Weather and Climate Leaders Convene at UAlbany for AMS Summer Meeting

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 20, 2019) – Weather and climate leaders in academia, industry and government joined for a two-day conference at the University at Albany last week.

UAlbany was selected as the host institution for the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) 2019 summer meeting – which brings together experts from across the nation annually to discuss strategic priorities, identify opportunities to collaborate, and share points of view on pressing topics.

The theme of discussions was on global forecasting, specifically how meteorologists and government officials are leveraging new technologies to better predict and communicate the growing number of high-impact weather events.

Other topics of focus during the meeting included:

• Big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and business analytics
• Enhanced collaboration with emergency managers
• Use of observation networks to improve forecasts
• Opportunities for the U.S. weather enterprise to more effectively contribute globally
• Expanding the enterprise by engaging new stakeholders

ASRC Research Associate Jeff Freedman presents his research during an AMS summer meeting panel discussion “From the User’s Perspective: Weather, Water and Climate Insights from Innovative Observation Networks." (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

President Rodríguez offered opening remarks and was followed by New York Congressman Paul Tonko’s who was featured as the keynote. The interdisciplinary panel discussions included faculty of various expertise in UAlbany's weather-climate enterprise and College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC).

"The AMS Summer Community Meeting was a great gathering of people from across the atmospheric science community,” said Ryan Torn, chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES). “Holding a meeting like this at UAlbany is an acknowledgement of the quality and breadth of work going on here."

"It was fantastic to host this meeting for the first time here at UAlbany. It allowed us to showcase several of our ongoing key weather-related activities, including how they are being applied in emergency management situations and benefiting the private sector," added Chris Thorncroft, interim director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC).

UAlbany hosts the largest concentration of atmospheric, climate and environmental scientists in New York State, and one of the largest in the nation. Led by DAES and ASRC, the University is also home to the NYS Center of Excellence Weather-Climate Business Analytics, Extreme Collaboration, Innovation & Technology (xCITE) laboratory, a state-of-the-art software development and data/visual analytics innovation facility, and New York State Mesonet, the most advanced mesoscale weather observation system in the nation.

Atmospheric science will be one of the cornerstones of UAlbany’s $180 million Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC), which is scheduled for completion in 2021.

The AMS, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary, has more than 13,000 members including researchers, educators, students, enthusiasts, broadcasters and other professionals in weather, water, and climate.

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