For the week: October 2 - October 8, 2006
Did
You Know?
The Nebraska National Forest is virtually all hand-planted.
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Colloquium: There will be no Department colloquium this week. The Department's weekly colloquium schedule can be viewed by visiting: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/events/MeteoColloq.html Faculty Retreat this Saturday, October 7 at Woodward Lodge. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. [Directions to Woodward Lodge] ESSC Seminars for Fall 2006 Chi Epsilon Pi will be bringing back an old Meteorology Departmental tradition on Sunday, October 15, as we will host a hike up Mt. Nittany lead by Dr. Craig Bohren. We will meet as a group at 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind Deike building, then caravan over to Dr. Bohren’s house at the base of the hill, where the hike will begin. It’s advisable that all hikers wear sturdy shoes, even hiking boots if you have them. This event is for everyone; remember, you’re not allowed to graduate until you climb Mt. Nittany : ). If you plan on attending, please sign up on one of the sheets outside the 4th, 5th, or 6th floor elevators or on the table to the right as you first walk in the Weather Station. It’s important that I have a count of the number of people coming, so I can let Dr. Bohren know how many cookies and mulled apple cider to prepare. Lastly, I need people willing to drive. If you will be able to, please note that on the sign up sheet, including how many you can take with you in your car. Please sign-up by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 12. Contact Zack with questions at zmb102@psu.edu. United Way Basket Ideas Sought: The Department is looking for suggestions/ideas for a Department basket to put up for auction at the EMS United Way Silent Auction to be held on November 8. Please stop by and share ideas you might have with any of the Meteo office staff. How would you like to win two tickets to the Chi Epsilon Pi/Meteorology Department Spring Banquet? If you are an extraordinary chef, then you have a chance! Before Meteorology Department Colloquia on Thursday afternoons, refreshments are served at 3:30 p.m. in 529 Walker. Chi Epsilon Pi is sponsoring a bake-off. Each week, anyone interested can sign-up to bring a home-made dessert as a pre-colloquium treat to be shared. Each dessert will be judged on taste, appearance, freshness, and originality/uniqueness. At the conclusion of the contest, the individual with the highest score will win two free tickets to the spring banquet. If you are interested in participating in this contest, a sign-up sheet is located outside of 410 Walker. You may sign-up in teams; however, the maximum number of free tickets that will be given away is two. Any questions, please contact Zack Byko at zmb102@psu.edu. Chi Epsilon Pi will be selling unique Penn State Meteorology items this year to raise funds for activities we plan to hold in the future and spread Penn State Meteo spirit! The two items we will be selling are Penn State Meteorology window clings and magnets. The price is $3 per magnet and $2 per window cling. However, for those interested in purchasing several of each, we will offer a discount of 4 magnets for $10 and 3 window clings for $5. You may purchase these items from Rhonda Spychalski in the main office on the 5th floor of Walker, Zack Byko in 410 Walker, Victor Yannuzzi in 412 Walker, or Jared Lee in 405 Walker. A Chi Epsilon Pi officer will also be at several of the departmental organizational meetings at the start of the semester armed with window clings and magnets for sale as well. Any questions, contact Zack at zmb102@psu.edu. [View images of magnets and window clings.] WxChallenge: Outreach Scholarship 2006 Conference: Engagement through the Disciplines. This conference sponsored by Ohio State University, Penn State, University of Wisconsin--Extension, and The University of Georgia will be held on October 8-10, 2006 at The Columbus, Renaissance Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Conference information and registration is available at http://www.outreachscholarship.org On each Monday for the entire fall semester, forecast discussions will be held in the Weather Station Classroom at 12:30 p.m. These discussions will be informal, last about 30 minutes, and will be lead by a Penn State, AccuWeather, or National Weather Service forecaster. Everyone with an interest in weather forecasting is invited! Feel free to drop in on the discussions whenever possible, whether it is on a weekly basis or just once or twice all semester. It is our hope that the experts giving the discussions can teach us a little more about weather forecasting and the audience engage and question the forecast discussion leader. If you have any interest in leading a discussion, please contact me at zmb102@psu.edu. The Meteorology Department will be phasing in a new required three-credit course, Principles of