS Conference
The AMS Annual Meeting is January 14-18, 2007 in San Antonio, TX. The conference is geared more towards juniors and seniors, but freshmen and sophomores are also welcome. Juniors and seniors can go to the National AMS website to download applications for financial assistance. Please let Justin (pres.isuams@iastate.edu) know if you are interested in going so we can get a fairly accurate count.

CPR Training
There is no new information regarding this matter, but please be watching your inboxes for more details.

2005-2006 Chapter of the Year!
Elise Johnson (last year's ISU AMS President) called during the meeting to notify us that our chapter has been named Student Chapter of the Year for the 2005-2006 school year. This is a big accomplishment as there are a couple dozen student chapters throughout the nation. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work everyone!

Sophomore Chair

Justin Schultz, Jayson Prentice and Logan Karsten ran for Sophomore Chair. Only five sophomores attended the meeting, so the voting was opened up to juniors as well.
After a vote, Jayson Prentice (japrenti@iastate.edu) was inducted into the cabinet. Social Chair Items (Jesse)
Our women's Ultimate Frisbee team went quite the distance but unfortunately lost in the championship round.
Intramural Dodgeball sign-ups were passed around at the meeting. If you would like to be on a team let Jesse know (social.isuams@iastate.edu).
The girls are going to get together and decorate pants (or shorts) to display their meteorology pride! If you would like to be involved in this or have suggestions, talk to Jesse.
If you have signed up for broomball, you need to pay $2.00. The first game is Oct 26th at 11:40 p.m. The second game is November 2nd (technically 3rd) at 1:10 a.m.
The Student/Faculty dinner will likely occur the week of October 23rd-27th, at 4:45 p.m. at Hickory Park. We are still waiting for the professors to get back to us on what date works for them. This is always one of the favorite events of the year. It is a great way to get to know professors outside of class.
Every 3rd Friday of the month we are going to have a social event planned. This month's activity will be the Corn Maze (just west of Nevada on Highway 30) on October 20th at 7 p.m. Cost is $6.00. Meet in the parking lot north of Agronomy at 7:00. If you signed up at the meeting but do not show up you will be responsible for covering the cost of your ticket. Let Jesse know (social.isuams@iastate.edu) if you would like to attend.
We will watch a scary movie after our next meeting (the day before Halloween). Dress up to win a prize!

Academic Chair Items (Kaj)

You should have been getting emails from your section leader.
If you are interested in leading a session, email Kaj at academic.isuams@iastate.edu.
If you are having problems with your classes, email your section leaders.
Let your section leaders know when you have exams or large homework assignments coming up otherwise they may not know.
Remember to use the forums for questions!

Historian Items (Jeff)
We want new pictures for the ISU AMS bulletin board (right outside of the classroom, 3128)! If you have any pictures relating to ISU AMS events, send them to Jeff at historian.isuams@iastate.edu. He will post new pictures in the near future.

Treasurer Items (Lisa)

We have just over $1,100 dollars in our account right now.
If you haven't paid $4 for the forecast contest, give your money to Lisa.
Men playing broomball, please give your $2 to Lisa.

Apparel

ISU AMS t-shirts, polos, long sleeve t-shirts, and sweatshirts are available to purchase. Order forms will be sent out via email.
We also have a new option this year, jackets (around $35). All of the options are water resistant, have a 100% soft cotton lining, and include zipper pockets. This is fall/spring jacket. There will also be an embroidered logo on the front. Color choices are red or navy blue. We voted to have one of three options: 1. Half zipper, hood, front pocket
2. Similar to #1, but with a full length zipper.
3. The typical golf jacket: pullover with side pockets.
We voted, and option #2 is the winner.
We decided to get them by Thanksgiving, so your orders must be turned in BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20th (money and order forms).

National Weather Association
There will be a meeting this Thursday (10/6) at 6 p.m. at the NWS in Johnston. Pizza will be provided. Rides will leave at 5:15 p.m. from the parking lot north of Agronomy. If you need a ride, email Justin (pres.isuams@iastate.edu).

Calendar Fundraiser

We are going to sell calendars to raise money for our chapter. The cabinet narrowed down the choices, and we voted on three pictures for each season at tonight's meeting.

Spring - 2, 4, 5
Summer - 3, 5, 9
Fall - 1, 4, 5
Winter - 1, 5, 7
We also need a picture for the front of the calendars. Pictures will be posted on the forums. Please log on to the forms and vote for the photo you would like to appear on the cover.
We will most likely sell the calendars for $10. Watch your emails for more information.
Each member must sell 5 calendars. They make great gifts�sell them to parents, aunts, uncles, dorm floors, cousins, sibling etc. Whoever sells the most will win a prize!
This serves as a reminder to be taking pictures for next year's calendar as well!

Cy's Eyes (Scott and Kaj)

Cy's Eyes on the Skies is our 20 minute weather show on ISUtv (channel 18). Even if you are only slightly interested in broadcast, you should be involved in this. The earlier you get involved the better!
Terrific job to those who have participated thus far. However, we would love to get more sophomores and juniors involved.
Not interested in broadcast? There is plenty for you to do behind the scenes! Sign up for positions on the forums!
Your parents can watch the show online! The broadcast can be found on the ISUtv webpage (www.isutv.org).

Local Forecast Contest (Jon)

We are in our 2nd period.
Scores from the 1st period are finally available.
You can still join if you haven't already. Click on "register" on the website to register.

National Contest

The current city is Orlando, Fl, and the first week is complete. We are still forecasting for Orlando this week. Our team place 8/40 last week, and Chris Schaffer was our best last week, placing 21st.
The national results are working, and the local results should be working by the end of this week.

Ham Radio
A ham radio is similar to a CB radio but with more frequencies. It can be useful to communicate during chasing. A ham radio license test will be available on campus during 2nd week of December. If you are interested in this, email Jayson Prentice (japrenti@iastate.edu).

Facilities Planning and Management storm shelter recommendations (Scott)
Many of the severe weather safety and shelter signs on campus are inaccurate, and we would like to change them. We are going to try and get someone from the National Weather Service involved as well. If you are interested in helping Scott with this task, let him know (slincoln@iastate.edu).

First Snowfall Contest
Sign up on the AMS website to predict when the first measurable amount of snow will fall! Only one person will be allowed per date, so get your prediction in early. The person who comes the closest to the actual date will win a $10 gift certificate from Target, Hy-Vee or the ISU Bookstore.

Winter Weather Awareness
Just as an FYI, Winter Weather Awareness day is November 9th.

Next ISU AMS Meeting: Monday, October 30th at 7 p.m. in Agron 3128.
(Don't forget to sport your favorite Halloween costume!)

