ithacation - cornell weatherccams.eas.cornell.edu/newsletters/ith_2013-04.pdf · 2013-04-18 ·...
TRANSCRIPT
[1]
Although Cornell has an excellent
Atmospheric Science program,
broadcast meteorologists here do not
have the means or opportunity to
pursue the journalistic side to their
career. Therefore, our broadcast
meteorologists, including Adam
Epstein and myself, routinely venture
over to Ithaca College to learn the
broadcasting end of the meteorology
field.
Ithaca College has a phenomenal
journalism program within the Park
School of Communications, fully
equipped with several television
studios. One studio is dedicated to
Newswatch 16, a student run news
program. The show airs live on Time
Warner Cable’s channel 16 three
nights a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Sundays. The show includes two
continued on page 4
ITHACATIONSpring 2013 Volume 13, Issue 2
Broadcasting The Weather
On ICTVBy Elisa Raffa ’15
CCAMS OutreachBy Carolyn Entelisano ’13
Inspired by past Education and Outreach Chair Nikki Dulaney
'12 and acting as this year's chair, I decided to organize a CCAMS
science fair at a local middle school. The idea was to host an event
for middle-school aged children where we would demonstrate
hands-on science experiments in an attempt to spark an interest in
the field.
With help from several other CCAMS students, we were able to
design five presentations for the fifth and sixth graders at Spencer
Van Etten Middle School. Groups of five to six students rotated
around the room every ten minutes, visiting each demonstration
and soaking in knowledge about Earth science! The fair went
continued on page 2
Carolina Bieri ’16 and Bonnie Acosta ’16 teaching middle schoolers about the joys of tornadoes. Photo by Sage Hiller.
[2]
CCAMS Outreach, continued from page 1:
incredibly well and both the Cornell students and the middle school
students had a blast.
When the middle-schoolers found a minute or two, we asked them to
visit our giant poster in the middle of the room where they could draw or
write about their favorite weather phenomena or something they learned
from the fair thus far. By the end of the day, we had one crazy, mixed-up
drawing consisting of several tornadoes, lightning all over the place, and
rain flooding every open square inch of the paper.
Current Atmospheric Science students Carolina Bieri and Bonnie
Acosta did an excellent job with their tornado-in-a-bottle experiment! The
kids really seemed to enjoy being able to flip the system and watch the
tornado form (especially with all the farm animals swirling around inside
the bottle). Jeff Sussman and Molly Smith amazed everyone with their
explanation on pressure differences and Roop Singh delivered an awesome
demonstration on how to make fog. Brett Wiley and Aaron Match made a
really impressive presentation on rainbows and scattering and Sage Hiller
had a very cool, and relevant, activity for the kids to complete concerning
their own carbon footprints! A special thanks goes to Aaron for being
especially great with the kids and leading our closing activity; the kids loved
pretending to be photons and trying to make it across the room without
getting "scattered" (tagged) by the atmosphere.
We've already been invited back next year, so juniors -- get on it!!
INSIDE ITHACATION
CCAMS Outreach
By Carolyn EntelisanoPage 1
State of the CCAMS
By Sage Hiller and Joseph LeePage 3
Broadcasting the Weather--ICTV
By Elisa RaffaPage 1
AMS 2013--Musings
By Gaige KerrPage 8
AMS 2013--Soph. Transfer Persp.
By Zach ZambreskiPage 7
Flaws in Meteo. Infrastructure
By Zachary LabePage 10
Interview: Lee Goldberg
By Adam EpsteinPage 5
All clip art images used in this issue obtained from Microsoft Office.
Ithaca Weather Humor
By Gaige KerrPage 11
Ithaca Winter Recap
By Molly SmithPage 12
CCAMS Elections
By Molly SmithPage 13
CCAMS Leaders Field Guide
By Molly SmithPage 14
Molly Smith ’14 and Jeff Sussman
’13 teaching middle schoolers about the joys of
thermal expansion. Photo by Sage
Hiller.
Ithacation edited by Molly Smith.
[3]
State of the CCAMS
By Sage Hiller ’13 and Joseph Lee ’13
As we round out another
productive semester in CCAMS,
it's amazing to look back on the
progress we have made
throughout the past year. So much
effort has been made by our
groups members it is clear that we
have as strong group as ever. We have been working
hard on several projects, including putting the finishing
touches on the long-awaited CCAMS Alumni Booklet
which will hopefully be printed and published by May.
