The College of

Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

http://www.ou.edu http://ags.ou.edu http://weather.ou.edu http://geography.ou.edu

Inside this Issue:

Dear College of A&GS Family, Greetings from the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma! This fall marks our second full academic year as a college, and we continue to grow in stature not only on campus, but across the state and the nation. Our colleges academic and research units are now located in world-class, state-of-the-art facilities throughout the OU campus – geography programs in the Sarkeys Energy Center and weather programs in the National Weather Center. We also now

have one unit – the Center for Spatial Analysis – in the brand-new Two Partners Place building just down Boren Boulevard from the National Weather Center. We also continue to grow our faculty, adding Laurel Smith to the Geography faculty and Kevin Kloesel to the Meteorology faculty this past year. Students who attend our classes continue to demonstrate that they are the best prepared in the world to meet the challenges we will face in geography and meteorology. We are pleased to report that the college’s faculty, staff and students continue to be award-winning and currently lead the campus in several key research areas. These areas include traditional strengths in weather radar and surface observing systems as well as new initiatives in water resources and sustainability. We continue to implement a unique vision and a strategic plan for the college that will help us take advantage of the academic, government, and private partnerships we have forged. This newsletter is an opportunity for us to share with each of you a small sample of the many events that occurred in our family in 2007. The individuals highlighted here represent thousands of college family members, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This newsletter also is an open invitation to all members of the college family to visit us the next time your travels bring you to Norman. You will be pleased not only with what you see but also with the strides we have made in securing our leadership status in both geography and meteorology. All of us in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences wish you a joyous holiday season and a New Year of peace, good health and prosperity! Sincerely, John T. Snow

Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

“Greetings” 2

Event Highlights 3

Geography 4

Meteorology 5

Faculty Spotlights 6

Staff Spotlights 7

Student Spotlights 8

Alumni Spotlights 9

Introducing: The Weather Sphere

10

The Technologically Inclined

10

Development Corner 11

Alumni Information Request

12

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. This publication, printed by Printing Services, is issued by the University of Oklahoma.

2,000 copies have been prepared and distributed at a cost of $1,800 to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma.

Event Highlights 3

The National Council for Geographic Education held its annual meeting Oct.18 through 21 at the Cox Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. In conjunction with Oklahoma’s statehood centennial, this was the first time the nation’s largest geography educational conference came to Oklahoma.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NCGE is the premier association in the United States for teaching geography at the K-12 and university levels. Approximately 700 attendees from throughout the United States and around the world attended.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, an organization for geography educators headquartered at the University of Oklahoma, helped host the conference. The OU Department of Geography, which has a long association with OKAGE, assisted with the conference, supplying student volunteers and other participants.

Conference goals included promoting high-quality research in the teaching and learning of geography at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels.

“Today’s complex and interdependent society has increased recognition of the vital importance of geographic literacy, which makes research on geography education especially timely and valuable,” said Fred Shelley, chair of the Department of Geography. “We are pleased that NCGE brought international recognition to Oklahoma for geography education.”

Ed Pugh, OU geography alumnus, spearheaded a fund-raising drive that provided conference scholarships to K-12 teachers in Oklahoma. He helped raise nearly $50,000 for teachers to register for professional-development workshops, participate in field trips and network with other geography educators.

A unique meteorological event, the first U.S.-China Symposium on Meteorology—Mesoscale Meteorology and Data Assimilation will be held Feb. 26 through 28 at the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus.

The goal of the meeting is to define the state of knowledge of the United States and China in mesoscale meteorology and data assimilation and to identify the upcoming challenges for the next decade. “Because of the rapid development of China and the need for the United States to partner with other nations, the symposium is a first step in bringing the two countries closer together in the important area of mesoscale meteorology,” said Peter Lamb, George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Meteorology and director of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the OU.

Themes of the conference cover observations, theory, forecasting and simulation of mesoscale phenomena; data assimilation techniques and mesoscale applications; and connections between mesoscale phenomena, regional climate and larger-scale circulation.

OU President David Boren originated the idea for the symposium from his interest in building cooperation and collaboration with East Asia.

The next U.S.-China symposium, focusing on regional climate variability, will be held in Beijing in 2010 or 2011.

For additional information, please visit the Web site: http://www.cimms.ou.edu.

U.S-China Meteorology Symposium

National Council for Geographic Education Conference

A conference participants from the meeting pause for a photograph on the top of Mount Scott at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma. Photo by Glenda Sullivan.