Meeting Minutes 10/30/06

Chapter website: www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams

Dr. Kristie Franz:

She is the new hydrology professor at Iowa State. She gave a presentation about who she is, what she does and what hydrology is.

Costume Contest:

A wide variety of costumes were represented.
Four nominations for the best costumes: Dave Flory Test, Beautiful Vampire, Ghoul, and Shrunken Headed Monster
With an overwhelming vote, The Dave Flory Test was the winner (Zach)! He received a $10 gift card to Target.
Thank you to all who participated in the costume contest.

National AMS:

If you are already a member, renew your membership soon.
If you are not a member, go to www.ametsoc.org or the AMS mailbox to pick up a form to join. The cost is $15 per year and you will also receive a subscription to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Treasurer Update - Lisa:

We currently have $1,400 in our account.
If you were on the broomball team, you owe Lisa $2.00.

Social Chair Update - Jesse:

Thank you to all who came to the corn maze (19 people!).
The annual Student/Faculty Dinner will be held at Hickory Park THIS Thursday, November 2nd. Meet in the parking lot north of Agronomy at 4:30 p.m. if you are driving or need a ride, otherwise Hickory Park at 4:45 p.m.
The next broomball game is Nov. 2nd, 1:10 a.m. (technically Nov. 3rd)
Our AMS women were named Women's Flag Football Champions!
If you have any ideas for the 3rd Friday of the month social event let Jesse know (social.isuams@iastate.edu).

Academic Chair Update - Kaj:

Seniors: The poster session is in two weeks. Non-Seniors: It is a good idea to go to the poster session to gain ideas for future senior theses.
Finals are about 5 weeks away
Jason Patton is now the leader for Physics 222
If you have questions regarding academics go to the forums (www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams/forums) or contact your section leader.

Cy's Eyes Update - Scott and Kaj:

Cy's Eyes is on air Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in studio B of the Communications building (arrive between 6:00 and 6:10).
If you would like to be on air but are not sure how to make graphics, talk to Scott (slincoln@iastate.edu) or Kaj (academic.isuams@iastate.edu).
The shows are going well. We have a good core group of people coming but new people are always welcome!
Thank you for paying your dues. We will now be on the air for the rest of the year!

Severe Weather Workshop - Scott:

November 10th in Agron 3128 at 7 p.m.
We will go over basic radar information and will cover things the weather service does to issue warnings.
At the end we will have a real-world simulation and practice issuing warnings.
If you have any ideas for a case study, let Scott know (slincoln@iastate.edu).

WxChallenge Update - Jayson:

Orlando - 10th
Dr. Gallus, Jon Hobbs, Chris Schaffer and Jayson Prentice were the top placements in their respective categories.
Fresno - 12th
Dave Flory, Justin Gehrts, Jon Hobbs, and Jayson Prentice were the top.
Caribou - currently 13th
Current top 5 overall - Andrew Ansorge, Dr. Gallus, Jon Hobbs, Chris Schaffer, and Jayson Prentice
IMPORTANT: If you miss your forecasts you are hurting our team score. Please remember to forecast! If you would like to be dropped from the contest, let Jayson know ASAP (japrenti@iastate.edu).

Iowa Forecast Contest:

Remember the deadline has been changed to 5:30 p.m.
Andrew Ansorge won period three.
Jon Hobbs is the overall leader after three periods.
One more forecast before break.
Contact Jon Hobbs if you would like to join (jonhobbs@iastate.edu).

Constitutional Amendments:

We talked about adding the Sophomore Chair and Academic Chair positions to the constitution.
We also want to add a phrase about the Vice President going to LAS meetings so we can get money for our chapter.

Here are the proposed changes:

ARTICLE IV, 3d.

The Sophomore Chair is charged with collaborating with the Social Chair and acting as a liaison between underclassmen and upperclassmen. In the absence of the Social Chair, the Sophomore Chair will report social events to the chapter.

ARTICLE IV, 3e. (if 3d passes; otherwise, it is 3d)

The Academic Chair is charged with compiling a list of courses chapter members are enrolled in and organizing study/review sessions for the chief undergraduate courses. The Academic Chair will also appoint chapter members to lead study/review sessions if they volunteer to do so and will collaborate with these session leaders. The Academic Chair is to inform chapter members of upcoming atmospheric science seminars.

Addition to ARTICLE IV, b.

The vice-president shall attend the Liberal Arts and Sciences council meetings. If the vice-president is unable to fulfill said duty, the President shall appoint a member of the chapter to attend the council meetings.

We will vote on these changes either via email or at the next meeting. Stay tuned for more information.

Severe Weather Poster Contest:

We started this last year.
We are looking for volunteers to contact elementary schools with information regarding the contest. There is a pre-made letter that you can send out so you do not have to write your own. A sign-up sheet was passed around at the meeting. Talk to Justin (pres.isuams@iastate.edu) if you would like to help.

Apparel:

Orders should be in the week before Thanksgiving break and will be available for pick-up from Agronomy. Look for an email from Liz with more information. -If you owe money, please pay Liz ASAP.

Calendars:

The due date is Friday, November 17th (note the change in date).
Sell, sell, sell! (Ask parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends�)
Order forms are available on the ISU AMS website (www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams)
If you are going to deliver a calendar for someone, please write your name on the order form so we know who it belongs to.
If you have ideas as to what to do with the money, let one of the cabinet members know.

NWS Visit:

Wednesday, November 8th.
Meet at parking lot north of Agronomy at 5:45 p.m.
Let Justin know if you will be attending. We must have record of who will be going because it is a government facility.

CPR Training:

Details about this training are in progress...we may also add first aid certification.

First Snowfall Contest:

This was the last time to sign up for the contest.

NWA Meeting:

Tuesday, November 14th at Legends Restaurant in Ames. Time TBA.

NEXT AMS Meeting: Tuesday, November 28th, 7:00 p.m.---Rachel Butterworth.

KANSAS UNIVERSITY

The meeting began at 7:05pm

Alex Perkins spoke for her roommate Chelsey Pryor - Student Senate Representative for SAAC. Chelsey's letter proposed helping us write a bill to recieve $200 general funding for our Student Chapter of AMS. It is up to us if we want to try to recieve money. Student Senate and Chelsey also made it clear that they are willing to help AMS with funding if the need ever arises.

Next, members discussed ideas for social activities. Ideas mentioned include: a BBQ, a Ball/Dance, a Royals Game. If anyone has any other ideas, let a a chapter officer know.

