Ramblings of a Graduate Student

VORTEX II (Verification of the Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes EXPeriment) is scheduled to begin on 10 May and last through 13 June.  I’ll be manning the VORTEX II Operations Center (VOC) here in Norman on a daily basis.  In addition to this, I’m currently writing code (in my spare time) to generate images of model output for use by forecasters in the VOC.  All of this is on top of my current research and school work – which includes making corrections to a journal article and editing a political science paper that needs to be submittd ASAP.  This is certainly a rough end of the semester; and it only goes down hill from there.

Last week a devastating ice storm ravaged parts of the United States; as of this writing, a little under 500,000 customers remain without power.  Three days from now will be the first anniversary of the deadliest tornado outbreak in over 20 years.  May will mark the 10th anniversary of the 3 May 1999 tornadoes in Oklahoma and southern Kansas.  I know most people won’t think anything of these events, however, to me, these events are what either got me interested in meteorology or further my curiosity on the subject.

Synoptic meteorology is a sub-discipline within meteorology that focuses on analysis and prediction of large-scale atmospheric phenomena.  The events mentioned above all stem from synoptic systems.  Unfortunately, meteorology as a science is rapidly moving away from studying and, as a result, teaching synoptic-scale meteorology.  Researchers will argue this is because there is “no money” in studying these topics, and to some degree they are true – money is going to radar research, large supercomputers for running numerical models, and building new satellites.  (Congressmen need to have a large piece of “hardware” or equipment to stand in front of for their photo-op.)  I had hoped when I came to OU that this “Mecca of Meteorology” would be immune to this de-emphasis.  I was sadly mistaken.  Norman is rapidly becoming a radar town.

So, what does this have to do with “map discussions”?  I have had the fortune of being a member of a listserv that is dedicated to synoptic meteorology.  Reading the emails that come across the listserv has been a source of pleasure for me lately, but at the same time, a source of disappointment.  I long to have something of this locally – where students, faculty, and operational meteorologists can argue over the ongoings of the atmosphere.  It is in this setting – where passionate discussion prevails – where learning occurs.  It is also in this setting where the next generation of inspirational meteorologists are born.

I have been told by a great researcher – one whom I respect greatly – that if I wish to see something like this here in Norman, it’s going to take inspired students taking the initiative.  It is my hope and prayer that before I graduate something like this will take hold here in Norman.  I know I’ll do my part.

Tonight was the second installment of Science Cafe Norman.  Tonight’s talk (title is the same as the title of this post) was given by me.  We had a fairly large turnout of around 20-30 people and the talk lasted about an hour.  While I was originally planning on talking more about climate change and less about severe thunderstorms, however the severe thunderstorm portion of the talk took a little longer than expected.  This was fine though, I think everyone enjoyed the talk and learned something new.  Next month the talk is given by my officemate, Melissa Bukovsky, and will focus on regional climate change.  As of right now the talk is scheduled to be on January 8th, but may have to be moved since quite a few people will be at a joint meeting of the mathematical societies and the NCAA College Football National Championship.  Stay tuned!

Tonight I attended the first “Science Cafe” in Norman, OK. Science cafes are live events that involve a face-to-face conversation with a scientist about current science topics. They are open to everyone, and take place in casual settings like pubs and coffeehouses.  The Norman Science Cafe takes place at Hastings (in the coffee shop) on the first Thursday following the first Wednesday of the month at 7PM.  These events are a great way for the general public to understand local research and scientific topics and allows scientists the opportunity to explain their research to a more general audience.  Tonight’s talk was given by Sean Crowell, a mathematics PhD student at the University of Oklahoma.  His talk was titled, “Climate change:  What We Know”.  It was a great first meeting.

I encourage people to check it out!  I give the next talk at the Norman Science Cafe on 4 December 2008 at 7PM.  My talk is titled, “What the Hail?!?  Climate Change and Severe Thunderstorms”.  Check it out!