Top: (From left to right) Yihui Ding, Peter Webster, Johnny Chan, Chris Snyder, Rongsheng Wu, Richard Rotunno Bottom: (From left to right) Lance Bosart, Qin-Cun

Zeng, Shuyi Chen, Jiang Zhu, Robert Houze, Huizhi Liu

Observing the Sites in Oklahoma

In this and upcoming decades, global climate change is a topic that will continue to affect the international population. Having a consistent, accurate global thermometer is key to understanding and decision-making. Currently, one primary means of monitoring temperature is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Through the work of volunteer observers, NOAA operates sites monitoring temperature maximums and minimums, snowfall and precipitation. Sites with long records of observations are referred to as the “historical climate network,” better known as the HCN. Currently, observers may leave the job, resulting in missing data for that site. They do not necessarily take measurements at the same time each day for each site, creating less reliable data. To better hone the system, NOAA has joined forces with the Center for Spatial Analysis. Both are housed on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus, which makes collaboration feasible. CSA is using Geographic Information Systems technology to analyze specific criteria for areas surrounding the current sites to determine the appropriateness of installing an automated site to monitor rainfall and temperature, thereby preserving the HCN. William McPherson a CSA research associate who currently is working on his doctorate in geography. “The automation of the HCN demonstrates what GIS can do for the atmospheric sciences,” McPherson said.

First-Place Winner:

David John Gagne II

Double Rainbow and Roll Clouds in Lawton

4

Exploring Oklahoma’s Roots Who are you, and where do you come from? While this question normally yields a simple answer, this is the first and most important question Robert Rundstrom answers when collecting data for his research project. Rundstrom, a professor of geography at the University of Oklahoma, and doctoral student Joseph Swain are collecting a mountainous database to study the people who shaped Oklahoma’s modern history and culture. Today, the most widely-believed historical facts about Oklahoma’s history and culture come from the famous land rushes and lotteries beginning in April 1889; however, many people came to Oklahoma during that time period for additional reasons. To analyze these reasons, Rundstrom and Swain have gathered approximately 11,000 biographical records of people who migrated to Oklahoma between the years 1890 and 1907. In this time period, racial discrimination between African Americans, American Indians and whites was prevalent, leading to a defined difference in culture within Oklahoma. At the end of this project, Rundstrom and Swain will have documented not only who came to each county in Oklahoma, but also the specific counties from which people migrated. “This is the first comprehensive study of the cultural origins of Oklahoma at this scale,” Rundstrom said. Rundstrom and Swain hope to finish this study within the next two years, thereby providing a more solid foundation and truth for Oklahoma’s history. There are plans to write a book that will encompass their data and lead to explanations of cultural differences throughout Oklahoma.

Geography

“The Man of Maps,” Robert Rundstrom

The Global Historical Climate Network mean temperature stations that could be automated in the future.

Scientists at the University of Oklahoma are again at the forefront of storm research. Three National Weather Center scientists received a three-year grant from National Aeronautics and Space Administration Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research totaling $1.44 million to establish the Center for Lightning Advanced Studies and Safety. The Oklahoma NASA EPSCoR/Space Grant Program, directed by Victoria Duca-Snowden, played a pivotal role in securing the funding for this project. The proposal, by meteorology professor William Beasley in the School of Meteorology, research scientist Donald MacGorman of the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, and post-doctoral research scientist Ted Mansell from the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, was one of 43 proposals submitted to the NASA EPSCoR program in July. The core mission of the CLASS is to obtain improved ground-based observations of lightning in greater numbers for comparison with NASA satellite observations of lightning. In the near future, NASA plans to launch geo-stationary satellites, which orbit at the same rate as the earth. These satellites will monitor one area continuously, providing a greater data sample. CLASS’s improvement of ground-based observations will prepare for lightning observations from the new satellites. Satellite and ground-based lightning observations are both scientifically interesting and important for improvement of numerical models used for weather forecasts. “The more things you get right with the storm, the more chance you’ll have a better model,” Beasley said. Better models ultimately produce better forecasts and improved weather safety.