Caitlyn Goble, Treasurer, reminded everyone of the $10 dues. The dues are not mandatory but helpful, especially if we want to do fun things like have a BBQ and get t-shirts.

Christina Flowers talked about ideas for the display boxes on the fourth floor. Ideas include: severe weather pictures, pictures of ATMO majors, bowling pictures.

Alex Perkins desperately needed help on November 1 because middle schoolers were coming at 10:15am to take a tour of Lindley, the weather lab, the lab on the roof, etc. Caitlyn Goble and Sean Hall offered to help.

The next thing discussed was ideas for guest speakers to come and talk at an AMS meeting. Ideas included: Bryan Busby (sp?), or some other tv weather person from the KC/Topeka area.

Finally, we voted for t-shirt design ideas.

The meeting ended at approximately 7:45pm.---Kimberly Hernandez.

LYNDON STATE COLLEGE

AMS Minutes
10-18-2006

Ryan welcomed the club into the meeting at 7:03pm. There were 44 people in attendance. He announced that Dr. Clark accepted our request to be Ice Breaker speaker at the NESC. There will be a Storm Conference Committee meeting October 19, 2006 at 8pm in the Met Lab.

Andrew is having a webpage committee meeting October 19, 2006 at 7pm in the Met Lab. The meeting will be going over the website and all its contents to improve it. Andrew also asked people to check out the AMS calendar on the website. He also said that Internship Night would be held Tuesday November 7th and that Aramark would be catering.

Laura announced that there would be an attendance sign-in sheet at every event. This sign-in sheet is what attendance will be taken from. If you don't sign up then you won't get credit for the event.

Eric said to form a line at the end of the meeting if you are going to turn in your dues. If you aren't in the line your name won't get counted. Talent Show auditions are this Sunday from 10-2pm. The Talent Show is November 11 at 7pm. The cost will be $4 ahead of time and $5 at the door.

Rich said that this Friday is the last day to guess for the first inch contest. The pot is up to $38 as of today. The flag football tournament will be held on November 5th. The entry is $15 a team. Rich apologized for the cancellation of the Mt. Washington hike but the weather was too bad at the summit to climb. Rich also thanked the members that helped out at the car wash.

Joe announced that Skywarn is coming back to Lyndon State and that more information will be available at an upcoming events committee meeting. The science fair this year may be moved to a weekday so that teachers can require their students to attend. The school visits are still in the works. The proposals are coming soon. A member asked why Skywarn wasn't at LSC last year. Jim replied that there was one in the area so LSC didn't have one.

Jim will be sending out the alumni newsletter as soon as he gets an email listing of the alumni. Jim and Laura will be working on the club newsletter and hope to have it out in 2 weeks. The club newsletter will be distributed through the LSC mail room. Jim also said that the bulletin board in the science wing will have flyers of upcoming events.

Ryan then explained what the 8th person award is. He then announced the 3 finalists to be voted on: Nick Barnets, Hayley LaPoint and Bobby Barrera. The 3 candidates told the club what they did to deserve the award. The club voted and Hayley won.

The club photo was taken and then the raffle was held. The meeting ended at 7:33pm.---Laura Ballard.

METROPOLITAN ATLANTA

Metro Atlanta AMS Meeting - 10/12/2006
Location: Delta Meteorology

Our second meeting of the year was held at Delta Meteorology at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. After a short business meeting, Stephanie Klipfel (Chief, Delta Meteorology and President-Elect of the Metro Atlanta AMS) and Jeff Hubright (Delta Dispatcher) gave us a presentation about Delta Meteorology's operations and a tour of the area.

Business:

Following up from our last meeting's discussions on whether or not to become a dual local chapter of the AMS/NWA, and since we did have a quorum present, we held a vote of the members present - all 15 members present voted for the measure, and the Executive Committee will work over the next month to write a new constitution for the local NWA.

With increased membership (26 members including four corporate membership), we are now up to $2,116.82 in our account. We held a discussion regarding what to do with the extra funds. In years past, the local chapter had a newsletter publication, Cirrus, but we feel that with the website (www.ametsoc.org/chapters/atlanta), the newsletter would be redundant. Some suggestions to enhance the website included: adding an agency/organization "brag" section to the site to garner interest (we need people to e-mail us with information); a member "spotlight" of the month; and rainfall data. We could also increase the amount of our two scholarships, or we could add additional scholarships.

Our next meeting will be back at GA Tech, where Judy Curry will speak about the program and research projects they have there. We have decided not to have a December meeting. Chip West (President) is trying to gain access to the new ATL tower for a tour for our January meeting, and we hope to have that information to everyone by the November meeting.

Presentation: Stephanie Klipfel (Chief, Delta Meteorology) and Jeff Hubright (Dispatcher) gave a presentation on Delta Meteorology and a tour of their operations area:

Began in 1960
12 meteorologists, two on shift 24/7
Delta has both surface and upper air shifts
Flight control is their main customer
Surface shift (TAFs, briefings):

Winds are very important (i.e., west vs. east, do not want north or south winds due to ATL runway orientation)

Since the fifth runway opened this summer, the arrival rate is 110/hr�can be up to 130/hr

When shifting landing direction, airport needs that call as early as possible

Pilots will accept 10kts before needing to shift

Pilots need to keep visual on aircraft ahead

If visibility drops, ATC spaces planes out further (e.g., low clouds = arrival rate drops)

Delta adds a discussion to bottom of TAFs to give more information

Extra fuel and alternate landing sites are needed if ceilings drop below 1000ft and visibility below 2 SM or if there is thunder (VCTS can cause problems - i.e., there may have been "VCTS" yesterday and lots of thunder around�what will happen today?)

Delta produces 13 TAFs nationwide�otherwise they defer to the NWS

Conduct daily briefings as well as week/weekend planning briefings

Also conduct irregular ops planning (for tropical activity/major snowstorms)

Issue deicing outlooks (20-30 deicing machines at ATL�cannot deice quickly)

Upper air shift

Monitor PIREPs, volcanic activity
Meteorologist suggests smooth flights, "random" flights if necessary
Produce turbulence charts (3x a day for the U.S.)
Use GFS winds with UKMET as backup for charts and flight planning system
Most traffic in eastern third of U.S.
Have to consider canceling international flights depending on amount of volcanic activity in certain regions

Provide weather data

Supply radar/lightning data where available, satellite where not
Data can also be overlaid on Graphical Flight Following
Data also on Delta Intranet and a weather display application

Delta meteorologists can allow pilots to disregard SIGMETs

For example, small planes might be reporting severe turbulence, hence the SIGMET, but it would be just light turbulence for large planes

Dispatchers:

Dispatchers actually plan the flights
Can cost up to $10-12K to divert a flight, so information from surface/UA meteorologists is critical
For 5:30pm arrival at ATL departing from LAX, they must start looking at data at 11:30am (i.e., 12Z TAFs)
Must consider weight restrictions (for fuel), costs, economic restrictions, etc.
Aircraft have the capability to receive text data, radio communications, etc.
Have WIDS on desktop - this is their legally binding weather support system
Internet is a supplementary source
ITWS shows downburst products - great tool for airport
Dispatchers "touch" about 40 flights per shift, between hand-offs and actual flights they plan themselves

After the presentations, Stephanie and Jeff gave us tours of the operations area---Trisha Palmer.

