Last Update 03/21/07
Copyright © 2007

86th Annual AMS Meeting -- Atlanta, Georgia

In late January and early February, the 86th Annual AMS Meeting was held in Atlanta, GA, marking the closest location of the meeting to Tallahassee since the 82nd Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL in early 2002. As a result, the North Florida Chapter of the AMS saw over fifty members in attendance for at least part of the festivities. The highlight of the meeting was the Local Chapter Breakfast on Tuesday, January 31st, attended by at least five chapter members and officers including both current President Pat Taylor and Past President Chris Bennett, where the chapter received the official award for AMS Local Chapter of the Year for the 2004-2005 chapter year for its outreach efforts in the Tallahassee region.

Outside of the breakfast and award ceremony, while in Atlanta, we partook in the sights of downtown, including CNN Center, the new Georgia Aquarium, and Centennial Olympic Park, attended many informative talks and sessions, and supported those members who were presenting research at one of the conference's many sub-conferences. Reunions with former friends were accomplished throughout the week. As has been the tradition for three years running now, the chapter worked with the FSU Dept. of Meteorology to identify strong candidates to receive travel funding to the meeting; through this process, over ten members were at least partially funded to travel to Atlanta. In addition, another 4-6 members, including Liane Claytor, Charlie Woodrum, Amanda Hopkins, and Christelle Castet, received undergraduate or graduate scholarships from the national AMS to attend the meeting in some capacity. Also for the third year running, the chapter displayed a poster in the formal poster viewing section of the conference, highlighting recent chapter activities and outreach efforts.

With numerous members in attendance in Atlanta, the next chapter meeting will not keep with tradition and focus on memories and recollections from the recent AMS conference. However, many will not soon forget the memories of Atlanta and we are already looking forward to the 87th Annual Meeting in mid-January 2007 in San Antonio, TX. While it is quite a bit further away from Tallahassee than Atlanta, if recent history along the west coast is any indicator, the North Florida Chapter will once again be well-represented at the meeting. See you in San Antonio – or, at the least, at our 3rd Annual Chapter Banquet, to be held at Chez Pierre in downtown Tallahassee on February 17, 2006. Speaking will be Sir Harold Kroto, a Nobel Laureate and Sir Francis Eppes professor in chemistry at Florida State University. Tickets range in price from $15-$25, depending on the dish ordered, and are available from any chapter officer member.