Atmospheric Measurement, Meteo 440W, beginning in the Fall '06 semester. Meteo 440W will replace the two 1-credit courses, Meteo 445 and Meteo 446, but the total number of credits to graduate (121) will not change. Please view the announcement regarding the prerequisites and who should register for it and when. (This link will open in a separate window.) [440W Course Announcement]. Colloquium: There will be no Department colloquium this week. The Department's weekly colloquium schedule can be viewed by visiting: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/events/MeteoColloq.html Richard B. Alley and Michael Mann, have been invited to present a program discussing the latest trends in climate change at an event at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg on Thursday, October 5, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. There is no charge for the program, which is open to the public. Those interested in attending should call 717-787-9368 before September 29, 2006. [Full press release] POEMS will be hosted by the Department of Geography on October 30, 2006 at 12:15 p.m. in 319 Walker Building. ESSC Seminars for Fall 2006 Earth and Mineral Sciences Film Series: For a list of films to be aired throughout the fall semester, please visit: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/emsl/videoseries.html EMS United Way Pizza Sale: The first sale will be held Wednesday, October 4 in the lobbies of Deike and Walker Building from 11-1:30 p.m. Two slices and a soda ($3), one slide and soda ($2), one slice ($1.50). EMS United Way Candy Sale: Candy (and an assortment of other snack items) is for sale in most of the department offices throughout the College, and in the Weather Station. All candy is being sold $.75 each and proceeds benefit the EMS United Way. Buy an EMS Dining Card and support the EMS United Way campaign. Cards cost $10 each and are good for freebies and/or discounts at a variety of restaurants and vendors around town. Conference Room Calendar Change: The 529 and 511 Walker conference room calendars are now "view only" due to a scheduling issue. If you'd like to reserve one of these rooms, the staff in the main office will be glad to make the reservation for you. IN THE NEWS: Alumni Joel Gratz ('03 B.S.) and Erik Noble ('02 B.S.) have authored an article titled "Lightning Safety and Large Stadiums," which appears in the September 2006 issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. [View article] Craig Bohren addresses the controversial topic of global warming in the August 7 issue of the USA Today in an article titled "How to get to the bottom of the global warming debate." [View article] On August 14, Millersville University PR Newswire published an article titled "Millersville University Professor Works to Make Sailing Safer," which features alumnus Todd Sikora ('90, '92, '96) and research collaboration with George Young. [View story] An August 9, 2006 article in Penn State Live titled, "To the Point, Penn State professor on effects of Alaska oil field shutdown," features Andrew Kleit. [View story]. A May 2006 PNL web publication in the Atmospheric Science & Global Change Division titled "Sharing Space for the Sake of Science," discusses collaborations with Anne Thompson's and Bill Brune's research teams. The article also includes quotes from PNNL scientist and Penn State alumnus, Jim Mather ('86, '90, '94). [View article]. Alumnus Henry Margusity ('90 BS), senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, and Prof. Michael Mann are interviewed for an article titled "A hurricane here could spell trouble" that appeared in the Hazelton Standard Speaker on July 16, 2006. [View Article] Geoff Cornish was interviewed for a story appearing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.com on July 9, 2006 titled "Where's the Most Perfect Climate" [View Story] A 2002 Penn State Meteorology alumnus, Manajit Sengupta, was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal on June 27, 2006. The article, titled "Under a Cloud" is about the daunting backlog of visa applicants and the logistics and time involved in getting a long-term visa. [View Article]. Fred Gadomski is featured in a Penn State Live article on June 21, 2006 about the summer forecast. [View Article] Research done by Michael Mann, Raymond Bradley, and Malcom Hughes was in the spotlight in most national newspapers last week. For instance, visit, "Study: Earth 'likely' hottest in 2,000 years" from CNN.com. On May 29, The Toronto Star published an article titled "Weather matters to Wall Street," which discusses the increasing opportunities for meteorologists in financial markets. Andy Kleit was interviewed for the story. [Full Story] A story titled "Climate change responsible for increased hurricanes," featuring Michael Mann, was published in the May 31, 2006 issue of Penn State Live. [Full Story] Archived News: The weekly news is archived. See the link at the bottom of the page to access the archives.