MILLERVSILLE UNIVERSITY

October 4th 2006 General Chapter Meeting

Welcome

Matt Stepp: Important upcoming dates

October 6th - Community Outreach Committee Meeting at 3pm in the Weather Center
October 9th - Trip Committee Meeting at 8pm in Reighard Hall
October 11th - Air Quality Partnership Committee Meeting at 8:30pm in room 402
October 18th - Grad School Forum at 8:30pm in room 210
October 18th - Also that day, we will be getting our group picture taken at Biemsderfer at 5:00pm. This will only last about 15 minutes, so try to make it if you can
November 1st - Internship Forum at 8:30 in room 210

Hilary Kunsman

A survey went around for members to pick the merchandise that they wanted to be sold. Please fill out and return to Hilary.
An item will be raffled off at every meeting. An email will be sent out before each meeting describing the item being raffled at that particular meeting. Members can then decide whether or not they want to purchase a ticket to enter the drawing for that item.

- end announcements -

Speaker series: Our first speaker in our speaker series was Dennis McCarthy, who is currently the Director of the Office of Climate, Water & Weather Service. He spoke in general about working for the National Weather Service
Mr. McCarthy first gave a little bit of background information about how he came to work with the National Weather Service and his career, so far, as a meteorologist.
Then he went into a little bit about the benefits of AMS and NWS.
Mr. McCarthy then wrapped up with a discussion period where he answered questions and addressed comments from students.

October 18th 2006 General Chapter Meeting

Start Time: 8:36

Welcome

General Announcements:

Our next meeting on Nov. 1st will be the Internship Forum
Jason's Woods is next Friday. An email will be sent around. We will be doing a Maze and a Hayride for $12
Keep attending meetings for your committees and be on the look out for emails or on the AMS for times and locations of these meetings.

Report from Webmaster (Jim)

A new contest will be set up through the web forum where you can make predictions for the first measurable snowfall for Millersville. The winner will be able to choose from a variety of prizes.

Report from Treasurer (Hilary)

Merchandise forms will be available at the next meeting.

-end announcements-

program: Grad School Forum

With Dave Fitzgerald and Drs. Decaria, Sikora, Yalda & Clark

Background of each professor
Experiences that each professor had while in graduate school
Advice to students who may be thinking about graduate school
Answered questions and concerns from students about grad school

Raffle winner chosen

Meeting adjourned: 9:52---Jen Vogt.

NORTH FLORIDA

On Tuesday, October 24, 2006, the North Florida AMS held its October meeting. President Jessica Fieux opened the meeting with a welcome and announcements. Charlie Woodrum then gave the treasurer's report. The chapter currently has $1,376. The car wash, which was held September 30th, made $116. October's social event was held at Cici's Pizza. By collecting receipts from 6 until 9pm, the chapter made ten percent of all sales: $35. Committee reports followed, and Clark Evans, Programs Committee Chair, spoke first. He announced that the next social event will be held November 9th at Crenshaw Bowling Lanes from 7 until 9 pm. For $5 members may enjoy bowling and pizza. Charlie Woodrum then spoke on behalf of the Membership Committee and announced that the golf tournament will be held sometime in the spring. Katie Walls, chair of the Publicity Committee, proclaimed how successful the most recent bake sale was. The Chapter made over $50 by selling everything in less than three hours! The next bake sale will be held November 15th. Michael Porter followed Katie with his Science and Education Committee report. The Leon Association of Teachers held "Trick or Treat for Science" at Godby High School on October 25th, which Mike reported to be a great way to make connections and reach out to the local teachers to inform them of our Outreach program. He and his committee are currently working on calling local county schools to notify them about the program.

The featured speaker was Dr. Paul Reasor, who graduated from the University of California in Berkeley with a degree in Physics. Dr. Reasor then received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University. He has been as assistant professor since 2003 at the Florida State University for the Department of Meteorology. Dr. Reasor discussed the rapid cyclogenisis, intensification and weakening of hurricanes. Unfortunately, there has been very little improvement on forecasting hurricanes since hurricanes began being observed by scientists. Dr. Reasor used Hurricane Dolly of 1996 as an example of rapid cyclogenesis. Hurricane Guillermo exemplified rapid intensification, meaning its wind speeds increased to over thirty knots in twenty-four hours. Dr. Reasor is currently trying to determine if vertical wind shear contributes to small scale convective bursts, which then contributes to rapid intensification. He stated that most convective bursts occurred during rapid intensification; thus, it is certainly possible. He is also studying how convective heating contributes to rapid intensification and how mature hurricanes resist vertical wind shear.

Our next meeting will be November 28th.---Kathleen Walls.

OMAHA-OFFUTT

October Meeting Minutes---Evan Kuchera.

OREGON

OMSI HOSTS "WHAT WILL WINTER BE LIKE" ANNUAL AMS MEETING OCT. 20
Prognosticators To Give Weather Outlooks For Upcoming Winter

Weather experts from the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) gatherD at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on Friday, Oct. 20, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon for the 14th annual "What Will the Winter Be Like" meeting. The event was free and open to the public.

Experts in the field of weather talked about the forthcoming winter. Mark Nelsen, KPTV meteorologist, also gave a review of the past winter in the Pacific Northwest.

"There are signs of an El Nino forming in the tropical Pacific," said Kyle Dittmer, president, Oregon AMS. "However, other factors may save the region from another warm and dry El Nino winter. Each forecaster brings a unique perspective to the table."

Questions covered in this year's meeting included: Will we see a dry or wet winter? Will the Portland metro area see significant snow or a repeat of the ice storms we've seen the past two years?

Kyle Dittmer, current Oregon-AMS President, welcomes all guests.	A record crowd of 115+ gathers
Mark Nelsen, past Oregon-AMS President, gives a review of the 2005-2006 winter weather.	Steve Todd, NWS, gives the NOAA forecast.
George Miller, retired NWS, gives his forecast.	Pete Parsons, consulting meteorologist, gives his forecast.