National Weather Center Scientists' Research Is Striking the Nation

5

Second-Place Winner:

Aaron Botnick

Sunset

Meteorology

William Beasley, meteorology professor

The Atmospheric Radar Research Center, housed in the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus, is a collaborative radar research group. This interdisciplinary center is the result of a partnership between the School of Meteorology in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering. The ARRC is an example of next generation radar research. It covers a wide range of topics related to remote sensing of the atmosphere and currently has more than $5 million in active research funding. The ARRC’s radar hardware efforts are supported by its Radar Innovations Laboratory, which allows scientists and students to create customized hardware, end-to-end radar design, and data collection/analysis systems. Students are an integral part of current and future research. “Our enthusiastic students keep the projects running smoothly and are the foundation of our group,” said Bob Palmer, director of the ARRC. Research at the ARRC includes radar system design, phased array radar, radar signal processing, observational studies, and atmospheric quantification/validation. This research ultimately translates to better use of Doppler radar for weather observations and to improved community safety through advanced detection algorithms for severe weather. One focus of the ARRC is research and development of tornado detection algorithms. The TDA, currently experimental and funded by the NOAA National Weather Service, helps improve detection with extended range and lower false alarm rates for tornadoes of different intensities. “The improved detections can aid forecasters in issuing early tornado warnings with a high level of reliability,” said Tian-You Yu, engineering professor.

ARRC Is on the Radar At OU

Post-doctorate, doctoral and masters’ students work in the Radar Innovations Laboratory.

Third-Place Winner:

Kevin Manross

Under the Beaver's Tale 2

6 Faculty Spotlights

Aondover Tarhule Dr. Aondover Tarhule joined the Department of Geography faculty at the University of Oklahoma in October 1999. A native of Nigeria, Tarhule attended the University of Jos in central Nigeria where he graduated with a degree in geography and was awarded the university prize as the overall best graduating student in academic excellence, later receiving a master’s degree in environmental resources planning. He received his doctoral degree in geography at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Given his background, it is not surprising that Tarhule’s research interests are broad, including physical hydrology, water resources, droughts, dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) and hydroclimatatic variability. But Tarhule points to commonalities in his research interests. For example, he uses tree-ring analysis to investigate drought patterns. Tarhule is trying to develop a tree-ring chronology to provide more extended rainfall records in a drought-prone region of West Africa. Similarly, here in Oklahoma, he has developed a 300-year record of rainfall, streamflow, temperature and the Palmer Drought Severity Index based on tree-rings for the Arbuckle Simpson aquifer.

An enthusiastic instructor, Tarhule led an initiative with several geography faculty that secured NSF funding to improve both the laboratory facilities and physical geography educational curriculum. Tarhule was the recipient of the first ever Teaching-Scholar initiative award for excellence for the College of Geosciences. “I like the University of Oklahoma because of the cordial working atmosphere I have with my colleagues,” Tarhule said. ”I also appreciate the support I receive from senior colleagues both within the Department of Geography and the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences.”

Mike Richman Michael Richman, Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor in the School of Meteorology, came to the OU in 1991 to work at the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Studies. Prior to that, he attended the State University of New York (Plattsburgh) as an undergraduate geography major and the University of Illinois, graduate degrees in Geography/Climate (MS) and Atmospheric Sciences (PhD). When a faculty position opened, he joined the School of Meteorology in 1994. Over the past 13 years, he has taught eleven undergraduate and graduate courses for the SoM, developing curriculum in meteorological statistics, resampling methods and data mining. On the national level, Richman is a member of the American Meteorological Society Committee on Artificial Intelligence.

A key area of Richman’s interest is applying data mining and machine learning methods to severe weather, teaming with Dr. Theodore Trafalis (School of Industrial Engineering) and scientists from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory attempting to distinguish mesocyclones from tornadoes using methodologies that can be trained to dynamically update predictions to achieve accuracy. Identifying interesting signals in data mining is a long-standing interest of Richman’s. He pioneered the meteorological application of rotated principal components, applying that to document rainfall variability with SoM colleague Dr. Peter Lamb. In addition to data mining, Richman conducts research on the climate system, satellite data retrieval, studying how students learn statistics and detection of precursors of tornado outbreaks. Presently, he is working with Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies scientist Dr. Chuck Doswell and a fellow SoM professor, Dr. Lance Leslie, teaming with graduate students to build models testing the limits of predictability for tornado outbreaks. “In the next five years, I plan to follow my curiosity to invent new methodologies to address societally important questions,” Richman said

Fourth-Place Winner:

Mark Benner

Geese Heading for Shore

7 Staff Spotlights

Catherine Blaha Catherine Blaha, financial administrator for the Department of Geography, has worked at the University of Oklahoma since March 1988. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, Blaha returned to Norman to be near her parents and grandparents. Her three children have all attended OU.

