The Cougar's Byte

Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Campus News

On October 17, 2009, fifteen students and two faculty members, Dr. Paul Croft and William Heyniger, from Kean University's meteorology and geology department, traveled to Norfolk, VA for the 34th Annual National Weather Association (NWA) conference, an event that brings students, professionals, and visitors together with a universal interest of weather, information and news. "The networking possibilities at the conference are endless," exclaimed junior and meteorology major, Darren Milliron, presenter at the conference. The students and faculty members presented their discoveries on a variety of topics such as forecast training for operational meteorology, fog occurrences in New Jersey and the Northern Mid-Atlantic States, using wind energy, and monitoring of urban environments and thunderstorm activity at the conference which was held from October 18 until October 22. The students also presented a 15 minute discussion of the current weather conditions for the city of Norfolk, the surrounding areas, and the whole United States to the attendees at the conference as well as assisted with the teacher's education workshop (K-12) which was sponsored by the NWA Education Committee on Wednesday, October 21.

"The conference is an educational environment where students and professionals can expound upon current research topics," said Justin Schulte, meteorology major and senior and presenter at the conference. Each year, the NWA conference features a theme relating to new paths for meteorological research developments and this year's theme for the conference was The Future is Now: New Technologies and Techniques to Support the Weather Enterprise and Society: 2010 and Beyond. The meeting examined the new expertise in meteorological development and some of these developments included advances in severe weather analysis, use of social media outlets like U-Stream and Twitter to relay information about atmospheric events, and innovations on consumer products such as refurbishing a car with safer driving conditions. Michael B. Chapman of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado stated the ongoing research and possible break through of a "smart car" which would be able to monitor roadway situations in his presentation about road weather conditions and the passenger vehicle. "In 10 years, cars will be smart enough to not only accurately observe the weather, but will also automatically warn other vehicles of hazardous conditions," Chapman stated.

In addition to examining new technologies and methods, the conference also offered a wide variety of presentations, panel discussions, and exhibits relating to the world in which we live, such as operational meteorological forecasting, professional development, and aviation. "Weather can very quickly lead you into the bigger picture of science," freelance science writer and book author, Jack Williams said, and stated that meteorology is interconnected with many other disciplines on the planet, "When you are looking at the sky, you are looking at history."

Many opportunities for upcoming meteorologists and students were offered at the conference, and these opportunities include the DVD swap and the annual student session. The DVD swap is where participants swap their dvds or tapes and allows them to showcase their work and receive critiques for better practices and presentations in the field of broadcasting. The student session is intended to help students separate themselves in a very competitive job market, by concentrating on techniques to bypass the challenges that might be faced when a student is applying for a job position. "It is a wonderful learning experience and opportunity to meet professionals out in the field," stated junior and meteorology major, Danielle Fadeski who was also a presenter.

This year's meeting also introduced the first annual "Bowling for Scholarships", where attendees paid a fee in which the proceeds went towards the NWA scholarship program. The evening event offered attendees of the conference, with a dinner and unlimited bowling in a bowling alley which was reserved by the NWA. "I really enjoyed the events of the conference. It was cool to see all the various types of research under a meteorology umbrella," stated meteorology and geology faculty member, Will Heyniger, who presented his poster, Wind Energy at Kean University: Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for Urban Environments at the conference. For more information about the conference and about the National Weather Association, visit www.nwas.org. The next NWA conference is scheduled to take place in Tucson, Arizona.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools