LETTER FROM HEADQUARTERS

THE RESOURCE PROVIDED BY AMS STATEMENTS

ave you ever wondered if the AMS has an official the language in the draft Statements throughout the position on open access to data, or geoengi- process. H neering, or whether climate science should be The subject-matter experts who make up the part of the precollege curriculum? Have you ever drafting teams are unsung heroes in my view. They wanted to have a concise summary of the state of invest many hours of volunteer time collaborating the science on drought, or inadvertent weather on—and in some cases arguing over—the text to help modification, or climate change? These and many create the best possible draft Statement for Council other topics are covered in Statements of the AMS, consideration. Since an AMS Statement represents a which provide the official positions of the Society product of the Society as a whole, none of the draft- on a wide variety of topics and issues. You can see ing team members, Council members, or other AMS all the Statements currently in force on the AMS members who have contributed to the Statement are website (there is a link to the Statements page on given recognition as authors. The service provided the home page). by all those who help along the way to a completed AMS Statements are approved by the AMS Council Statement represents an example of the best of self- after a rigorous and tightly prescribed statement cre- less service to our community. If you would like to ation process (if you are curious about that process, it volunteer for the drafting team of a statement, watch is described fully in a guidelines document on the AMS the AMS website for the periodic calls for volunteers. website). That process typically takes eight months I encourage you to review the AMS Statements and involves a team of experts appointed by the currently in force and to take advantage of the Council to create a draft statement that is reviewed at resource they provide as the official voice of the several points in the process and also made available AMS—and the only official voice of the AMS—when to the full AMS membership for a 30-day comment you are discussing issues with colleagues, policymak- period while still in draft stage. All comments are ad- ers, or others. dressed by the drafting team, and revisions are made based on them, before a final draft is provided to the Council for approval. Statements of the Society represent one of the most important duties of the Council, and councilors take it very seriously, investing Keith L. Seitter, CCM large amounts of their time in reviewing and refining Executive Director

PB | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 933 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC THE HIGHLIGHT

ADVICE TO EARLY-CAREER PROFESSIONALS with Matt Milosevich

• Where do you currently work and what is your posi- presenting the weather forecast to our viewers on tion? Currently I work as the morning and noon air, on the radio, online, and through social media meteorologist for WLKY-TV, the CBS affiliate outlets. When severe weather threatens, warning station in Louisville, Kentucky. I have been with my viewers of approaching severe weather is the WLKY since December 2004, when I was hired most important part of my job. Getting outside as the weekend morning meteorologist. Early in of the studio and speaking with local schools 2008, I was promoted to my present position with and organizations about the weather is one of my the station. My daily duties include preparing and favorite job requirements—especially when I get

ON-AIR METEOROLOGY A series of profiles celebrating AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologists and Sealholders

10 Questions with Mike Nelson 7News Chief Meteorologist, KMGH-TV/KZCO-LD, Denver, Colorado

When did you know you wanted to become a meteorologist/broadcaster? I have been a “weather nut” since I was seven years old. I built a backyard weather station while still in elementary school and have kept weather records for almost 50 years. Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, I first watched Tom Skilling on WKOW-TV and then his replacement, Terry Kelly. When I was a freshman in meteorology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, I asked Terry Kelly if I could work for him. He hired me at Weather Central in 1976 and I worked for Terry and Weather Central for the next 10 years.

How has the field changed since you started? When I first started working at Weather Central, we were still doing TV weather with magnets and felt tip markers. I was with Terry Kelly as he developed one of the earliest TV weather computers, using an Apple II home computer! Terry and his team of developers quickly became the lead- ing manufacturer for TV weather graphics. My job in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s was to travel around the country and install TV weather computers. I had the opportunity to train some of the legends of TV weather on their first computer system. The meteorologists I trained include Al Roker, Gary England, Paul Douglas, Harry Wappler, George Winterling, Harry Volkman, Stormy Rottman, Bruce Schwoegler, and Bob Baron, among many others.

What do you think the next “big thing” is in weather reporting? The new apps such as STORM SHIELD are extremely popular. The ability to issue warnings and advisories to a select group of users within a given polygon is not only great for building an audience but also for providing critical information to people in harm’s way. As we continue to develop these apps, we should be able to issue much more personalized weather information to our audience.

How would you define the value of the AMS seal programs? I have served on the AMS Broadcast Board and truly feel that our seal is an important symbol of what we strive to achieve on TV. The CBM program was a good step forward to strengthen the Seal of Approval. I think that we may need to look at ways to make sure that our sealholders are presenting the proper scientific information about climate change.