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Colloquium: There will be no Department colloquium this week. The Department's weekly colloquium schedule can be viewed by visiting: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/events/MeteoColloq.html The Astrobiology Dual-Degree Ph.D. program has been approved by the Graduate Council. [Details on this program] New Commencement Schedule for Fall Commencement at University Park: For the announcement visit: http://live.psu.edu/story/19285 Fall 2006 Graduate Workshops on Writing: To sign up for one or many of these workshops, visit: Chi Epsilon Pi will be bringing back an old Meteorology Departmental tradition on Sunday, October 15, as we will host a hike up Mt. Nittany lead by Dr. Craig Bohren. We will meet as a group at 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind Deike building, then caravan over to Dr. Bohren’s house at the base of the hill, where the hike will begin. It’s advisable that all hikers wear sturdy shoes, even hiking boots if you have them. This event is for everyone; remember, you’re not allowed to graduate until you climb Mt. Nittany : ). If you plan on attending, please sign up on one of the sheets outside the 4th, 5th, or 6th floor elevators or on the table to the right as you first walk in the Weather Station. It’s important that I have a count of the number of people coming, so I can let Dr. Bohren know how many cookies and mulled apple cider to prepare. Lastly, I need people willing to drive. If you will be able to, please note that on the sign up sheet, including how many you can take with you in your car. Please sign-up by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 12. Contact Zack with questions at zmb102@psu.edu. January 2007 Candidacy Exam: The next PhD Candidacy Exam will next be given during the week of January 8-12, 2007, which is the week before spring classes start. Students who intend on taking this exam should sign up by Monday, November 13, 2006 by sending an e-mail to me at hns@psu.edu. In this e-mail, please include the following information: Name I will hold a meeting in late November, 2006 or early December, 2006 with those students taking the next exam to talk about logistics, including setting the dates for the two sections of the exam, and to answer any questions the students might have. ESSC Seminars for Fall 2006 A new PSUBAMS website and it has a brand new look! Check it out for all the latest news and activities. [View site] Dr. Andrew Kleit, along with Dr. Anthony Kwasnica at the Smeal College of Business, will be running markets for weather this fall. The sites for these markets will be the same as those in the WxChallenge. The first market will be for the high temperature and precipitation amount in Orlando, Florida on September 25. This market will open for business on September 18. So if you want to make some money on your weather forecasts, please go to http://lema3.smeal.psu.edu/prediction/ and click on the "New User" link. (Don't worry, we give you the money for you to work with.) United Way Basket Ideas Sought: The Department is looking for suggestions/ideas for a Department basket to put up for auction at the EMS United Way Silent Auction to be held on November 8. Please stop by and share ideas you might have with any of the Meteo office staff. How would you like to win two tickets to the Chi Epsilon Pi/Meteorology Department Spring Banquet? If you are an extraordinary chef, then you have a chance! Before Meteorology Department Colloquia on Thursday afternoons, refreshments are served at 3:30 p.m. in 529 Walker. Chi Epsilon Pi is sponsoring a bake-off. Each week, anyone interested can sign-up to bring a home-made dessert as a pre-colloquium treat to be shared. Each dessert will be judged on taste, appearance, freshness, and originality/uniqueness. At the conclusion of the contest, the individual with the highest score will win two free tickets to the spring banquet. If you are interested in participating in this contest, a sign-up sheet is located outside of 410 Walker. You may sign-up in teams; however, the maximum number of free tickets that will be given away is two. Any questions, please contact Zack Byko at zmb102@psu.edu. Registration is now open for scheduling classes for spring 2007. If you need a drop/add form for restricted classes, see Linda Porta in 502 Walker The third annual CWS/PSUBAMS Date Auction will be held on October 22, 2006 in 22 Deike with bidding starting at 7PM sharp. Last year was our best year yet! We raised over $1400, doubling it from the previous year. Proceeds benefit THON (75%) and CWS (25%). If you are interested in auctioning yourself