This year's speakers included: Mark Nelsen, KPTV meteorologist and past AMS president; Jim Todd, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; Steve Todd, meteorologist-in-charge, NOAA-National Weather Service (NWS), Portland, Ore.; Kyle Dittmer, AMS president, hydrologist-meteorologist, Columbia R. Intertribal Fish Comm., Portland, Ore.; George Taylor, state climatologist, Oregon Climate Service (OSU), Corvallis, Ore.; Pete Parsons, consulting meteorologist, Portland, Ore.; George Miller (retired NWS meteorologist), professor, Marylhurst University, Portland, Ore.

The Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society is the local arm of the national organization that promotes the use and understanding of meteorology in the Oregon and Southwest Washington area. New members are always welcome to join the Oregon AMS; information on membership will be available at the meeting.

Founded in 1944, OMSI is one of the nation's top ten science museums, a world-class tourist attraction, and an educational resource that puts the "wow" in science for the kid in each of us. OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214. For general information, call 503.797.4000 or visit www.omsi.edu.---Kyle Dittmer.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

In October, PSUBAMS held its annual Internship and Graduate School Meetings. We also held a date auction at the end of the month. On October 4, we held our Internship Meeting. Student volunteers spoke about their experiences in all aspects of meteorology and around the world, explaining to the students that it is never to early to look into getting an internship! There are many opportunities out there. Thank you to Julie Malingowski, Beth Russell, Andy Hagen, Steven Greybush, Josh Huber, Zack Lebo and Greg Seroka who spoke at the meeting.

October 11, we held our Graduate School Meeting. Dr. Eugene Clothiaux used a question and answer session about graduate school. Students were able to freely present their questions. Clothiaux provided many worthwhile points about graduate school and the opportunities that are out there for students. His best point was, "Get someone to support you, who is interested in your work. Without support, you are only as good is what is on paper". The meeting was quite successful and information filled for all in attendance. Students learned that its never too early to start thinking about grad school and more importantly never too early to start preparing for it. Contact your advisor/professors to speak with them specifically about what you want to do. Professors are a great help!

The 2006 PSUBAMS Calendar Photo Contest went digital this year. In the past, PSUBAMS members voted on weather pictures that have been submitted at a normal meeting. Although this method works very well, it was, well, tedious. So we have gone digital! Now photos can be viewed at ones leisure. All photos and winners can be found on our website http://psubams.met.psu.edu. The PSUBAMS and Penn State Campus Weather Service (CWS) teamed up for a date auction on October 22. Students volunteered to be auctioned off and raffles were drawn, all to raise money for Penn State's Dance MaraTHON (visit www.thon.org for more information) and CWS. This year we raised over $700.

In November, we have two meetings scheduled with professors from Penn State. Dr. Craig Bohren will speak about his studies of the atmosphere among other topics and Dr. Ray Najjar will speak about his research in Antarctica.---Bryan T. Oshinski.

PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY

Executive Board Meeting
Date: October 2, 2006
Minutes: 5:00-pm
Board Members in Attendance: Melissa P, Heather D, Katie P, Katie F, Norm S, Bridget B Other Members in Attendance: Chris W

Topics that were discussed today:

Sweatshirts---deadline Friday
Email re: success of Saturday's Open House, upcoming Wed. meeting, sweatshirts deadline Friday to us or Dr. Hoffman, and dues reminder
Received check from Loudon Speedway Fundraiser
Sign-up sheet for photo contest at meeting and getting prizes; Oct./Nov.
Elementary school weather visit
Snowfall contest---dates, Oct. 16th - 27th and sign-up sheet; $3 for day and $1 for 1/3 of a day
Meeting agenda

October 4, 2006
Minutes: 9:00pm-9:30pm
Board Members in Attendance: Melissa P, Katie F, Katie P, Norm, Bridget, Heather
Attendance: 51

Discussion:

Katie F.:
Snowfall Contest October 16th-27th; $3 for a whole day and $1 for 1/3 of a day

Melissa:
Dues reminder---$10!!! (by the end of October please)

Heather:
Interest in bonding with Lyndon State AMS---ideas: bowling, mini-golf, sledding, sports, hike

Norm:
Sweatshirts---$35 each; money by Friday, October 6th to any exec. board member or Dr. Hoffman

Katie P.:
Photo Contest---Oct./Nov. $2 per person (limit 5 ORIGINAL photos); working on prizes, more details to come�

Bridget:
Elementary School visit

Executive Board Meeting
Date: October 16, 2006
Minutes: 5:00-5:30pm
Board Members in Attendance: Melissa P, Heather D, Katie P, Katie F, Norm S, Bridget B
Other Members in Attendance: Chris W

Discussion: The details of the Snowfall Contest were discussed, and table schedule was finalized.

The Photo Contest deadline will be November 17, 2006, and it will be $2 per every 5 photos submitted. The contest is open to students and faculty.

The status of the elementary school visit was discussed, and Bridget will be contacting them soon.

Sweatshirts were discussed and the tentative date for pickup will be Friday. Time schedule to pick them up to be determined.

Executive Board Meeting
Date: October 23, 2006
Minutes: 5:00-5:30pm
Board Members in Attendance: Melissa P, Heather D, Katie P, Katie F, Norm S, Bridget B

Discussion:

Lyndon State replied to our email regarding bonding trip; more details to follow

National AMS email: talk about at next meeting, encourage members to join

Sweatshirt arrival: ~tomorrow; Norm will send an email

Snowfall Contest: amazing success; Melissa will check on prizes from Biederman's and Lucky Dog; 1/3 of a day winner = 1/3 of the prizes

Photo Contest: email reminder regarding the deadline of 11/17/06 to all members and professors

Elementary School visit: email in to principal, waiting for reply

At next meeting ask if everyone is receiving our emails and if not, please give us your email.

Secret present was mentioned.

Getting lock for cabinet with AMS stuff in it.

Executive Board Meeting
Date: October 30, 2006
Minutes: 5:15-6:15pm
Board Members in Attendance: Melissa P, Heather D, Katie P, Katie F, Norm S, Bridget B

Discussion:

Check the AMS mailbox weekly, combination distributed to all exec. board members.

NE Storm registration came in the mail from Lyndon State; contact them and tell them our new president's name.

Melissa P's check has not gone through yet for her sweatshirt; ask Phil in accounting about this.

Next meeting date and time: Tuesday, 11/14/2006 at 6pm with pizza; December meeting: 12/6/2006 with an alumni guest speaker.

Still no email reply from Lyndon; send another if not here back by the end of the week.