What’s the biggest weather event you’ve reported on? The historic flooding last September in Colorado certainly ranks among the top weather events I have covered. Others would include the devastating wildfires in the

934 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 935 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC to talk to a young child who is as crazy about the • Do you have any helpful tips for someone going weather as I am. through the job search right now? If you are look- ing for your first job in television, don’t be afraid • How did you find this job? After graduating with to take a job in a small market. Your salary will be a B.S. in meteorology from the University of horrible but the experience you gain will be price- Oklahoma, I spent two years as the morning me- less. I see quite a few people, from summer interns teorologist for KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas. After to recent college grads, who think they are going acquiring my degree and experience in the field, I to get the chief meteorologist job in New York or was in a good position to move up to larger cities Chicago at 22 years old. I hate to burst bubbles, but and television markets. I started my job hunt on that isn’t happening. You have to be willing to put industry websites that post job openings and started in some grunt work first. In smaller markets you sending out my resume and on-air reel for consid- will be allowed to do more things and learn the eration. Shortly after, I was contacted, interviewed, ins and outs of the business. While I would love and hired by WLKY and the rest has been history. to say that your education is the most important

Colorado Springs area in 2012 and 2013, several three- to four-foot blizzards, and the EF-3 tornado that hit very close to the Denver area in 2008.

How do you deal with criticism over forecasts that don’t pan out? You develop a thicker skin and a more self-deprecating sense of humor about busted forecasts over the years. I explain what happened, make no excuses, but also tell my audience that I hope the change in the weather did not impact their plans too much. I also have developed some “signatures” within Outlook that enable me to quickly and calmly respond to the various “nasty- grams” that may come in from e-mail.

What weather myths do you hear the most? Most of the myths now deal with misinformation about climate change. When we have a regional weather event such as this winter’s cold in the eastern half of the country, I hear from the various skeptics who try to claim that global warming is all a myth or a scam. I like to explain the differ- ence between weather and climate. One analogy that I have found useful is “weather is one play in a football game, climate is the history of the NFL.”

What is most important as you prepare for this job? One of the most important things we need to remem- ber is that “people watch people.” Even after 60 years and all the technological advances, it still comes down to the viewer deciding to invite us into their living room. In that light, we all need to try to develop a reason for people to choose to watch our weather. It might be that you visited their child’s school or emceed a charity dinner. You might have stopped and said hello to them at the shopping mall or answered that e-mail to help on a school project. We must develop a personal connection with our audience.

What are the biggest meteorological challenges on your job? In Colorado, we have so many micro- climates and the terrain determines just about everything. We often can have severe thunderstorms and tornadoes on the plains, while a blizzard rages just a hundred miles to the west. The great variety is one of the reasons we have so many meteorologists living and working at NCAR and NOAA—we all love the crazy Colorado climate!

What has been your proudest moment on-air? On July 4, 2009—30 years to the day after I made my TV weather debut—my son, Anders, made his! He also was working along the Front Range of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and there were a few times that we were both on TV doing the weather at the same time. We called it “The Full-Nelson Forecast.”

Mike Nelson is the 7News chief meteorologist at KMGH-TV/KZCO-LD in Denver, Colorado. He became an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) in 2005. For more information on the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Program, go to www.ametsoc.org/amscert/index.html#cbm.