off for charity please fill out the attached application and email it back to either myself (rab333@psu.edu) or Beth Russell (elr140@psu.edu). The deadline for applications is October 10. [Date Auction Application Form] The American Meteorological Society has recently announced several funding opportunities for students to attend the 87th Annual Meeting being held from January 13-18, 2007 in San Antonio, TX. The deadline for each is October 20, 2006. Please apply soon to ensure your materials are received in time. Here is a list of the opportunities: AMS Travel Grants (senior undergraduates and grad students are eligible): http://www.ametsoc.org/amsstudentinfo/stg_info.html AMS Student Assistantships (all undergraduates are eligible): http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/annual/studentvolunteer.html Grad Student Climate Change Travel Grants to attend the 19th Conference on Climate Variability & Global Change: http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/annual/studentclimatescholarships.html Young Science & Student Atmospheric Chemistry Travel Grants to attend the 9th Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry (various awards for post-docs and qualified graduate students and undergraduates): http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/annual/studentchemistryscholarships.html Letter to student AMS members from Keith Seitter, Executive Director of the AMS: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/undprog/AMS_student_member_program.pdf WxChallenge: The National Academies has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2007 sessions of the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program in Washington D.C. For more information, please visit: http://www.met.psu.edu/Jobs/Fellowships/fellowships.html On each Monday for the entire fall semester, forecast discussions will be held in the Weather Station Classroom at 12:30 p.m. These discussions will be informal, last about 30 minutes, and will be lead by a Penn State, AccuWeather, or National Weather Service forecaster. Everyone with an interest in weather forecasting is invited! Feel free to drop in on the discussions whenever possible, whether it is on a weekly basis or just once or twice all semester. It is our hope that the experts giving the discussions can teach us a little more about weather forecasting and the audience engage and question the forecast discussion leader. If you have any interest in leading a discussion, please contact me at zmb102@psu.edu. Deadlines and Important Dates: Oct. 4 Wednesday—last date for a fall graduate to submit a draft of the master's thesis to the Thesis Office for format review Oct. 6 Friday—Study Day - No Classes Oct. 9 Monday—last date for a fall graduate to pass final doctoral defense (dept. must return report form to Graduate Enrollment Services immediately) Oct. 9 - October 22 Monday - Sunday—Final Exam Conflict - Filing Period FALL 2006 COURSES
Colloquium: There will be no Department colloquium this week. The Department's weekly colloquium schedule can be viewed by visiting: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/events/MeteoColloq.html PSUBAMS Internship Meeting: How did you spend your summer? On Wednesday, October 4 at 7 p.m. in 112 Walker, fellow students will speak about how they spent their summer and an informational packet will be handed out about available internships. Refreshments will be served and you'll be able to purchase your PSUBAMS membership (if you haven't already). Tshirts will also be for sale. United Way Basket Ideas Sought: The Department is looking for suggestions/ideas for a Department basket to put up for auction at the EMS United Way Silent Auction to be held on November 8. Please stop by and share ideas you might have with any of the Meteo office staff. EMS Student Recruiting Help Wanted: Wren Fritsky, the undergraduate recruiter in EMS, would like to present some EMS information sessions across campus to inform students (especially current freshmen) about our college and possible entice them to transfer into one of the great majors within EMS. She is looking for a few enthusiastic student helpers to do