Our Education and Outreach Chair organized an
outstanding middle school outreach event at the
Spencer Van Etten Middle School that we sent nine
students to in order to run it, and that had the after
school program director asking for us to come back
again next semester after it was over. We also had nine
students attend the AMS Meeting down in Austin, TX
this past January -- some of which even had the
opportunity to meet and talk with Louis Uccellini before
he assumed the role of the National Weather Service
director while he was still AMS President. Jeff Sussman
and Joseph Lee, along with other CCAMS alum,
"wow"-ed conference attendees as well with their
research and posters.
Back on campus, believe it or not, our biggest issue
has been keeping the soda fridge in the kitchen fully
stocked. The rest of our initiatives seem to be excelling
nicely. As I write this, our plans are coming together to
have a powerhouse CCAMS Alumni Weekend with a
host of events lined up for attendees, including NECN
Primetime Meteorologist and CCAMS '00 alum Matt
Noyes' return to the Hill, in part to present a lecture to
our group and the wider Cornell/Ithaca community on
the challenges associated with communicating the
weather and its uncertainties. Our efforts on Facebook
with the Cornell Weather page have continued to grow
and translate into a more weather-minded and
situationally aware Cornell campus. We are also
planning to expand our social media outreach to Twitter
this April, along with the production and launch of a
new video promo ad that will hopefully thrust CCAMS
further into the spotlight of becoming student's and
faculty's go-to weather information source on campus.
And lastly, elections are indeed fast approaching for the
2013-2014 academic year, and we look forward to
welcoming in the new Co-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer positions. So, it is with a saddened heart that
we and the rest of the Class of 2013 come to face the
reality of moving on from the Hill and the CCAMS
family we've built up during our four years here.
However, there is a lot going for CCAMS and the
momentum is there to continue carrying us forward to
do great things past our imminent departure -- and if
time has its way, as fleeting as it is, an "imminent" arrival
of the Class of 2017 to Bradfield Hall as well.
Gaige Kerr, Former AMS President Louis Uccellini, Sage Hiller, and Molly Smith at the 2013 AMS Conference.
[4]
ICTV, continued from page 1:
news blocks that cover local and national news, a
weather block, and a sports segment that covers local
sports for both Ithaca College and Cornell University.
The communications majors at Ithaca College put
their all into the show. Several stories are filmed
through the streets of Ithaca and aired as packages
throughout the show, producers and directors work
around the clock to make sure everything is in order,
and anchors practice their stories for hours straight
before air time. However, despite all this, Ithaca
College is missing one important aspect to a news
show: a knowledgeable meteorologist! Ithaca College
does not have an atmospheric science major. Since
Cornell lacks the communications aspect and Ithaca
College needs a meteorologist, the two schools work
together. This is the program that Adam and I have
been a part of all year.
Each week I create a six-day forecast in preparation
for my live broadcast on Tuesday nights. In the
newsroom at Ithaca College, I create the graphics to go
along with my forecast on Photoshop. As annoying as
Photoshop is to work with, the graphics come out
looking very professional. Some general graphics I
always include are regional satellite images, national
and regional temperature maps, and projected surface
analysis maps to explain what will be happening with
the weather “tonight,” “tomorrow morning,” and
“tomorrow afternoon.” After creating my last slides,
the “16 Six-Day” forecast and “Wake Up Weather,” I
go over my slides a few times, practicing my
explanations as to not stumble in front of the camera.
Around 6:30pm I head down the hall to the studio as
we go live at 7pm. The hardest part about the job is
wiring up! In the studio I have to wear an IFB, or an
earpiece through which I can hear time signals from
my producer, and a microphone pack. All these wires
coming out of my pockets make for easy falls if I’m not
careful, but I’ve acquired the reflexes to deal. After two
news blocks, I finally get to put all my preparation to
work. In my three-minute segment, I banter with the
anchors as well as stand in front of the green screen to
present my forecast. At the end of the show, if time
permits, I do a small forecast from the desk called
“Wake Up Weather” that emphasizes the conditions
for the following day.
Working with Ithaca College on Newswatch 16 has
been an incredible experience. Not only have I learned
a lot about the weather by consistently observing and
forecasting the conditions, but I also have learned a
great deal about public speaking. Now, it is so much
easier to clearly explain weather systems to any
audience and that is a skill that will really come in
handy for the journalism industry.
This experience has really blossomed into a passion
for broadcast meteorology. With each show, Good
Morning America seems more and more tangible!
Hopefully one day I’ll make it there!
Elisa Raffa ready to broadcast the weather for ICTV.Photo provided by Elisa Raffa.
[5]
Interview: Lee Goldberg ’94Broadcast Meteorologist
Interview by Adam Epstein ’14
Lee Goldberg graduated from Cornell in 1994. He is a broadcast meteorologist for
WABC Eyewitness News in New York City.