Blaha has worked in the Department of Geography since 1999 and knew she wanted to work for geography even before she sought a position there. “I had heard from friends and other people I

worked with about how wonderful it was in geography,” she said. An OU Superior Staff Award winner, Blaha loves to come to work every day. “Geographers look at the world though a comprehensive, multi-faceted lens,” she said. “I work with smart people who do interesting things.”

Blaha also noted that the faculty, staff and students in the Department of Geography create a “confluence of ideas designed to recognize patterns and solve the problems that are presented to both human and physical geographers.” Blaha loves being in the middle of a group that puts data together in innovative ways to explore new solutions to longstanding global problems.

When asked where she sees herself in five years, she responded, “I will still be learning. I will be helping facilitate the great work we do, and the geography faculty, staff and students five years from now will still be my family.”

Mark Laufersweiler Mark Laufersweiler, coordinator of departmental computing systems for the School of Meteorology, has worked at the University of Oklahoma since June 1999. He attended the University of Kentucky for his undergraduate degree in physics and then proceeded to Penn State University for his master’s and doctoral degrees in meteorology. He first came to Oklahoma for his postdoctoral work, which included a month-long field study for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program.

Laufersweiler decided to work at the OU because he “likes Oklahoma, the people and the landscape,” he said. After working for the School of Meteorology for a few years, he became an adviser for the Oklahoma Weather Laboratory, a student-led program that allows both undergraduate and graduate students to experience and practice forecasting. He has guided OWL to the point where students now have opportunities to forecast

for events in the Norman community and surrounding areas.

Being an adviser has its challenges, Laufersweiler said. He believes it’s important to teach the students how to do the work themselves so that they can mentor future generations of students. While participating in OWL, students must learn leadership and teamwork. Laufersweiler spends a lot of time making sure his students excel at both.

When asked where he sees himself in five years, he responded, “I would like to get into a teaching role again. I would like to teach a computer application course where students can learn important analysis and visualization techniques for meteorological data.”

8 Matthew Kumjian Matthew Kumjian, a second-year meteorology master’s student at the University of Oklahoma, is into storms. In fact, he uses dual-polarization radar to analyze the detailed conditions inside tornadic storms. These detailed conditions, called microphysics, are the physical processes of precipitation, such as snow, rain and hail. Kimjian is researching the interactions of these processes within storms to learn, ultimately, if they have influence on the intensity and evolution of the storm. Kimjian uses the National Severe Storms Laboratory KOUN dual-polarization radar for his research. The KOUN radar transmits both horizontally and vertically polarized radio wave pulses, which provides a more diverse

selection of data. The KOUN radar also makes it possible to distinguish clutter from radar data. For example, KOUN can show the difference between birds, bugs, ground clutter and the actual precipitation scientists want to observe such as rain and hail. Studying the microphysics of tornadic storms has the potential to assist forecasting operations in the future. For example, there is a chance to discriminate between storms that produce tornadoes, or supercells, and those that cannot. Another important benefit of studying microphyiscs is improvement of storm models, represented by computerized mathematical equations used to simulate and predict real weather events and processes. Kimjian feels his experience at the School of Meteorology, located on OU’s Research Campus in the National Weather Center, has been special. “I have the opportunity to work in a facility that houses operational meteorologists, research scientists and faculty who are an endless source of knowledge,” Kumjian said. “As a student, you can interactions here that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.”

Student Spotlights

Chie Sakakibara Chie Sakakibara is not your typical student. She’s from Japan, considers Oklahoma her home and travels to Alaska on a regular basis to live with and research the Iñupiat people. Sakakibara is a doctoral student in University of Oklahoma Geography Department whose primary focus is Native American studies. She became fascinated with the topic while watching “Dances With Wolves,” a movie depicting the friendship of a U.S. lieutenant and a Native American tribe. She saw a similarity in the appearance of the Native Americans depicted in the film and the Japanese people. She wondered if they had descended from the same location, found that they both

originally came from northern Asia, and decided to pursue her interest.

