Known for its live music scene, Austin came alive with science in January as it hosted the 93rd AMS Annual Meeting.
Known for its live music scene, Austin came alive with science in January as it hosted the 93rd AMS Annual Meeting.
A record crowd of more than 3,300 scientists from academia, government, and private organizations were corralled in Austin, Texas, for the 93rd AMS Annual Meeting in early January. Though ARM outreach personnel did not participate in the exhibit hall this year, the meeting theme “Taking Predictions to the Next Level: Expanding Beyond Today's Weather, Water, and Climate Forecasting and Projections” was reflected by research in nearly two dozen oral and poster sessions that included results from ARM data. These were publicized via ARM social media channels throughout the week.

Wanda Ferrell, ARM Facility Program Director, receives the Cleveland Abbe Award from AMS President Louis Uccellini during the awards banquet on January 9, 2013. (AMS photo)
Wanda Ferrell, ARM Facility Program Director, receives the Cleveland Abbe Award from AMS President Louis Uccellini during the awards banquet on January 9, 2013. (AMS photo)
Sharing research results at the AMS meeting is always a priority, but the biggest ARM highlight this year was for Dr. Wanda Ferrell, ARM Facility Program Director, who was honored with the AMS Cleveland Abbe Award for Distinguished Service to Atmospheric Sciences. By virtue of the award, she joined 28 other new AMS Fellows during an induction ceremony on Sunday afternoon, during which the AMS president and committee leaders shared several notable 2012 society accomplishments:
  • Formal adoption of statements on climate change and freedom of scientific expression
  • Improvement in forecasting: 36-hour forecast was the goal in the 1970s; models predicted Superstorm Sandy nine days before landfall
  • 2,900 submissions to scholarly journals, a new record and continuing trend
  • Reduction from 5 years to 2 years the period of closed access (subscription only) to journals
  • Expedited contributions section in AMS journals for more focused and shorter articles
  • Removal of charges for color figures (huzzah!)
  • Planning for a new Wiki glossary of meteorology, with links to engaging animations.

After presenting the awards on Wednesday evening, AMS President Louis Uccellini closed the evening by lassoing the new president, Dr. J. Marshall from the University of Georgia, for a few closing remarks. In keeping with the meeting theme, Marshall reiterated the need for the society to stay current not only by embracing new science and technology, but also new modes of communicating with the public, including social media channels like Twitter and YouTube.

Next year’s AMS Annual Meeting will be held February 2-6 in Atlanta, Georgia. Information on other upcoming AMS meetings is available here.