This is the number one rated news show in the
number one market, so Lee can be considered
one of the best in the business.
When did you know you wanted to become a meteorologist?Lee Goldberg.
Photo provided by Adam Epstein
Why did you choose Cornell?
[I] made a visit to Cornell. I saw Bradfield Hall
and the windows from the classroom looking out
towards north campus. I talked to the professors,
knew it was smaller program. I knew I could get a
lot of 1-on-1 interaction with the professors. It had a
good reputation for the meteorology program,
especially grad program, which I didn’t know I
would do at the time. And that was it. It was kind of
an easy sell.
When I was about 12. I loved big snowstorms,
nor’easters. I made a weather station out of milk
cartons and shoeboxes and I knew from then that’s
what I wanted to do.
What was your favorite part about Cornell?
I thought it was just a great mix of people at
Cornell. I just thought it was a wide range of people
with different abilities, backgrounds, and strengths.
It was a great place for a kid from Boston who
thought he knew a lot about the world to really get
an eye opening and find out what the world is really
about.
Favorite meteorology professor?
I’d have to say a tie between Colucci and
Wysocki, to be politically correct. continued on page 6
[6]
Favorite bar at Cornell?
(Chuckles) I guess I’d have to say Ruloff ’s.
What was the most memorable event you forecasted for?
In Syracuse, it was the blizzard of ‘93. In New
York, hands down, Hurricane Sandy. The blizzard
of ‘93 is the storm that got me to New York.
continued from page 5 What was you first meteorology job?
WSTM in Syracuse. This started my broadcast
career. They actually hired me during my junior
year in college. They were using me to fill some
holes. Once I graduated, I received a full time offer
from WTVH down the street.
What is the best part about your job?
Wow, best part about my job, I guess if you pick
your favorite interest in life, outside of family, and
you get to tell millions of people about it everyday, I
don’t know what can be more gratifying. Work is
work, but my job description is to tell people about
the weather everyday. I’ve been doing it since I was
a kid. It’s not hard to put in all the work time
because it’s just so fun. It’s also great that it’s a
mystery and puzzle everyday. You could spend a lot
of time figuring out a detail, even on a slow day, and
really dive into the meteorology.
Do you have any advice for young Cornellian meteorologists?
Spend a lot of time in the map room.
What do you mean by map room?
My map room was having informal forecast
discussions after class, catching the professors before
they leave. Spend extra time on the 11th floor. Don’t
just spend class time on the 11th floor. Spend as
much time as you can in there. Have a lot of
interactions with the professors. They’ve been there
a long time. Their insights are incredibly valuable. It
will make the difference between knowing your craft
and mastering your craft. When it comes to the
working world and getting out there, be very, very
aggressive. Never think anything is out of your
reach. The difference for me was that I always put
myself in a position to succeed. You have to force
the issue. There’s too much competition out there.
You have to just be aggressive about it.
Lee Goldberg
forecasting a storm in the Northeast.
Image obtained
from WABC’s website.
[7]
AMS Conference 2013The Sophomore Transfer Perspective
By Zach Zambreski ’14
Deep in the heart of Texas, home to the 2013 AMS
Conference, the fog enshrouding the “end of the tunnel”
finally began to clear. As a sophomore transfer and
current junior in the department at Cornell, I’ve always
been unclear about job opportunities and career paths
outside of the typical broadcast and operational
meteorology tracks. The AMS conference exposed me to
a wide-variety of different private companies looking to
hire undergraduates right out of college during its
signature “career fair”. As a transfer student, I have felt
at times like being two steps behind my class when it
comes to internships and job employment for the future;
however, the career fair helped alleviate these fears. I was
able to visit at least 50 booths sponsored by all the
companies in our field and ask them questions regarding
employment opportunities for students at Cornell. I was
particularly impressed by the collection of companies that
the conference brought in to represent the field of
atmospheric sciences, for it opened up new avenues for
potential career paths in my mind that I would have never
considered. As someone who most likely will work after
graduation, I highly recommend attending the conference
at least once for this reason alone. Although the research
presentations were interesting, though on occasion slightly
tedious, the career fair in itself is definitely worth the
entire 5-day trip-- though for native Texans like myself, it
wasn’t quite the haul as it was for the New England and
West Coast natives in the department!
After obtaining vital caffeine, Roop Singh, Molly Smith, Zach Zambreski, Gaige Kerr, and Zack Labe prepare to hit the conference floor.