The first step Sakakibara took to further her interest was writing to Michael Blake, the screenplay writer of “Dances with Wolves.” She expressed her interests, and Blake suggested she come to the United States and research Native American cultures. This action started her on her path to OU. Sakakibara began her work at OU in 1998 in the Native American Studies Program, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, and she received her master’s degree in art history in 2002. She chose geography for her doctoral degree to further her research under Robert Rundstrom. The focus of Sakakibara’s dissertation is how climate change affects the Iñupiat people’s relationships with animals, especially with bowhead whales in the Arctic. The whale is basis of Iñupiat cultural identity, and climate change has forced the people to retain their emotional kinship with the whale through new alternate means. Sakakibara plans to continue her research and put more emphasis on Native Americans in Oklahoma. She will lecture in the Native American Studies Program in the spring 2008 semester.

9 Alumni Spotlights

James Davis James Davis, who received his bachelor’s degree in geography in 1975 and his master’s degree in public administration in 1979 from the University of Oklahoma, has had many accomplishments with his successful career, thriving personal life and active involvement at OU.

Davis currently is an information technology life cycle management specialist for the chief information officer of defense information systems agency computing services directorate. His career in information technology began in automated data processing at Tinker Air Force Base in 1976. Since that time, he has witnessed information technology become the “fulcrum for global change that rivals the agricultural revolution that occurred many

millennia ago, and the industrial revolution that occurred in the 19th century,” he said.

Davis feels that an OU education prepared him for professional advancement as well as a rich life experience. He met his wife, Connie Smith, while at OU, and has continued to remain active in campus life. It was while he was at OU that he “learned to learn,” he said. He also learned to understand diversity and that life is more than work. He thanks his wife, Marvin Baker (retired geography professor), Richard Nostrand (retired geography professor), and John Snow (current dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences) for their support and generosity in keeping him a part of the university.

Davis credits OU for much of the accomplishments and experiences in his life, but he has truly given back as much or more to the university. Throughout the years, he has served as a member of the Board of Visitors for Geography, as well as a member and former chairman for the former College of Geosciences Board of Visitors. He is a President’s Associate, was the alumni representative at the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences convocation in 2007 and is often involved in projects at the request of Dean Snow and Fred Shelley, chair of the Department of Geography. You may have seen Davis around Norman or campus and not even realized it at the time. In addition to a thriving career and involvement at OU, he is a musician in the rock n’ roll band, Midlife Crysis. His enthusiasm for life and dedication to OU is inspiring to many.

Jenny Sun Jenny Sun is a research scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and lives in Boulder, Colo. Sun received her doctorate in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in 1992. Over the past 15 years, she has made significant contributions to the field of meteorology in the area of data assimilation, especially using radar data to improve the prediction of thunderstorms. Her doctoral work at OU was funded by NCAR, and she has worked there ever since. “I love working on thunderstorm prediction because it still is such an emerging science,” Sun said. “There is such great promise for the future of numerical weather prediction.”

Sun loves the challenge that nature provides an atmospheric scientist, and she loves both the science and art of doing research. “I became more and more humbled after the years of being a scientist,” she said. “I learned that the nature we are studying has a great complexity.”

Sun remembers her doctoral adviser Douglas Lilly and her other mentors fondly. “The professors taught me not only the subject matter in meteorology but also how to be a good scientist. Dr. Lilly's enthusiasm and earnestness in research really affected my career in a positive way. The professors taught me how to be an independent thinker.”

She keeps close tabs on the exciting developments in the college. “I have visited the School of Meteorology several times since my graduation. I pay close attention to what is going on in the School of Meteorology and have had collaborative research with a few professors,” she said. When Sun returns to Boulder, she always remembers how much she misses her colleagues in Norman. “I miss the friendship among the graduate students in the school. Although we were from different cultural backgrounds, the students always treated each other with acceptance, friendliness and respect.”

10 Weather Sphere: a New Brand for the Weather Programs Central to Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma Weather and Climate Programs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Partners in Norman and various private weather companies in Oklahoma have launched the Weather Sphere- a new brand for the collaborative weather partnership centered in Oklahoma.