934 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 935 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC thing in a broadcasting job search, it usually isn’t. professional will never be frowned upon. If you still Some stations put a higher priority on education have questions about what to wear, check out the than others, but that is the exception more than bios of current employees on the station website. the rule. What news directors want Okay, I’m ready to talk about some- to see is someone with knowledge, thing other than clothes and makeup. personality, and most importantly, How about money? Don’t expect much a great on-air reel. Will your reel be for job-one. Many small markets pay deleted in five seconds? Or will it around $20,000 a year. I would suggest be watched in its entirety? Put your not haggling too much for extra money reel in front of people who will tell either. Even if you are being lowballed you the truth before you apply for by 20%, we are still only talking $24,000 job openings. If you have sent out a year and you are still eating Ramen 15 tapes with no responses, start noodles and tuna. As you progress in critiquing your reel and see if you your career, interviews will be based can add better material. Also, make more off of your history and experi- sure you are applying for jobs that ence—you’ll also be able to make a fit your experience. Again, a top Matt Milosevich more reasonable living financially. market job usually isn’t coming your way right off the bat. • To get to this point in your career, what role did mentors and advisors play? A fantastic teaching • What is the interview process like? The difference assistant my first semester in college who had faith between your early-career interviews and your in me; a friend who was a genius at dynamics and later-career interviews are like night and day. Early wasn’t afraid to teach me; a boss during my intern- in your career, especially for your first job, you will ship who made sure I had a good on-air reel; and try and sell your boss solely on your character and some of the best reporters, anchors, and meteorolo- potential. You will likely have nothing more than gists in the business have gotten me to this point in a few forecasts on a reel that you will look back my career. The support of family members after a on in a few years and laugh at. My first on-air reel tough day or to build up your confidence after it still exists, but thankfully it is on VHS tape and it takes a hit or two is also invaluable. While I can’t is locked away in storage. Be prepared to audition, name just one or two mentors or advisors that I rou- and guys, especially, bring makeup—at the very tinely look to for advice, it’s impossible to assign a least, some powder to take away the shine off your value to the people I have been lucky enough to sur- noses. If needed, ask a woman in your life for help round myself with over the last decade and a half. with this. It’s the least favorite and manly part of the job, but it’s required. Also, wear a white shirt, • Is there anything you would have done differently dark suit, and a conservative tie. I’m less educated in college knowing what you know now about your on women’s attire, but solid colors and [looking] job? I love what I do and where I am, so this is a

AWARDS

The following students were the student winners at the Fifth Conference on Weather, Climate, and the New Energy Economy that took place at the AMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

Best Poster: Andrew Van de Guchte, Valparaiso University, “Effect of Rotational Moisture Advection on Equatorial Superrotation and the MJO in Aquaplanet SPCAM3” Best Oral Presentation: Nicholas Smith, Texas Tech University, “Ensemble Sensitivity Analysis of Wind Ramps”

Commendable Oral Presentation: Jesse Steinweg-Wood, Texas A&M University, “Wind Resource Assessment Utilizing Time-Averaged Community Earth System Model Data” Commendable Oral Presentation: Lawrence Gloeckler, SUNY, “Leveraging the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Equatorial Rossby Waves to Improve Probabilistic Temperature Forecasts.”

936 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 937 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC tough question to answer. While I’ve been for- • How do you feel the field has changed? In the 10 tunate to remain employed through the recent years I’ve been a broadcast meteorologist, I’ve recession, I think we’ve all seen and many have seen analog signals go digital, standard defini- experienced how tough the job market is. Even tion to high definition, 4x3 to 16x9, single pol to in good economic times, it’s rare in the field of dual pol, county warnings to polygonal warnings, meteorology to say, “I want to work in this city and a huge jump in online viewing. That’s just for and for this amount of money.” Many—including starters. Viewers have more sources than ever to myself—have moved well away from their home- get weather information, and you have to have all towns in pursuit of career success. Since jobs in of them covered. Ten years ago, there was no Face- meteorology are limited from the get-go, looking book, Twitter, or smartphones. Ten years from now back with a chance to do it all over again, I would there will likely be a whole new slew of technologi- have pursued a master’s degree. I feel a master’s cal advances that haven’t even been thought up yet. degree opens up doors to a larger number of job It keeps you on your toes and keeps you learning. opportunities within the field. So, if you are dead- set on earning a living as a meteorologist, I think • What do you want to be doing in five years and why? it would be a good idea to set your sights beyond I would like to get out into the weather more often a bachelor’s degree. and bring it to my viewers, not just the forecast from the studio. The most disappointing aspect • Who do you seek out advice from and why? To of my job is to be in a windowless studio during whom do you routinely provide advice, if anyone? a severe-weather event for 15 hours, only to come The majority of the advice I seek out comes from outside and find it looks just like it did when you my coworkers and fellow meteorologists. Within walked in before the storm. Not that I wish severe my current place of employment, we have a diverse weather on my fair city, but I would like to see a group of often outspoken individuals, who have few lightning strikes and dark skies more often. If yet to steer me in the wrong direction—from my I can grab a camera and get that on-air to my view- chief meteorologist, who continually tries to seek ers, then it’s a win-win. Also, I want to continue out a better way to be dead-on accurate in the daily to grow our current online weather content, since forecast, to a recent college graduate who I try to online viewership across the industry is growing keep up with on the latest technology. I also listen exponentially. We are in the infancy of online to our viewers; they are after all my customers television viewing, and it will be an interesting and can be very frank with their opinions. As for learning process over the next several years. Also, me, I will give my advice and opinions to anyone I want to continue to educate people about weather who will listen. But it’s interns and the occasional safety. In recent years, I feel we are losing far too job shadow that I enjoy teaching and advising the many lives during severe-weather events. I believe most. While I get to share my experiences with that education, preparedness, and knowing when them, they in turn let me learn about what will to take action are all things that can be improved inevitably be the ideas of my future coworkers. upon.

