Registration Opens

** All Member Representatives Must Check In By 8:00 am to be eligible to vote** 

Q&A Breakfast with UCAR, NSF NCAR, and UCP Leadership

Watch Updates:

• UCAR
• NSF NCAR
• UCP

Treasurer’s Report

Patty Leslie, UCAR Chief Financial Officer

NSF NCAR Non-NSF Proposal Review Panel (PRP) Report

Kirk Maasch (University of Maine), PRP Chairperson

PACUR Report

Dan Cziczo (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), PACUR Chairperson

Committee Reports and Voter Guide:

• Members Nominating Committee report, Walt Robinson (North Carolina State), Members Nominating Committee Chairperson
• Membership Committee report, Tom Mote (University of Georgia), Membership Committee Chairperson
• Governance Task Group (GTG) report, Fred Carr (University of Oklahoma) and Ken Bowman (Texas A & M), GTG Co-Chairpersons
  • Comments received from Members
  • Board of Trustees Resolution: Membership fees
• Review of Voting Procedures, Susan Avery, UCAR Board of Trustees Chairperson

Government Relations Update

Scott Rayder, Senior Advisor to the UCAR President

Lunch and Optional Lunch Sessions:

• Early Career Guest lunch: Networking Skills for Scientists
• Member Representative Refresher

3:45-4:30 pm

Session A

4:45-5:30 pm

Session B

Enabling Future Science Breakout Sessions:

These sessions will focus on federal programs that are enabling science by providing research assets including data access, facilities, observations, and grants.  Each representative will provide an overview of currently available resources within their organization.  Specifically, the session will highlight opportunities for UCAR member institutions to increase engagement with these federal programs.

• DOE: Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facility-Jim Mather
• NSF: Atmospheric Chemistry Program-Sylvia Edgerton
• NASA: Science Mission Directorate-Eric Lindstrom
• NOAA: Office of Weather and Air Quality-John Cortinas

Members Meeting reconvenes

• Reporting of Election Results

Panel Discussion: Federal Funding going forward and what it means for the University Community

• Jack Kaye, NASA
• Gary Geernaert, DOE
• Ben Friedman, NOAA

Post-meeting Breakout Sessions

(Heads & Chairs meeting attendees welcome to attend) 

Session A

Preparing our students for the evolving landscape of careers inside and outside of Atmospheric Sciences: Where do they go? Where do they want to go? 

As educators, we know anecdotally that career opportunities for our students are greater than traditional weather forecasting. Heidi Centola, Chair of the AMS Board on Enterprise and Economic Development, and Jeffrey M. Gawrych, Sales Engineer: IBM-The Weather Company, will discuss the breadth of career opportunities that exist, student feedback heard at AMS 2018, and plans for an NSF workshop focused on increasing student success in seeking private sector employment. This will be followed by open questions and discussion. Note: There are also plans for a Town Hall meeting for AMS 2019 in Phoenix, AZ focused on this topic.

OR

Global Weirding: How to talk to the public about climate change, extreme storms, and other record-breaking weather events

Every time we turn on the news, it seems there’s a new, record-breaking heat wave, flood, drought, or hurricane. And the next question we’re often asked is, “is this global warming? Or not?”

Join veteran broadcast meteorologist Mike Nelson from Denver7 News and world-renowned scientists and science communicators Kevin Trenberth and Marty Hoerling as they explore the latest science on the attribution of extreme weather events and discuss effective and accurate metaphors and frames to use when explaining the influences of natural variability and human forcing on extreme events to non-scientists.

Session B

What are Curriculum Innovations for Skill Development within our Degrees?

In many ways, curricula for atmospheric science degrees are evolving to try to prepare students for life after they finish their degree. This session is designed to have three short presentations from faculty/scientists currently engaged in curriculum innovations from the perspective of incorporating research skills, computer skills, and writing skills explicitly into their curriculum. After the presentations, there will be 30 minutes for questions and broad discussion. The last portion of the breakout will allow for focused questions and discussion surrounding the three areas at tables. Speakers will include Rich Clark (Millersville Univ.)-Research Practices, Keith Maull (NSF NCAR Library)-Computer Skills, and Teresa Bals-Elsholz (Valparaiso University )-Writing Skills.

OR

When Facts are Not Enough: How to talk to the public about climate science

Climate change has become one of the most politically polarized issues in the United States. Today, the best predictor of whether someone agrees climate is changing and humans are responsible is not how much they know about the science, but rather where they fall on the political spectrum.

How can we, as scientists, effectively communicate in such a challenging environment?  Max Boykoff is an expert in the cultural politics of science and how climate change is represented in the media; Phaedra Pezzullo studies environmental communication; and Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist known for her engagement with the public. Join Max, Phaedra and Katharine as they discuss common assumptions and mistakes we make when communicating climate science to a lay audience, from local reporters to our next door neighbor, and introduce effective strategies to use when talking about climate and science to those who might be interested, confused, or even doubtful.

AMS Heads and Chairs Meeting

Click here to register