Sweatshirt pick-up time and place: Tuesday, 10/31 and Wednesday, 11/1 from 4-5pm and 7-9pm ---3rd floor Boyd; ask Brendon about locker space; Norm will send an email out to all members.

Snowfall contest prizes: Biederman's---no, Lucky Dog---Melissa will call; trip to Marshall's and/or Maurice's; ask Dr. H how we measure the snow.

Photo contest update and rules: deadline is 11/17/2006; exec board members will judge as long as we do not submit photos.

No email reply yet from the elementary school; will try again by the end of the week.

Members collectively read and revised the Chapter abstract for the National Conference.

Update the website---get new pictures on there.---Heather Dinon.

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Meeting 2: October 26

Dr. Broccoli (Rutgers Meteorology Professor)- Climate change presentation.

RECAP OF TRI STATE WEATHER CONFERENCE
Paul

Bake sale/ Campus Clean-up discussion and planning of dates
Aimee

PHOTO CONTEST
Josh

LOGO CONTEST/BANNER GROUP
Paul

WEATHER TRIVIA

Rutgers Meteorology logo Polo's/Sweatshirts
Paul

AMS CONFERENCE

SUGGESTIONS/REQUESTS FOR ACTIVITIES/TRIPS/EVENTS
Paul

PLANS FOR NEXT MEETING/ANY OTHER BUSINESS

EXEC MEETING AFTERWARDS to discuss AMS meeting plans.---Joshua Cuzzone.

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

The second meeting of the semester was help on October 10, 2006 in O�Neil 301. The meeting began by Chapter President, Emily Eisenacher wrapping up the Hurricane contest and the Secretary Adam Wallace taking votes on this year�s t-shirt design. After eating pizza Chapter Treasurer Andy Kren presented storm chasing pictures from Nebraska. He presented plenty of photographs and a short video of an F0 tornado that he captured with his digital camera.---Emily Eisenacher.

SOUTH EAST ARIZONA

The South East Arizona Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (SEACAMS) kicked off the 2006-2007 school year with pizza and precipitation on October 4. John Glueck, Senior Forecaster and Climate Guru for the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Tucson, Arizona, began our year with a review of our summer monsoon, the status of our drought and what to expect for our upcoming winter. John began the presentation by explaining the Climate Prediction Center�s forecast for the summer, and then he described how the monsoon unfolded. A month by month review of significant events and rainfall across southeast Arizona followed. He then compared the 2006 season with the recent past explaining we just missed the fifth wettest monsoon by one hundredth of an inch. The sixth wettest monsoon brought record floods to the Huachuca Mountains, Santa Catalina Mountains and even the Rillito River in Tucson. John finished the talk with a brief overview of the developing El Ni�o, CPCs forecast and current drought conditions. There were 17 in attendance.

The South East Arizona Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (SEACAMS) had its second 2006-2007 school year meeting on October 26. Chris Magirl, Graduate Student with the United States Geological Society presented on the extreme debris flow event in the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson Arizona of July 31, 2006. At least 240 separate slope failures have been identified with four of the flows making it to or close to the mountain front. Many roads near the mouths of the canyons were inundated with flood waters due to debris flow dikes and material clogging the culverts. Most of the Sabino Canyon Recreational Area, part of the Coronado National Forest, was destroyed due to debris wiping out the road and trails winding up the canyon. The accompanying pictures show the devastation to the mountain. Four nights of rainfall prior to the early morning of July 31 primed the soils which gave way in numerous locations on the mid portion of the mountainside after 3 to 6 inches of rain occurred from midnight to 7 a.m. that morning. On can view the entire presentation at the following website. There were 18 in attendance. http://wwwpaztcn.wr.usgs.gov/Santa_Catalina_Debris_Flows.pdf

---Tom Evans.

SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA

http://www.ametsoc.org/chapters/cup

On October 5, 2006, the Southwest Pennsylvania Chapter participated in the Western Pennsylvania�s 8th Annual Light the Night Walk at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh. Sponsored by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the charity event raises awareness for blood cancers. With the recent death of Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O�Conner, over 5,000 people packed the amphitheater-each holding illuminated red balloons symbolizing red blood cells. Our chapter raised $1,600, and fifteen (15) student-members attended the October 5 walk.

The National Weather Association (NWA) Annual Conference was held in Cleveland, Ohio on October 15-19. Twenty (20) members attended this educational meeting. The Rock N� Roll Hall of Fame and House of Blues were all social highlights of the conference. Also, daily lectures included topics such as thundersnow, teleconnection patterns, and severe weather. Jonathan Jennings (President), Michael Allen (Secretary), and Reece Todd were chosen to conduct morning weather briefings to the members in attendance on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Educational Outreach Committee has lined-up three school visits for Spring 2007 but is still contacting several other local districts. They are also undertaking a possible �WeatherFest 2007� �an outreach to pre-college students interested in weather. Host facilities and educational activities are yet to be determined. Local Chapter members plan on attending two regional career fairs during the month of November.

The Pennsylvania Geographical Society (PGS) Annual Meeting was held at Salisbury University in Maryland on the weekend of October 26 (http://www.thepgs.org/). Four student members attended this conference which highlighted GIS improvements, societal impacts of natural hazards, and how weather related events affect geography. Jonathan Jennings, Chris Gilson, and Casey Zuzak presented individual research in the �Climate & Weather� Session. These students placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the Elaine Bosowski Student Paper competition.

Two California University of Pennsylvania meteorology graduates were accepted into the SW PA Chapter of the AMS on October 26. Robert Rhodes and Dustin Meissner are now official honorary members of the Southwest Pennsylvania Chapter. Robert Rhodes currently works at West Texas Weather Modification Association in San Angelo, Texas. Dustin Meissner now works at WSI in Andover, Massachusetts.---Michael J. Allen.

SUNY OSWEGO

October 2006
Piez Hall

Our first annual Lake Effect Conference went really well, despite the fact that our Keynote Speaker, Tom Niziol was unable to attend due to the Lake Effect Snowstorm that hit Buffalo the week before. We had amazing weather occur during our conference, including, rain, snow, graupel, and waterspouts! Pictures and presentations will be posted on our website soon.

We fixed up the instrument shelter near Piez and installed weather instruments. The data can be seen in the meteorology lab and will soon be online.

There will be a trip to Buffalo on Sat. Nov. 18. We will be going to the Buffalo National Weather Service and have a tour of the WIVB-TV station.

We ordered and received our meteorology jackets.

Jason Keeler and Brian Curtis are doing snow spotting training.

Some fundraising ideas that we have is to sell chocolates, the snowfall contest, and the fajita grill.