ABOUT OUR MEMBERS

George A. Isaac retired after 42 years of service as a applications in the field of aircraft icing. In 2008, he senior scientist at Cloud Physics and Severe Weather received the Patterson Distinguished Service Medal Research at Environment Canada. He is an adjunct of the Meteorological Service of Canada. professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sci- His research specialties include nowcasting, ence Engineering at York University in Toronto. aircraft icing, cloud parameterization in numerical Isaac received his B.Sc. and Ph.D., both in meteo- models, aerosol/cloud interactions, clouds and cli- rology, from McGill University. He has received a se- mate, and general cloud microphysics topics. He has ries of awards from Environment Canada, Transport published more than 120 papers in refereed journals Canada, and NASA in recognition of national and and more than 135 conference reports. Isaac was international leadership in advancing knowledge and elected a Fellow of AMS in 2011.

936 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 937 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC POLICY PROGRAM NOTES

Weather, Climate, and the Federal Budget: What Proposals from President Obama and Chairman Ryan Might Mean to the AMS Community

he federal budget is an enormously important overall spending levels for 2014 and 2015 but left se- policy instrument because it determines what re- questration in place for FY 2016 and beyond unless a T sources will be available for particular programs new agreement can be reached on revenue increases and initiatives. Budget proposals, which are an early and spending cuts. step in the budget process, also clarify the priorities Against this background, President Obama of- of the policymakers who develop them and often help fered his FY 2015 budget request. The president’s reveal competing visions for the country. request has two components. The first component Non-defense discretionary (NDD) spending, acknowledges and works within the budget guidelines which makes up about 17% of total federal expen- specified by the BBA. Within those guidelines, fund- ditures, is the critical part of the budget for the ing levels for weather and climate science and ser- observations, science, and services that relate to vices—particularly investments in NSF, NASA, and weather and climate. NDD spending includes all NOAA—increase modestly relative to 2013 and 2014. the funding for the science and mission agencies As a result, the president’s request includes higher involved in weather and climate, like the National levels of investment in observations, science, and Science Foundation (NSF), NOAA, NASA, the De- services relating to weather and climate than would partment of Energy (DoE), and the U.S. Geological have been possible under sequestration. However, the Survey (USGS). NDD spending also goes toward President’s requested investments are smaller rela- education, veteran’s affairs, housing, agriculture, tive to the peak funding levels of the recent past. It’s transportation, the National Institutes of Health, hard to see how the President could request more for homeland security, and international aid efforts, weather and climate given the constraints of the BCA among other programs. and the BBA and the competing claims on the NDD Adjusted for inflation, NDD spending peaked in portion of the budget from biomedical research, edu- FY 2010 and then started to decline in 2011, most cation, homeland security, international diplomacy, notably with The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. and other government services. With the BCA, Congress shifted focus away from In addition to this BBA-consistent component of promoting economic recovery and toward reducing the request, the president also asks Congress to pro- the federal deficit. vide an additional $56 billion in funding for his “Op- The BCA established caps on federal spending portunity, Growth, and Security Initiative.” Of the through 2021. Under these caps, NDD is set to fall to $56 billion, $5.3 billion is specifically designated for its lowest level on record, relative to Gross Domestic research and development. The additional spending Product (GDP), by 2017. On top of those spending called for in the president’s initiative would be paid caps, BCA mandated additional automatic spending for through offsetting spending decreases in manda- cuts to both defense and NDD spending (known as tory programs (i.e., non-discretionary programs such “sequestration”) in the event that Congress failed as Medicaid, Medicare, and social security) and ad- to agree to a more comprehensive deficit reduction ditional revenue generation (i.e., new fees, taxes, and plan. These sequestration cuts represent an additional the closing of tax loopholes). reduction to NDD of about 6%. The additional spending request indicates that the Sequestration took hold in 2013 after Congress president believes spending levels agreed to by the failed to reach agreement on a package of revenue House and Senate negotiators and enacted through increases and spending cuts. Subsequently, members the BPA are too low. This view is supported by eco- of the House and Senate negotiated a narrow agree- nomic analysis and evidence, which strongly suggests ment to partially scale back the sequestration cuts that recent decreases in federal spending have weak- for FY 2014 and FY 2015. The resulting bill, called ened the nation’s economic recovery. However, even the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013, specified with this additional request, funding levels for NDD