The brand launch is planned for the annual American Meteorological Annual meeting, held in New Orleans, at the end of January 2008. A reception with a business focus will take place at the Harrah’s Hotel to introduce the Weather Sphere message. The Weather Sphere brand, funded by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, denotes the

collaborative partnership growing in Oklahoma with the shared goal of becoming the international leader in weather education and training, research and development, and operations and services. It brings together more than 35 weather-related university, federal, state and private industry organizations. To achieve leadership in education, research and operations, each organization interacts formally and/or informally with the others to create and sustain mutually beneficial relationships. Coordination activities are centered in Norman, Oklahoma where OU, NOAA and various private-industry organizations are located on the university Research Campus. The Weather Sphere collaborative partnership is expanding to include national and international organizations. www.weathersphere.org

Research Computing Services: The Technologically Inclined RCS provides technology services and support to the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, National Weather Center and other organizations on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus. There currently are two multimedia computer labs available to students, one in Sarkeys Energy Center, the other in the National Weather Center. Please visit the RCS website for detailed information. http://rcs.ou.edu/ If you need technical support, please visit http://support.rcs.ou.edu/

SEC Lab Sarkeys Room 543 M-F 8-5pm 3 Dell PCs, HP DesignJet poster printer, Camcorders and laptops to check out Major Renovation planned by Summer 2008

NWC Lab National Weather Center Room 4803 M-F 8-5pm 7 Dell PCs, HP DesignJet poster printer, Scanner, digital video production, camcorders and laptops to check out

Contributors to the Weather Sphere Project

University -Atmospheric Radar Research Center -Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms -Center for Natural Hazards and Disaster Research -Center for Spatial Analysis -College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences -College of Engineering – Electrical and Computer Engineering -Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies -Department of Geography -NASA Space Grant -Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education

-Oklahoma Climatological Survey -Oklahoma Supercomputing Center for Education & Research - Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative -School of Meteorology

Federal -CIMMS -NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory -NOAA National Weather Service -NOAA Radar Operations Center -NOAA Storm Prediction Center -NOAA Warning Decision Training Branch

Private Industry -Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc.

-Atmospheric Information Systems -Atmospheric Technology Services Company -Basic Commerce Industries, Inc. -Bergey Windpower -Frontier Weather -NanoWeather -Vieux, Inc. -Weather Decision Technologies -WeatherBank, Inc. -Weathernews

State -Oklahoma Climatological Survey -Oklahoma Department of Commerce

Friends -Norman Economic Development Coalition

11 Development Corner

Give a Targeted Gift and Make a Real Difference!

The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, formed on Jan. 1, 2006, has had a productive and successful year in 2007. Both the School of Meteorology and Department of Geography continue to be national leaders, competing well with peer schools for top students and faculty. The goal of the university, shared by its alumni, is to see our academic continue among the elite pro-grams in the world. To achieve this goal, we ask you to consider supporting a specific college and school/department need with a gift of any amount and make a real difference in the lives of current and future students in the OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. Below are examples of the needs at the College and School/Department. Gifts can be targeted to any of the areas below or to an area of your choice.

College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences General Fund -Student travel for professional meetings and field work, research, computing and other laboratories, and awards programs. -Materials for the National Weather Center Library -Publications: Brochures, Newsletters, Student Recruitment Materials -Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Fellowship Fund -Naming opportunities within the National Weather Center, such as courtyards, patios, suites, offices, classrooms and the library -Endowed Scholarships or Fellowships, Faculty Professorships and Faculty Chairs.

For additional opportunities and more details, please see http://ags.ou.edu/donors_college.php

Department of Geography General Fund -Student travel and events -Student Organizations: Geography Club, http://www.geographyclub.org/ Association of Geography Graduate Students -Student Award Programs -Student Research Support -Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Fellowship Fund -Endowed Scholarships or Fellowships, Faculty Professorships and Faculty Chairs

School of Meteorology General Fund -Student travel and awards programs -Classroom computing, field equipment and laboratory instrumentation. -Support for mentoring and tutoring programs -Student Organizations OUSCAMS (OU Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society), http://weather.ou.edu/~ouscams/ Oklahoma Weather Laboratory (OWL), http://weather.ou.edu/owl/ -Mobile Teaching Radar Truck (TUTOR) -MSPM, M.S. in Professional Meteorology Program Fellowships -Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Fellowship Fund -Endowed Scholarships or Fellowships, Faculty Professorships and Faculty Chairs.

For additional opportunities and more details, please visit us at http://ags.ou.edu/donors_college.php

For more information on giving to any of these opportunities, contact:

John Snow, Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, jsnow@ou.edu, (405) 325-3095 Fred Carr, Director of the School of Meteorology, fcarr@ou.edu, (405) 325-6561 Fred Shelley, Chair of the Department of Geography, fshelley@ou.edu, (405) 325-5325 Joanna Robinson, Director of Development, jrobinson@ou.edu, (405) 325-1869

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