Number 30, October 2001

Number 30, October 2001

WeatherZine News

Introducing the WeatherZine's Student Editorial Editor

A big welcome to the WeatherZine's new Student Editorial Editor, Russell Chibe. Russ grew up in the Chicagoland area, where he became fascinated by tornadoes at a young age. While he knew he wanted to be a meteorologist since the fifth grade, he also developed a love for politics. He pursued both of these interests at Valparaiso University where he graduated with a degree in meteorology and minors in both political science and math, and as an associate of VU's multi-disciplinary honors college. He spent a semester studying in Reutlingen, Germany. This past August Russ began his first semester at Colorado State University's department of atmospheric science, where he is supported by an American Meteorological Society graduate fellowship. He spent his last two summers researching at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.

Russ's research interests are varied, with experience in boundary-layer convection, turbulence, and severe storms. He has examined the public's perception of severe weather frequency, and what it can tell us about the impact of high false-alarm rates. While pursuing his master's degree, Russ will be involved in modeling boundary-layer processes. He plans a career in weather policy.

When he's not deriving the equations of motion in cylindrical coordinates, Russ can be found pursuing his musical interests. His roles have ranged from pianist in the Valparaiso University jazz band to lead singer/guitarist in a punk band.

He is also an amateur musicologist, having presented a paper on a Thelonious Monk composition at the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference. Other interests include various sports (both as a spectator and a participant) and graphic design.

As Student Editorial Editor for 2002, Russ will be responsible for writing one editorial and soliciting and selecting five editorials from students all over the country, beginning with the December issue. We look forward to adding this valuable perspective to the WeatherZine. For more information, contact Russ at rchibe@atmos.colostate.edu.

Introducing the ASPEN Program

With the move of the WeatherZine to the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, we are reorganizing our activities as a new program. The Atmospheric Sciences Policy Education and Network (ASPEN) Program is focused on weather policy research, education, and outreach. It is supported by the U.S. Weather Research Program. In addition to the WeatherZine, the ASPEN Program presently consists of the Societal Aspects of Weather WWW portal, the online Use and Value of Weather and Climate Forecast Bibliography, the weather-policy email discussion group, and the Extreme Weather Sourcebook. In the near future we will be enhancing these activities and introducing a range of new activities related to weather policy research, education, and outreach. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for improving the ASPEN Program!

Committee on Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services

The National Research Council has formed a Committee on Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services to study the relationship of the public and private sectors in the provision of weather and climate services. The Committee describes its scope as follows: "Weather and climate extremes have profound impacts on the United States; weather and climate information is essential to prepare for and ameliorate these impacts. The provision of weather and climate services in this nation has evolved from an almost exclusive governmental function to one carried out by a combination of public sector, private sector, and academic entities. This change has resulted in better weather services for the United States. It has also raised questions about the proper roles and missions of the various players and the potential for actual or perceived conflict among the providers. This study will examine the current roles and missions of the public, private, and academic sectors in the provision of weather and climate services; the barriers to communication among the sectors; and opportunities for improving service in each of the sectors to serve the public interest. It will also examine weather and climate information sharing policies in the Internet age." You can learn more about the Committee and its members, provide input, and have access to a range of material on the subject of its study at the Committee's Website.