UAlbany, Rockefeller Institute of Government Partner on Severe Weather Conference, April 23

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 9, 2015) -- The University at Albany and the Rockefeller Institute of Government are partnering to host Facing the Storm: Severe Weather Challenges Confronting New York State in the 21st Century, a forum to discuss the threats posed by severe weather. This year's event, which is geared toward emergency managers, not-for-profit executives, and government officials, will be held Thursday, April 23, from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Campus Center on the University’s uptown campus.

The Severe Weather Forum will focus on severe weather events of the past year, consider what these might teach us about future weather events and discuss how best we can prepare.

The program, co-created by UAlbany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the NYS Emergency Management Association, is designed to focus on severe weather events of the past year, consider what these might teach us about future weather events and discuss how best we can prepare. This includes mitigation efforts such as the NYS Mesonet, a UAlbany-led statewide network of 125 weather stations feeding weather prediction models and decision-support tools for users across New York.

Panelists participating in the program include:

• Lance Bosart, Distinguished Professor, University at Albany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
• Jerry Brotzge, Project Director, NYS Mesonet, University at Albany
• Paul Caiano, Meteorologist, WNYT-TV (Albany)
• Howard M. Goebel, Canal Hydrologist, New York State Canal Corporation
• Everette Joseph, Director, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, University at Albany
• Christopher Thorncroft, Chair, University at Albany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
• David Vallee, Hydrologist-in-Charge, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast River Forecast Center
• Kevin E. Wisely, Deputy Commissioner, Emergency Services, NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

The event will be streamed to locations throughout the State University of New York, including: Stony Brook University, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry, and SUNY Oswego.

To RSVP, please contact Michele Charbonneau at the Rockefeller Institute at (518) 443-5258. The deadline to register is April 20 and seating is limited.

About the Rockefeller Institute of Government

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government is the public policy research arm of the State University of New York. The Institute conducts fiscal and programmatic research on American state and local governments. Journalists can find useful information on the Newsroom page of the website.

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