short presentations, be panelists, If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Mrs. Fritsky (wren@psu.edu or 5-6355) directly by Oct.10th (Tues.) with your name, email, phone #, and (intended) majors. She is especially looking for students to help that have double majors, minors, changed majors, have intern and international experiences, etc, to appeal to a wide audience and especially to those in the science, engineering, and DUS students. Sixth Semester Advising Reminder: All sixth semester students should make an appointment with their advisor to review their academic progress and scheduling plans. Chi Epsilon Pi will be bringing back an old Meteorology Departmental tradition on Sunday, October 15, as we will host a hike up Mt. Nittany lead by Dr. Craig Bohren. We will meet as a group at 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind Deike building, then caravan over to Dr. Bohren’s house at the base of the hill, where the hike will begin. It’s advisable that all hikers wear sturdy shoes, even hiking boots if you have them. This event is for everyone; remember, you’re not allowed to graduate until you climb Mt. Nittany : ). If you plan on attending, please sign up on one of the sheets outside the 4th, 5th, or 6th floor elevators or on the table to the right as you first walk in the Weather Station. It’s important that I have a count of the number of people coming, so I can let Dr. Bohren know how many cookies and mulled apple cider to prepare. Lastly, I need people willing to drive. If you will be able to, please note that on the sign up sheet, including how many you can take with you in your car. Please sign-up by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 12. Contact Zack with questions at zmb102@psu.edu. IUG Open to All Students: The Graduate Council has recently approved the proposal to make the IUG program open to all students (as opposed to just Schreyer's Honors students). The new policy will go into effect in the Spring 2007. For those who aren't familiar with the IUG program, it is an integrated B.S./M.S. (IUG) program that is designed to allow academically superior students to obtain both the B.S. and the M.S. degree in Meteorology in five years of study. [More info] A new PSUBAMS website and it has a brand new look! Check it out for all the latest news and activities. [View site] The third annual CWS/PSUBAMS Date Auction will be held on October 22, 2006 in 22 Deike with bidding starting at 7PM sharp. Last year was our best year yet! We raised over $1400, doubling it from the previous year. Proceeds benefit THON (75%) and CWS (25%). If you are interested in auctioning yourself off for charity please fill out the attached application and email it back to either myself (rab333@psu.edu) or Beth Russell (elr140@psu.edu). The deadline for applications is October 10. [Date Auction Application Form] Meteorology students are participating in a number of on-air opportunities this semester. To see a list of the opportunities that students have to hone their meteorology, broadcasting, and communication skills, visit the following link. [View list of TV/media appearances] New Commencement Schedule for Fall Commencement at University Park: For the announcement visit: http://live.psu.edu/story/19285 The American Meteorological Society has recently announced several funding opportunities for students to attend the 87th Annual Meeting being held from January 13-18, 2007 in San Antonio, TX. The deadline for each is October 20, 2006. Please apply soon to ensure your materials are received in time. Here is a list of the opportunities and a link at the bottom to a letter sent by the Director of the AMS: AMS Travel Grants (senior undergraduates and grad students are eligible): http://www.ametsoc.org/amsstudentinfo/stg_info.html AMS Student Assistantships (all undergraduates are eligible): http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/annual/studentvolunteer.html Young Science & Student Atmospheric Chemistry Travel Grants to attend the 9th Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry (various awards for post-docs and qualified graduate students and undergraduates): http://www.ametsoc.org/meet/annual/studentchemistryscholarships.html Letter to student AMS members from Keith Seitter, Executive Director of the AMS: http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/undprog/AMS_student_member_program.pdf Dr. Andrew Kleit, along with Dr. Anthony Kwasnica at the Smeal College of Business, will be running markets for weather this fall. The sites for these markets will be the same as those in the WxChallenge. The first market will be for the high temperature and precipitation amount in Orlando, Florida on September 25. This market will open for business on September 18. So if you want to make some money on your weather forecasts, please go to http://lema3.smeal.psu.edu/prediction/ and click on the "New User" link. (Don't worry, we give you the money for you to work with.) What did you do this summer? If it was weather related, interesting, and you like to speak in front of groups then I have an offer for you. I am looking for volunteers