The hoodie poll results are in. The top four choices that will appear on the hoodie as the definition of a meteorology student are: one who questions whether they are majoring in meteorology or mathematics, one who is constantly correcting their friends that it's graupel, NOT hail, one who can tell you more types of clouds than brands of beer, and one who corrects the scientific inaccuracies while watching the movies Twister and The Day After Tomorrow.

If you have any ideas about the student run website (looks, pics, info, website links, whatever!), please let Brian Curtis know!

If you would like to apply for a fellowship or scholarship from the AMS, visit their website. But you have to be a member first!!

We had so much fun carving a METAR into pumpkins!! Pictures will be posted soon.---Meredith Mandel.

TWIN CITIES

The October meeting of the Twin Cities chapter of the American Meteorological Society was held on October 17, 2006. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by President Chris Bovitz. Secretary/Treasurer Lori Bovitz as also in attendance. About 25 members and potential members were also present.

The secretary and treasurer reports were read and approved. Old business focused on numerous items:

Jonathan Cohen attended the Kuenast Lecture on October 4th. He reported that the topic was forecasting for the cherry crop in Michigan. It covered models and climate trends.
Doug Dokken attended the 3M K-8 Science Teachers Workshop at 3M on October 6th. He reported about 400 teachers attended on the first day and the second day 3M employees attended with their families. He demonstrated a variety of things including different sizes of hail using play dough, WATADS with the St. Peter and Oklahoma City tornadoes, and had a tornado display made out of crepe paper.
We are still looking for a Science Fair Coordinator. This person does not need to attend the fairs, just take in the requests and ask for volunteers. They also need to communicate the results of the fairs to the National AMS. No volunteers stepped forward during the meeting.
Reminders on ways to get the word out about meetings were provided. This included posting the newsletter in public places and posting on related e-mail lists and blogs. We need more visibility and we want the public to know you don't need to be a professional meteorologist to attend and enjoy our meetings and be a part of our chapter.
John Wetter presented his findings on what our chapter needs to do to become a non-profit. There is quite a bit of paperwork involved in becoming a 501(c)3. John has all the paperwork, and he will work with someone he knows to help streamline. The setup for the nonprofit can be lengthy, but it was thought once the set up was complete, there would only be one form to fill out per year to keep the nonprofit status. Lori Bovitz mentioned she is a part of another group that is a nonprofit group, and she would find out what they did to set that up. Jim Block indicated there may be other options for nonprofit besides 501(c)3 that may be easier to get, less complicated, and easier to maintain. John Wetter will look into these other options.

New business focused on a couple items:

The Department of Homeland Security is supplying free weather radios to all schools. This would be a good opportunity for the chapter to gain some visibility by offering to set up and program the radios for the schools. Forecasters at the WFO are already working on outreach for this program and it was recommended any members interested in helping to coordinate with the forecasters at the WFO.
Jim Block will be representing the chapter at the National AMS annual meeting in January. He is also running for one of the councilor positions with the National AMS.
Another outreach opportunity for the local chapter is through the DataStreme Atmosphere program. Lisa Schmit, a forecaster at the WFO, is already a mentor. She was not able to attend the meeting, so the topic was tabled until the next meeting in November.

Upcoming Events:

Oct 25-27: Northern Plains Winter Storm Conference, St Cloud State University. Rich Naistat will be chairing a session and presenting, and Chris Bovitz will be presenting.
Nov 21: Monthly meeting, 7:00 p.m. Minneapolis WFO. Presenter: John Wetter. Topic: storm chasing.

Other Items:

Best wishes were sent to Craig Edwards, meteorologist-in-charge at the Twin Cities WFO, who will be retiring from government service at the end of the month.

After the meeting was complete Jim Block and Jim Foerster gave a presentation about DTN/Meteorlogix and tour of their meteorological operations. Jim Block described the different markets in which Meteorlogix provides forecasts and the different applications used to provide those forecasts. He also described advances Meteorlogix has made in forecasting using geospatial tools such as GIS. Jim Foerster described the tools and methods used to create the actual forecasts and gave a tour of the operations department.---Lori Bovitz.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Call to Order: President Kira Dordal called the AMS meeting to order at 5:01.

Past Minutes:

Last meeting:
We broke up into committees {Fundraising discussed selling cookie dough, hot chocolate/cookies in the link, helping at Alerus Center concession stands; T-shirt is working on a design for broomball shirt; Activities put some details together for photo contest; Banquet wants to get a female speaker this year (maybe Belinda Jensen from Twin Cities)}

Officer Reports:

Advisor:

None

Vice President:

Attended the Undergraduate Faculty Curriculum meeting. They talked about retention and how enrollment is down. Looking for any ideas on how to promote UND! The AtSc department is putting on a career fair on Nov. 16 in CH 210. In the past career fairs have included representatives from NWS, broadcast, research, private sector, military, etc.

Treasurer:

Current balance is $404.04
DUES ($15/sem. or $30/yr. with banquet ticket) MUST BE IN BY THE NEXT MEETING, OCTOBER 24!!

Old Business:

Hot dog fundraiser:
This was a pretty good success, especially for having it on a Tuesday. We pulled in $143.75, but haven't factored in the costs of putting it on; so we don't have a profit value yet.

Pot luck:
This was held at Adam's house a couple weeks ago. If you missed it, you missed out on some good food!

New Business:

Committees:
Fundraising:
Alerus Center concession stands is NOT happening

T-Shirts:

The more shirts we buy, the cheaper they'll be; personalizing is $5 extra; it will cost more for front and back
We could also do baseball tees or long-sleeve tees instead; committee will do some checking on those prices.
We voted on designs (front is a cartoon drawing of a mesocyclone; back includes the names of all paying AMS members)
Voted on color (Electric Blue with white writing)
The cost will most likely be under $10

Activities:

Check your email for information on the Photo Contest!
Halloween is coming up; AMS tradition is to go trick-or-treating to the professors' houses; we will meet at CH at 6:00; wear your costumes-there may be a best-dressed contest!
Broomball begins March 1

Banquet:

The banquet is on a Friday night. Our first choice, Belinda Jensen, does the Saturday morning show in the Twin Cities, so this might be a problem. We will look into how much it would cost to pay for her flight out late that night.
Because of this issue, we need a backup option (ideas are someone from The Weather Channel or a female global climatologist that Becki Legatt knows)

NCAR Presentation:

Adam Theisen went to NCAR in Boulder, CO for a week last June for the Undergraduate Leadership Workshop
Attended seminars all day, met other students from all over the country, took field trips around the area
An amazing experience; great place to network; learn about all the different tracks you can take w/ Atmospheric Science, especially in fields of research and education
Check out www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/ulw/ for more information or if you're interested in applying for next summer! (Apps open to anyone, but encourage juniors entering their senior year)

Announcements:

The National AMS conference is in San Antonio, TX on Jan 14-18, 2007. December 1 is the early rate deadline; December 22 is the higher rate deadline; online registrations are accepted through January 16. October 20 is the deadline to apply to work at the conference (they pay for everything but your plane ticket.)
Studio One shows are every Thursday at 5:00pm. If you want to sit in at a live show and get a tour, tickets are free. Just talk to Kira or Dan if you'd like to come!
Dues are $30/year (which includes banquet ticket). Or you can just pay $15 for a semester. Please pay these to Dan. Checks are payable to AMS. DUES MUST BE IN BY NEXT MEETING (OCT. 24)!!