[8]
Musings from the AMS 93rd Annual Meeting By Gaige Kerr ’15
The breadth and diversity of topics I was exposed to
in a week at the AMS conference trumps what I could
gain from an entire course at Cornell; many thanks to
the Atmospheric Science department, Cornell, and the
Bartels fund for their role in offsetting some of the costs
associated with attending the conference.
Favorite presenter: How many of you have read
Laura Ingalls Wilder books in primary school? Do you
remember the sixth book, The Long Winter, from her
“Little House on the Prairie” series? AMS presenter and
climatologist Barbara Mayes Boustead presented on her
research to validate Laura’s narrative of a particularly
brutal winter in the 1880s in the Great Plains by using
records from the fledgling National Weather Service (or
the “Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit
of Commerce,” as it was known at the time), logs from
nearby military forts, entries from personal diaries, and
data from computer models.
Favorite undergraduate research: Currently
I’m pursuing a minor in music to complement my
degree in atmospheric sciences; I’ve all but given up
trying to find ways to link my interests in a physical
science and a fine art. Nicole Robertson, a senior I met
from University of Oklahoma, conducted her
undergraduate research on “The Effects of Atmospheric
Conditions on the Singer.” After speaking with
Robertson, I realized that she had not only done
extensive research on the scientific evidence for a
correlation between weather and singing but also had
included historical and anecdotal evidence.
Most importantly, kudos to Joseph and Jeff for
representing Cornell and CCAMS through the research
they presented.
continued on page 9
Zack Labe, Zach Zambreski, Gaige Kerr, and Molly Smith at restaurant Casino El Camino in Austin. Photo by Sage Hiller.
[9]
AMS Musings, continued from page 8
Favorite aspect of Austin: Spending a week in
60˚ weather after a semester in Ithaca and three weeks
of winter break in Wisconsin easily was one of the
highlights of my experiences in Austin. Other than the
weather (isn’t that appropriate for an aspiring
meteorologist?), the restaurants that Austin boasted
were phenomenal. A group of CCAMS members,
myself included, ate with our eyes rather than
stomachs as we ventured to Casino El Camino (as
featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). The bar-b-q
was out of this world and unique to each restaurant,
and the tex-Mex found in restaurants on every block
was flavorful and fresh.
Best networking Experience: At the student
career fair I spoke with a representative from the Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corporation who
encouraged students who were standing before her to
interact with each other. We began to shout out our
home states, and I quickly became paired up with a
fellow Wisconsinite. Nathan, a sophomore at Iowa
State University, grew up and attended school in a
town about fifteen miles from my house. After the
initial “it’s-a-small-world-after-all” feeling had worn
off, we exchanged numbers and have gotten to know
each other.
A supercell thunderstorm produces lightning and a funnel cloud in South Dakota. Photo by Ron Stenz ’12.
[10]
Flaws in the Present Meteorological Community
InfrastructureBy Zachary Labe ’15
The front page of the American Meteorological
Society blog section is a recent entry by J. Marshall
Sheperd (AMS President). The blog details several
concerns across NOAA agencies as budget cuts
continue in addition to a recently announced hiring
freeze. Gaps in data, lack of scientists in the work
force, and decreased research funding may introduce
higher forecast error and therefore greater public
impacts. He writes, “We are accustomed to progress
and innovation, but I fear capabilities will regress
instead, jeopardizing our lives, property, and security.”
Winter 2012-2013 has been characterized by
several high impact weather events some of which were
deemed as a series of computer model failures. They
resulted in many forecast ‘busts’ for areas in the Middle
Atlantic and Northeast. Both high resolution and global
models have had very poor verification values for
numerous major storm systems over the past several
months. Many of these errors have resulted from clear
model initiation errors. As a result this has produced
inaccurate tracks, Quantitative Precipitation
Forecast (QPF) values, and thermal fields.
These particularly poor forecasts have once again
enhanced a continued bashing of the meteorological
community by hobbyists and the general public. While
I understand the frustration in these two parties, it must
be understand that these boundaries exist due to data
availability limitations in the meteorological
community. Also funding continues to be decreased at a
time when atmospheric research continues to reach
new heights. Many of these boundaries are not to be
blamed by meteorologists, but at elected political
officials and corporate leaders.
Parts of the meteorological community continue to
see setbacks. In addition, problems lie in surface and
upper air soundings. There are wide gaping holes
particularly across the northern Pacific, but in general
for most areas over the world's oceans. A key problem
in current atmospheric research is data and sharing it
across different meteorological agencies.