to speak at the PSUBAMS annual internship meeting that will be held October 4, 2006 at 7PM in 112 Walker. If interested please email me (rab333@psu.edu) with a brief summery of what you did. How would you like to win two tickets to the Chi Epsilon Pi/Meteorology Department Spring Banquet? If you are an extraordinary chef, then you have a chance! Before Meteorology Department Colloquia on Thursday afternoons, refreshments are served at 3:30 p.m. in 529 Walker. Chi Epsilon Pi is sponsoring a bake-off. Each week, anyone interested can sign-up to bring a home-made dessert as a pre-colloquium treat to be shared. Each dessert will be judged on taste, appearance, freshness, and originality/uniqueness. At the conclusion of the contest, the individual with the highest score will win two free tickets to the spring banquet. If you are interested in participating in this contest, a sign-up sheet is located outside of 410 Walker. You may sign-up in teams; however, the maximum number of free tickets that will be given away is two. Any questions, please contact Zack Byko at zmb102@psu.edu. Congratulations to Marcus Walter has recently been accepted into the Schreyer Honors College for the Fall 2006 semester. Marcus is a junior majoring in Meteorology with an option in Weather Forecasting and Communications. The 2006 National Weather Association (NWA) David Sankey Minority Scholarship in Meteorology has been awarded to Cho Hin (Richard) Lam of Wilmington, Delaware. This $1,000 scholarship will assist Richard with expenses throughout his junior year at Penn State in the Department of Meteorology. Richard was selected to receive this scholarship from a pool of outstanding applicants at seven different colleges/universities. Congratulations Richard! WxChallenge: Chi Epsilon Pi Tutoring Services: For every undergraduate meteorology class and Math 140/140G and Math 141, a tutor has been selected who has extensive background in the topic. The idea is that this is a person you can contact if you feel you need more assistance with a course than the instructor and TA can provide. Most importantly, this service is completely free of charge! If you are struggling with a class this fall, please use Chi Epsilon Pi's tutoring services. The best way to contact tutors is via email, even though an impromptu visit to a tutor's office may be fruitful on some occasions. The tutoring list can be viewed at http://www.met.psu.edu/dept/courses/tutoringlist.html On each Monday for the entire fall semester, forecast discussions will be held in the Weather Station Classroom at 12:30 p.m. These discussions will be informal, last about 30 minutes, and will be lead by a Penn State, AccuWeather, or National Weather Service forecaster. Everyone with an interest in weather forecasting is invited! Feel free to drop in on the discussions whenever possible, whether it is on a weekly basis or just once or twice all semester. It is our hope that the experts giving the discussions can teach us a little more about weather forecasting and the audience engage and question the forecast discussion leader. If you have any interest in leading a discussion, please contact me at zmb102@psu.edu. DEADLINES AND IMPORTANT DATES: Oct. 6 Friday—Study Day - No Classes October 9 - October 22 Monday - Sunday—Final Exam Conflict - Filing Period 2007 Student Career Experience Program positions at the Meteorological Development Lab located in Silver Spring, MD. Please visit the following website for details about this COOP opportunity: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/coop/coop.htm Plan Ahead for Meteo 414! I thought I would give you some advanced notice concerning our plans for Meteo 414, Mesoscale Meteorology. By Spring '07 we are planning to schedule the course in a newly renovated room on the first floor of Walker that will have a maximum capacity of 36 students. This spring we were able to accommodate 40 students in the course, but we will not be able to do so in the future. If you were planning to take the course in Spring '07, but could take it in Fall '06, then please do so as there are currently spaces available. We wish to make the course available to each of you who wants to take it, but to ensure that you are able to register for the course, we ask that you plan ahead and take it at the earliest possible time in which there are openings in the class. Sincerely, Professor Shirer Become a student member of the AMS: http://www.ametsoc.org/memb/ FALL 2006 COURSES
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MATH/CSE 551: Numerical Solutions of Ordinary Differential
Equations (Xiantao Li) 
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