ISU AMS Meeting Minutes

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ISU AMS Meeting Minutes
http://www.meteor.iastate.edu/ams/
September 30, 2004

We had pizza at tonight's meeting. Thank you very much for that delicious dinner!

AMS Dues
Dues were taken at the end of the meeting.
Try to get your email address and other information if you are a due paying member.

Treasurer Update
We have $750 in our account right now.

Forecast Contest Updates

First Snow Contest-You can now, through Oct 15, pay $1 to Brian Viner () to pick a date of what you think will be the first inch ^Mof snowfall in Johnston, IA at the National Weather Service. You can choose multiple dates for $1 per date. The person who is closest wins the pot. Ties will be given if there is one. Email Brian if you have any questions. The day you pick must be after the 15th.
AMS Forecast Contest-Remember to forecast for the right day! Email Jeremy () with any questions you might have.
National Forecast Contest-There have been a few scoring problems with the National Contest. Once everything has been settled, look for an email from Janet Schenck telling Top 5 Forecasters, how the team did overall, and other information. If you would like to opt-out for New Orleans, send Janet () an email before next Thursday.

Fundraisers
We need to do some fundraising, and these are the ideas that we have come up with:

Hot Chocolate Sale
Quiznos Fundraiser
Do our own car wash

Janet will send an email out later as she gets more information.

Social Events

Flag football-Our team plays this Sunday at 5:30 on field 28.
Broomball-PAY ELISE IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID HER YET!!! The guys lost their first game, but theyÕre not done. Look for an email from Elise for times and dates of other broomball games.
5-player co-rec Basketball-Email Elise if you are interested.
AMS Basketball-Some AMS members play basketball Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 pm at the rec. They would love to have you join them!
Look for an email from Elise with information about all the other Intramural games that are coming up.
"Organized" Tailgate-Look for an email from Elise about games that we will tailgate at. If and when we tailgate, we will probably meet at north parking lot. Look for emails with information later.
Every home game tailgate-It was brought up that we should just tailgate for all home games. The problem is, is that AMS can not foot the bill for all the games. So, some AMS members would like to get together independently. So, look for an email from Fitz () about home game tailgates.
Science Museum of Minnesota-We would like to see Forces of Nature in either late October or early November. Look for an email later about this fun little road trip.
Picnic-We'll try to get a picnic going sometime during the middle of this monrth at Ledges or something.
We like to hear your ideas so email Elise (elisevj@iastate.edu) if you have any social ideas.

Cy's Eyes on the Skies Update
It is not too late to sign up for Cy's Eyes! Feel free to stop by Communications Building in Studio B around 6pm and see the fun.

Scientist Seminars
The Graduate Meteorology Club is bringing in a few speakers for weekly seminars. These seminars are usually Tuesday afternoons at 4pm in 3140. These seminars are a great way to find out about new research from scientist and faculty. Email Jon Hobbs () with any questions.

Apparel
We plan on ordering sweatshirts with hoods, t-shirts, polos, and long-sleeved t-shirts. Look for an email later from Adam Kuban about where to go to get the order form and when the due date for the order form is.
Email Elise () or Janet () if you are interested in "AMS Girl Bonding Night!" (aka: buying sweatpants that fit and then going to Hobby Lobby and getting "cute" lettering to make them meteorology related)

Fall 2004 Events

WHO Station Visit-We plan to visit the WHO studio Sunday, October 24th. We plan to leave around 2 or 2:30 pm to get there in time to get a tour and possible see the 5 o'clock news. Afterwards, we might get something to eat. We should back around 7pm. Email Jon Hobbs () if you have any questions.
Offut Air Force Base-This visit will take place either in late November or early December. You don't have to be in the air force to go. This is a great way to see new technology and to look at another job possibility. The Air Force does hire civilians as well as officers. Email Bill Henning () with any questions.
AMS/Faculty Dinner-We would like to have dinner with our professors and at Hickory Park on Wednesday, November 17th at 5pm. Email Adam with questions.

Also:

If you have any pictures of AMS events, please email them to Bill ().
If you want an Iowa State Meteorology car sticker (cost of $5), email Jon Hobbs ().
Email Adam Kuban () if you are interested in being part of a booth displaying information about severe weather preparedness.

After the meeting:
Kari Kozak gave a presentation about the AMS Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held Jan 9th-13th in San Diego with a theme of "Building the Earth Information System." If you would like more information, go to the National AMS website. This is a great chance to meet and great with professionals, get an intership or job, and a great learning experience. The cost is $150 for just registration, but you can get a Student Travel Grant or be part of the Student Assistant Program. To get a Student Travel Grant, you must be a senior or a graduate student. This grant will cover the round trip, hotel, registration and breakfast cost. This application must be filled out before October 22nd. You can find the application at the website given above. For the Student Assistant Program, you can be any type of student, although precedence is give to National AMS members. This will pay for hotel, registration, and breakfast costs. The deal is, is that you will work at the national meeting. You will also get about a $30 stipend to spend elsewhere. The application is also online and is due before October 22nd.

Chris Maiers also gave a presentation about the possibility of getting our Doppler radar fixed. The cost would be about $320,000, but the benefits are beyond belief. When fixed, it could be used for research and other student activities. This would also help with the public safety of not only Ames, but Iowa as well. There is also the great chance to have the Doppler radar be of use to other programs here at Iowa State such as the electrical engineers. There are other options. We could get a Doppler on wheels which would cost about $20,000. We could also work with companies who are developing new radars, like the bipolarization radar. We could go the cheap way, but that would mean less quality. To get this, we need to start fundraising as soon as possible. We could possibly get funds from the university, alumni, state grants, or business partners. The typical lifespan of a Doppler radar is about 15 years, so upkeep is there, but not as much as the initial cost. For more information, email Chris Maiers ().

Sorry for the long minutes, but now, the section you've all been waiting for...

"Segment of Fun!"
As we were sitting pretty today with a high of 76, look what happened on September 30, 1989 - Thirteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date, as readings soared into the upper 80s and 90s from the Northern and Central High Plains Region to Minnesota. Bismarck ND reported a record high of 95 degrees, and the temperature reached 97 degrees at Broadus MT. Afternoon thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced wind gusts to 60 mph at Wendover UT. (from www.weatherforyou.com/history)