ISU AMS Meeting Minutes
http://www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams/
March 01, 2004
A slide show was presented from the WISE (Women In
Science and Engineering) presentation that took place
in 3128 last Thursday, February 26th. Janet, Elise,
Heather, and Jesse talked to a group of school girls
about severe weather, tornadoes, lightning, and
meteorology in general. The children also built their
own tornado-in-a-bottles.
John Baranek and Jon Hobbs participated last week in a
school talk with St. Augustin children. They
discussed hurricanes.
Andy Kula of the Des Moines National Weather Service
would like to thank everyone who participated in the
Spotter Training Review session. There were 89 total
participants, many of whom were Iowa State students.
Several students at Iowa State expressed interest in
getting an internship at the Des Moines NWS. An
e-mail was sent to AMS giving information on
internship opportunities there. If you are interested
in volunteering at the National Weather Service
contact Karl Jungbluth at 515-270-4501 or go to the
following website:
http://ohrm.doc.gov/handbooks/studnet_empl/general_info.htm
Also, Brenda Brock, Meteorologist In Charge at the Des
Moines NWS offered the advice that relocation to other
parts of the country is often a good way to get a job
at the National Weather Service. She offered the
following website as a place for further information:
http://www.opm.gov .
Jeremy discussed the current forecasting contests AMS
students are participating in. Atlanta, GA is
currently the forecast site for the National
Collegiate Weather Forecasting Contest, with
Flagstaff, AZ coming up next week into Spring Break
week. If you do not want to forecast over Spring
Break
or Flagstaff for other reasons, make sure you contact
Jeremy (). For the national
contest, ISU is ranked 16th out of 39 schools
currently, with top 5 forecasters ranked 8th out of
39. For the ISU AMS contest, Des Moines has just
finished; with a break this week, Waterloo will begin
next Monday (March 8). There are currently 12
participants (in addition to 3 climate models and the
National Weather Service). Surveys about the ISU
contest were past out at the meeting and entered into
a drawing for a $5 gift certificate to Hickory Park.
Kevin discussed ISU AMS Spring Break to Norman,
Oklahoma (March 14-18, 2004). All participants money
has been turned in and tours set up. We will be
voting for gas money reimbursement at the next
meeting. Contact Kevin () for
more information.
The Central Iowa NWA Annual Severe Storms Conference
will be held March 25-27 at the Embassy Suites in Des
Moines. Elise is heading registration for the NWA.
You must register by this Friday (March 5), so e-mail
her at for the special weblink to
the group discount page. The group discounted cost
for the conference is $65, and is payable by check or
credit card.
Kevin stated that the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Council will be giving us $400-500 dollars for
reimbursement of the conference fees. In order to
receive the partial reimbursement, print off your
online receipt and give it to Kevin by the Tuesday
after the conference (March 30). Estimated
reimbursement is around $20.
Stephen is arranged for hotel rooms for the
conference. In order to get the conference discounted
hotel room ($109 for a two room, two queen-sized bed +
fold out couch suite) we must reserve the rooms by
this Wednesday (March 3, 2004). We are currently
planning on reserving at least 3 rooms, and the
estimate cost is around $20 per person per night.
Contact Stephen if you need more information
(). We will also be trying to
arrange transportation if you need it to and from the
hotel and as well as if you are planning on commuting
to and from Ames each day. Contact Stephen or Jon
() about this.
Mike discussed social events. We will not be skiing
this Wednesday (March 3) because there is no snow and
the skiing place is closed. For intramural events, co
rec broomball, co rec volleyball, and co rec indoor
soccer are all coming up. Right now, broomball has 5
guys and 4 girls, volleyball has 2 guys and 3 girls,
and soccer has 4 guys and 3 girls signed up. So, we
need more people to sign up. Email Mike to sign up at
mholts@iastate.edu. Camping is in the works as well
as a tour of the virtual tornado in Howe Hall. An
update on IM Bowling (we had 5 AMS teams) results
should be coming soon. Contact Mike or Elise with any
suggestions for social events.
Kari, the VEISHA chair, is holding an information
meeting for those interested at 6:30 next Tuesday
(March 9). A sign up sheet for volunteers for the
April 17 event at Cy's BigTop was past around. If you
are interested in helping out, contact Kari at
kkozak@iastate.edu.
Severe Weather Awareness Week will take place March 29
to April 2 (the week after the conference). We will
be giving ~45 minute talks to various Elementary
schools around Ames. Times will be set up soon and
the schedule will be e-mailed. Contact Jon for more
information.
Adam gave the treasurer's report and stated that we
have $606.95 of spendable money.
Congratulations to the new Cy's Eyes co-producers,
Kari Kozak and Elise Johnson.
Thursday, April 1, will be Fellows Elementary Science
Night in Ames. ISU AMS will have a weather display
that night, with will be up for several hours during
the evening. A vehicle is needed to transport the
large tornado machine (preferrably a van or truck).
If you have a vehicle or are interested in helping
out, e-mail Jon.
The National American Meteorology Committee has some
available positions. This is the committee that among
other things, choses Local AMS Chapter of the Year as
well as Chapter Honor Roll. This is a great
opportunity for you as well as for ISU AMS. If you
are interested in being a member of the committee,
e-mail Jon.
The Great Lakes Meteorology Conference will be held
Friday, April 3. The event is sponsered by the
Northwest Indiana National Weather Association and
Valparaiso University. The cost of attending is $40
and is due March 19. See the following website for
more information:
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/met/nwa/nwa.html.
AMS and ISU Meteorology shirts have been ordered. We
expect them in after Spring Break.
Watch out for viruses going through the
isuams@iastate.edu account.
The next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 24, and
7:30pm in 3128 Agronomy. During that meeting, we will
have a presentation of the Spring Break trip as well
as a nomination of new officers for next school year.
Elections for new officers will take place at the
April meeting.
UPCOMING ISU AMS EVENTS:
March 9: VEISHA planning trip (6:30pm)
March 14-18: Spring Break Trip (Norman, OK)
March 24: Next ISU AMS meeting (7:30pm) --
Nomination of new officers
March 25-27: NWA Conference (Des Moines)
March 29-Apr 2: Severe Weather Awareness Week
(school talks)
Late March: Intramural Broomball, Soccer, and
Volleyball
Late March: AMS/ISU Meteorology t-shirts due in
April 1: Fellows Elementary School Science Night
April 3: Great Lakes Meteorology Conference
April 17: VEISHA booth at Cy's BigTop
April: Camping trip
April: Virtual tornado simulator tour