The American Meteorological Society (AMS) will hold its first Symposium on Policy Research on 1-2 February 2006, as part of the 86th AMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Preliminary programs, registration, hotel, and general information will be posted on the AMS Web site in mid-September 2005.

Increasingly, policy issues matter to the Earth system sciences and Earth system science-based service community. Research and analysis of those issues is growing commensurately. Papers are solicited that discuss policy research in the Earth system sciences and services. This AMS Symposium on Policy Research is intended to provide a forum where (i) researchers can share their findings and report on recent progress, (ii) policy makers can dialog with researchers about areas that merit further analysis and why, and (iii) and researchers can dialog with each other and with federal agency officials and others about topics and themes for future Symposia. This Symposium should allow for discussion of the need for stable, structured funding for research in this field, and for outlets for research, such as an AMS Policy Journal. Symposium sessions will be organized along the three areas described above. Because the lines between policy research and the social sciences are not sharply drawn, contributed papers on such related topics will be welcome. For this initial year, the AMS Policy Program will develop the Symposium program in cooperation with the Board on Societal Impacts.

The 86th Annual Meeting is being organized around the broad theme of “Applications of Weather and Climate Data” with an emphasis on documenting success stories in the applications of atmospheric, hydrologic and oceanic sciences, and the research needed to continue benefiting from new knowledge. Two integrating subthemes that will be highlighted are “Managing Our Physical and Natural Resources: Successes and Challenges” and “Environmental Risks and Impacts on Society: Successes and Challenges.” Please submit abstracts electronically via the Web by 1 August 2005 (refer to the AMS Web page for instructions).