Adjournment:

Meeting was adjourned without objection at 5:45.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Call to Order:

President Kira Dordal called the AMS meeting to order at 5:01.

Past Minutes:

Last meeting:

Discussed the Career Fair on November 16; voted on designs/color for AMS/Broomball t-shirts; banquet committee discussed problems w/ having Belinda Jensen as a speaker due to her commitments the next day; Adam Theisen gave a presentation on the Undergraduate Leadership Workshop that he attended at NCAR last summer

Officer Reports:

Advisor:

There are some issues with being able to pay the AtSc Department back for the banquet; issues with the money coming from the Alumni Foundation, etc. We may not be able to include a banquet ticket with the dues anymore; if not, there will be a suitable replacement/reimbursement. The officers are looking more into this subject; therefore it has been tabled until next week.

Vice President:

It is $15/year to become a National AMS member. With this membership you get a subscription to the BAMS monthly magazine as well as discounts on other magazines and conferences, eligibility for scholarships, etc. Once you graduate, you also get a discount on a full membership. If you are interested in being President or Vice President for the local AMS chapter ever, you must be a national member! Check out http://www.ametsoc.org/memb/generalfallsemester.pdf for more details and/or to apply.

Treasurer:

Current balance is $406.53

Old Business:

We have finally calculated an $84.37 profit on the hot dog fundraiser

New Business:

Committees:

Fundraising:

Al is taking care of the vending in the CH 470 kitchenette. So far we have made ~$35. We are selling pop, candy bars, chips, etc. for $.50 each. If you're ever hungry, stop up and buy a snack! Also, if anyone is willing to make some baked goods, bring them up and we can sell those as well.
We are still planning on selling hot chocolate/cookies in the link in December sometime

T-Shirts:

We looked into getting long-sleeved shirts, but these would be limited in colors and will cost a few more dollars. Therefore, we voted to get short-sleeved T-shirts. They will be electric blue and have the first/last names of all paying members on the back. They will probably be under $10.

Activities:

The photo contest is in full swing. Go to www.weatherdan86.com and click on AMS Photo Contest to vote!! You can also now be sending in your pictures of fall colors to und.ams@gmail.com
We are going trick-or-treating to the professors' houses for Halloween!! The preliminary plan is to meet at 6pm on the ground floor of Clifford Hall (although the time may be subject to change to be earlier; there will be an email sent out to verify.) Wear your costume - the professors will be voting on the best dressed! We will also need a few drivers.
We are going rock climbing at the new Wellness Center Rock Wall (they are encouraging groups to come!) We can get 1-hour belay lessons for $5.00 and then a climbing session for $7.00. Or we could skip the belay lessons and just have a climbing session for $7.00, but we would not be allowed to climb any higher than 10 ft. The consensus seemed to be to get the belay lessons. The hours of the rock wall are M-F 4-10, Sat. 12-6, and Sun. 12-10. We will be sending out an email asking who's interested and trying to set up a time for this!

We are still waiting for the curling season to begin to get a group lesson

We discussed going bowling next semester

We will be having our annual holiday party in December, and will discuss this later Banquet:

We are sending a letter to broadcaster Ms. Belinda Jensen of the Twin Cities to invite her as our speaker; we (the department) will pay for travel fees, etc. We also came up with a few back-up plans for speakers, if needed.

Toys For Tots:

We will be setting up a box on the 1st floor of Clifford Hall to collect toys for needy children. More details to come.

Announcements:

The National AMS conference is in San Antonio, TX on Jan 14-18, 2007. December 1 is the early rate deadline; December 22 is the higher rate deadline; online registrations are accepted through January 16.
Studio One shows are every Thursday at 5:00pm. If you want to sit in at a live show and get a tour, tickets are free. Just talk to Kira or Dan if you'd like to come!

Adjournment:

Meeting was adjourned without objection at 5:34.----Katy Olson.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO

The student chapter of the AMS at the University of Northern Colorado is off to a good start for the 2006-07 academic year. Newly elected officers are working well together to plan variety of programs and activities to help better understand what opportunities are available in the field of meteorology. The activities planned for this year also highlight the importance of community within our combined majors to create an environment to have fun with meteorology.

In our first week of class, AMS held a movie night as an icebreaker for students coming back. We watched the �2004 Tornado Outbreak� video. In late September, David Copley from Cheyenne National Weather Service shared his views on good storm chasing as part of the Earth Science program�s seminar series,.

Our first official AMS meeting was held Oct. 6th after a special visit by Dr. Walt Lyons of FMA research, Inc. He discussed his research topic on the �Hunt for Super Lightning Bolts.� Dr. Walt Lyons presented his favored topic of upward lightning called sprites, and discussed some of the theories presently being explored as a means to understand and predict their occurrence. After the seminar, chapter members voted on our new meteorology shirt logo from among different designs by members. Furthermore, students were urged to consider attending the 87th annual meeting in San Antonio, TX. Chapter officers described various ways in which funding could be obtained to help offsets the costs of travel and registration. Dr. Lyons reinforced the importance of attending the annual meeting, particularly the student conference, and also urged students to register as student members of the AMS. To conclude the meeting, a list of upcoming events was distributed to invite those new to AMS to attend and learn more about meteorology and to hang out together doing extracurricular activities.

Other highlights from the month of October included a tour of the nearby CHILL radar, operated by Colorado State University, held jointly with students from Dr. Gary Huffines� radar class. A funding request through the Student Representative Council at UNC netted more than $800 to this year�s operating expenses. Finally, on Oct 12th 2006, the University of Northern Colorado AMS caravanned to Denver to attend an IMAX presentation presented by the Channel 7 News team called �The Big Weather Event.� Mike Nelson, Tim Samaras, Roger Hill, and again Dr. Walt Lyons all put up a great event for us and other people around the area.----Paul Nutter.

WRIGHT MEMORIAL

October Newsletter---Mary Bedrick.

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