Kerri Copello (second from left) is among Meteorology Club students attending the American Meteorological Society conference in Seattle. Kerri sent this report (via e-mail) about the trip for use on the "A&S at WCSU" blog:
"To kick off the Spring 2011 semester, six WestConn meteorology students (recent graduate Larry Hallock, seniors Kerri Copello and Paul Shupenis, and juniors Kelley Bradley, Emily Roehler and Chris Stiles) along with Meteorology Club Advisor Gary Lessor went to Seattle, Washington, to the 91st Annual American Meteorological Society Weather Conference on Jan. 23-27, 2011. The meeting allows professionals and students the ability to keep up with the latest scientific findings. This year’s theme is “Communicating Weather and Climate.” Communication is vital to the success of spreading scientific research to those in education and serving the public. The students and professionals attending the conference aimed to find out how to become better communicators, public speakers, and meteorological advocates so that information can be provided to the public more efficiently.
"While attending the conference, the WestConn contingent attended many sessions/presentations. The first session attended was for first-time attendees and provided an overview of the annual meeting and gave suggestions on how to make the most of all the meetings. AMS fellows provided an overview of the programs, special events, exhibits and services the conference offers. One presentation attended was given by Stephen J. Lord, an invited speaker who discussed the recent progress in analysis and prediction at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the Environmental Modeling Center. He has verbally committed to come and speak at our next Tri-State Weather Conference scheduled for October 2012. Another presentation we attended was by Michael J. Erickson, a 2002 WestConn alumnus. He made a wonderful presentation on the impact of spatial bias correction and conditional training on Bayesian Model averaging over the Northeast United States. Mike is currently obtaining his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University under advisor Brian Colle.
"While attending the conference, the WestConn contingent attended many sessions/presentations. The first session attended was for first-time attendees and provided an overview of the annual meeting and gave suggestions on how to make the most of all the meetings. AMS fellows provided an overview of the programs, special events, exhibits and services the conference offers. One presentation attended was given by Stephen J. Lord, an invited speaker who discussed the recent progress in analysis and prediction at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the Environmental Modeling Center. He has verbally committed to come and speak at our next Tri-State Weather Conference scheduled for October 2012. Another presentation we attended was by Michael J. Erickson, a 2002 WestConn alumnus. He made a wonderful presentation on the impact of spatial bias correction and conditional training on Bayesian Model averaging over the Northeast United States. Mike is currently obtaining his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University under advisor Brian Colle.
"On the first day, several thousand individuals attended WeatherFest, an interactive science and weather fair. Here, the students met with professionals from a variety of meteorological backgrounds and were able to network and ask questions about different careers in meteorology, other science and engineering fields. There was also a poster session in which schools across the country made posters that showed what each meteorology program did and how they interacted within their community. This was a great opportunity for our students to see what other schools are doing and perhaps implement into our program. Throughout the week, a career fair was held for the students to talk with prospective employers or graduate schools.
"One morning was set aside for an exclusive tour of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They got to learn about inner workings of the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic Service. Most students use the National Weather Service to help with forecasting so to get the opportunity to take a tour of this facility was an amazing experience. During other free time, the students saw local spots like the Space Needle, Pike’s Market and other tourist areas to experience local culture. The AMS held a chapter officer breakfast meeting. The WCSU students attended and got to sit with the Executive Director of the AMS, Keith Seitter, and learn more about the organization. The ladies in the group attended a Women in Science lunch Wednesday and got to see all the opportunities that there are and perhaps had never been thought of before. The Annual Banquet was held Wednesday night."
Thanks, Kerri, for sharing your experiences with all of us. Have a safe journey back!
