UAH plans to 'storm' AMS meeting in Atlanta

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Jan. 30, 2014) - The University of Alabama in Huntsville will have a major presence at the 2014 American Meteorological Society (AMS) annual meeting in Atlanta during the first week of February.

About 50 UAH faculty members, scientists and students are scheduled to participate in the conference, presenting 50 talks and posters on research in UAH's Earth System Science Center (ESSC) and the Department of Atmospheric Science, and with research collaborators.

Research topics to be presented range from using lightning counts for forecasting severe weather to air pollution monitoring, climate change and developing specialized computer applications for tracking weather events.

"This is an excellent opportunity for the department and ESSC to show the work we are doing here at UAH," said Dr. Sundar Christopher, chairman of UAH's Atmospheric Science Department.

UAH, in cooperation with sponsors Baron Services Inc., and Southeast Atmospheric Modeling LLC, will host a major reception Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., in the Omni Hotel, adjacent to AMS headquarters in the Georgia World Congress Center.

UAH's new Severe Weather Institute and Radar and Lightning Laboratories (SWIRLL) will have an eye-catching presence during the conference: A 60-foot-long array of truck-and-trailer fitted with Doppler radar, lasers and other instruments used to study storm systems as they roll overhead.

The Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS) is returning to the South for the AMS meeting after spending much of December and January set up in Oswego, NY, studying lake effect snowstorms. MIPS also has been deployed in recent years to study hurricanes, snow storms and thunderstorm systems that produced violent weather, including tornadoes.

MIPS will be set up in Atlanta for the Weather Fest on Sunday, Feb. 2, and in the main exhibit hall during the meeting.

In addition to Baron and SEAM, sponsors supporting UAH's presence at the conference include Halo Photonics, Radiometrics Corp., DeTect Inc., UAH's School of Graduate Studies, the ESSC and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

For further information: http://nsstc.uah.edu/ats/ats_ams2014.html

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