938 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 939 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC would be about 7% below FY 2010 levels, assuming The Ryan budget reflects a preference for higher a rate of inflation of 1.8% per year. Therefore, the levels of defense spending, lower rates of taxation additional funds the president has requested likely on corporations and the wealthy, and a smaller role remain below the levels needed to overcome the na- for the federal government outside of defense, most tion’s persisting economic weakness. notably in public assistance programs and providing Chairman Ryan’s budget proposal differs sharply a social safety net. with the president’s request. The Ryan budget would It is hard to see how investments in observations, cut NDD by $791 billion below full sequestration lev- science, and services could fare well under the Ryan els over the next 10 years. By 2024, funding for NDD budget given the competing claims on a significantly programs would be 22% below the levels called for by smaller NDD budget. Investments in weather and the BCA with full sequestration and more than 30% climate do not always come across to policymakers below the peak funding levels of 2010, adjusting for as being as critical as programs focused on education, inflation. Chairman Ryan’s budget would increase public health, or homeland security, among others. defense spending, relative to sequestration, by $483 Therefore, having the resources to invest in weather billion through 2024. The Ryan budget would also and climate likely depends on ensuring robust fund- cut the top tax rate for corporations and individuals ing for non-defense discretionary spending. to 25% from its current level of 39%. —Paul Higgins, AMS Policy Program Director

OBITUARIES

wen Reid Cote, 82, passed away at his home in of wheat-farming country in the southwest corner of Winchester, Massachusetts, on 3 January 2014. Kansas. Those pioneering experiments yielded measure- O Cote was born in Buffalo, New York, and in his ments of the turbulent fluxes of heat and momentum at youth lived in Lexington, Cambridge, and Belmont, three levels above the surface, mean profiles of wind and Massachusetts. He was the president of his graduating temperature to 32 meters, surface stress from drag plates, class at Belmont High School in 1948 and was a mem- and records of the turbulent fluctuations of temperature ber of the school’s hockey and and the three components of wind at frequencies up to OWEN REID baseball teams. He then attended the inertial subrange. COTE Dartmouth College, where he Over the next several years, Owen collaborated 1932–2014 also played hockey. After gradu- with his colleagues in the Boundary Layer Branch in ating from Dartmouth in 1953, analyzing and interpreting these Kansas data, and in he joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Naval authoring numerous journal papers and conference Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he presentations on their findings. One of the widely cited studied meteorology. He later served as a meteorologist papers he coauthored used the data to carry out the at naval air stations in Morocco and Crete and partici- first complete analyses of the equations for the main- pated in the U.N. airlift during the 1956 Suez crisis. tenance of the turbulence kinetic energy, shear stress, After his decommissioning from the U.S. Navy and heat flux in the atmospheric surface layer. The in 1958, Owen earned an M.S. in mathematics at the Kansas publications of the AFCRL group also include Massachusetts Institute of Technology and met and detailed analyses of the mean profiles of temperature married Ann Fulton. He then joined the Geophysics and wind and the nature of the spectra of wind and Corporation of America in Bedford, Massachusetts, temperature fluctuations at frequencies extending to where he did research supported by the Department of the inertial subrange. These papers are still read and Defense, NASA, and the Atomic Energy Commission. cited by students, educators, and researchers in turbu- In the spring of 1968, Cote moved to a new position lence and in boundary layer meteorology. in the Boundary Layer Branch of the Meteorology Labo- After the Boundary Layer Branch of the Meteorol- ratory of the Air Force Cambridge ogy Laboratory was dissolved Research Laboratories (AFCRL) in IN MEMORIAM in an AFCRL reorganization Bedford. In that first summer, he in the late 1970s, Cote was em- JIM REIF participated in their field program 1953–2014 ployed in the European Office of at a perfectly uniform, flat portion Aerospace Research and Defense

938 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 939 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC in London. There he managed projects involving setts; Mark of Blacksburg, Virginia; Suzanne Cote refractive-index turbulence and clear-air turbulence Curtiss of West Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Peter in the free atmosphere. of Wakefield, Massachusetts; and by his brother, Owen is survived by his wife, Ann of Winchester; W. Peter Jr. of Natick, Massachusetts, and his sister, his children, Owen Jr. of Charlestown, Massachu- Beverly Kincaid of Topsfield, Massachusetts.