A solution is to establish a more effective means of
sharing and yielding data between global, federal
offices and the private sector, but unfortunately
bureaucratic and corporate ways have once again
prevented full access to science. In conclusion, it is key
not to point fingers at individual meteorologist's busts,
but instead at bureaucratic differences between public
and private sectors which prevent a more fluid
approach to the present infrastructure of the
atmospheric sciences community. The technology and
data is essentially there, but boundaries prevent
scientist’s full access. The system must be fixed. And
perhaps current undergraduates and graduates that will
soon by entering the field with a fresh perspective can
reach this solution.
http://blog.ametsoc.org/
AMS President J. Marshall Sheperd. Image obtained from the University of Georgia’s website.
[11]
60 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Ithaca plant gardens.
50 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Ithaca sunbathe.
40 above zero:
Italian and English cars won’t start.
People in Ithaca drive with the windows down.
32 above zero:
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Cayuga Lake gets thicker.
20 above zero:
Floridians don coats, thermal underwear gloves, wool
hats.
People in Ithaca throw on a North Face shirt
15 above zero:
New York City landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Ithaca visit the Farmers’ Market for the last
time before it gets cold.
Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Ithacans close the windows.
10 below zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Ithaca get out their North Face down jackets.
25 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Ithaca are selling cookies in
Collegetown.
40 below zero:
Washington, D.C. runs out of hot air.
People in Ithaca attend an ice carving contest in the
Commons
100 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Ithacans get upset because they can’t start their
Subarus.
500 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
President Skorton announces that Cornell will open
two hours late.
Ithaca Weather HumorAdapted by Gaige Kerr ’15
[12]
Temperature:
Despite having a few weeks of hellish single digit
temperatures, the winter of 2012-2013 was actually
Ithaca’s 18th warmest of its 113-year record, with an
average temperature of 28.2ºF. For comparison, last
year’s record-breakingly warm winter had an average
temperature of 30.9ºF, while the overall average since
the record began is 25.8ºF.
Precipitation:
It turns out that this was a wet winter for Ithaca too.
The winter of 2012-2013 was the 4th wettest of
Ithaca’s 114-year precipitation record, with an
accumulation of 9.90” over the winter months. For
comparison, last year’s dry winter saw only 5.75”,
while the overall average winter precipitation is 6.46”.
Winter on the Arts Quad. Photo by Roop Singh ’14.
Winter Weather RoundupBy Molly Smith ’14. Data Provided by Keith Eggleston ’82 of the NRCC.
Snowy woods in Ithaca. Photo by Sarah Schlunegger ’14.
[13]
CCAMS Elections
By Molly Smith ’14
CCAMS held elections for the 2013-2014 officers
on April 5, 2013. There were some very competitive
races this year, with four candidates for the two co-
president spots, two candidates for treasurer, and three
candidates for secretary.
The candidates ran a strong campaigns, giving
short speeches outlining their plans for the club, and the
direction they would lead if elected. Some promised to
increase CCAMS social opportunities, with more
intramural sports participation, dinners in Collegetown,
and CCAMS karaoke. Other candidates emphasized a
need for more forecasting opportunities, pledging to
bring in professional meteorologists to present on
different career opportunities.
The new co-presidents for the 2013-2014 year will
be Roop Singh ’14 and Zach Zambreski ’14, after a
close race against fellow rising seniors Molly Smith ’14
and Colin Raymond ’14. Roop and Zach did especially
well in the candidate Q&A session, with creative ideas
for new CCAMS social opportunities.
The 2013-2014 treasurer will be Gaige Kerr ’15,
after a competitive race with John Burchfield ’16. Gaige
outlined a comprehensive plan for using CCAMS dues
more efficiently to help subsidize social events, such as
dinners with the professors in Collegetown.
The 2013-2014 secretary will be Thailynn Munroe
’16, after defeating Elisa Raffa ’15 and Tom Scanlon
’15. Thailynn pledged to focus especially on
fundraising, so that CCAMS has the budget to do more
amazing things.
Congratulations to the winners of the elections, and
good luck next year!
Co-president Elect Roop Singh ’14
Treasurer Elect Gaige Kerr ’15
Secretary ElectThailynn Munroe ’16
Co-president Elect Zach Zambreski ’14
[14]
CCAMS Of!cers
CCAMS Chairs
Co-President Joseph Lee Co-President Sage Hiller Secretary Katelyn Tisch Treasurer Jordan Vartanian
Forecast Chair Ted McHardy
Conference Chair Gaige Kerr
Alumni Chair Zach Labe
Outreach Chair Carolyn Entelisano
Webmaster / Soda FairyJeff Sussman
Apparel Chair Elisa Raffa
Social Chair Noah Grossman
Ithacation Editor Molly Smith
CCAMS Leaders--The Field Guide