SCIENCE FAIRS

64TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Phoenix, Arizona, 13–17 May 2013

n 16 May 2013, the AMS presented awards to eight high school students participating in the O 64th International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona. These awards, ranging from $500 to $2,000, recognized outstanding student work in atmospheric science-related projects. The Society for Science and the Public’s ISEF (spon- sored by Intel) is the pinnacle event in a yearlong process of local, regional, state, and national science fairs. More than 1,600 students from the United States, its territo- ries, and over 75 additional countries participated in the event held at the Phoenix Convention Center. The AMS was among 62 professional, industrial, educational, and governmental organizations providing judges to administer special awards at the ISEF. The AMS First Place: Casey Richard Densmore, Musselman judging team included Heidi Schiano and Ian Bergstrom, High School, Inwood, West Virginia, “Analysis of the both of the 25th Operational Weather Squadron, Davis- Impacts of Straight-Line Winds on the Structure and Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; and Charles Holliday, Stability of a Tornadic Vortex.” Air Force Weather Agency, Offutt Air Force Base. The ISEF includes 17 disciplinary categories rang- at the ISEF, those related to atmospheric sciences ing from animal sciences to environmental manage- represented a little over 1% of the exhibits. ment. Often, AMS award winners come from the core The level of sophistication in candidate projects at Earth sciences category. However, AMS judges may ISEF is quite high. The majority of the students receive find atmospheric-related projects in other categories, guidance from professional scientists as well as use of such as mathematics, computer science, physics and selected datasets and facilities at federal institutions astronomy, engineering, and environmental sciences, and universities. The AMS judging team must sort out as well as energy and transportation. This year’s top how much the student participated in the design of the winner, Casey Densmore, was a competitor in the experiment and in the data analysis. The final, critical Earth science category. step in the judging process is the multiple student Exhibits in the AMS competition this year featured interviews, which give the individual judges the op- research in anthropogenic effects on local ecosystems, portunity to determine the degree of each student’s vortex modeling, climate variation and prediction, knowledge, technical skill, and creative ability. severe storm analysis, animal behavior effects, and The Society awards monetary recognition to the atmospheric pollution. Projects also encompassed top three winners. All winners receive certificates other subjects, such as wind energy and solar vari- of achievement. In addition, the society provides ability. Of the nearly 1,300 total individual projects each student a one-year membership and subscrip-

940 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 941 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC tion to either the Third-Place Award: Zoe Pierce Buccella, 17, home Bulletin or Weath- schooled, Barnesville, Ohio, secured the AMS third- erwise magazine. place award of $500. Her project was titled “Effects Each student also of Meteorological Conditions on the Avian Paratym- receives an AMS panic Organ: An Ethological Analysis.” Journal/Bulletin Archive DVD for Honorable Men- the previous year. tion Winners: For widespread Yu-Sy Lin, 17, recognition, all and I-Tzu Chen, ISEF participants 18, Taipei Mu- with projects relat- nicipal Chien- ed to AMS inter- Kuo Senior High ests receive lapel School, Taipei, pins and informa- Chinese Taipei, Second Place: Breanne Mattea Williams, South Sumter High tion brochures. for their project School, Bushnell, Florida, “A “Causes of Off- Subtropical Study of Mine-Drilled First-Place Award: shore Rain Bands Lakes and Their Effects on Evapo- Casey Richard along the North- ration and Evapotranspiration.” Densmore, 15, eastern Coast of Musselman High Taiwan”; Natalie School, Inwood, Rose Gallagher, Third Place: Zoe Pierce Buccella, West Virginia, received the AMS special award of 15, and Connor home schooled, Barnesville, Ohio, $2,000 for the best atmospheric exhibit at the ISEF. Burke Lydon, 16, “Effects of Meteorological Condi- His project was titled “Analysis of the Impacts of San Lorenzo Val- tions on the Avian Paratympanic Straight-Line Winds on the Structure and Stability ley High School, Organ: An Ethological Analysis.” of a Tornadic Vortex.” Felton, California, for their project, “The Secrets of San Lorenzo Valley’s Second-Place Award: Breanne Mattea Williams, 18, Atmosphere”; and Kayla Jane Thompson, 14, Bonn- South Sumter High School, Bushnell, Florida, garnered eville High School, Washington Terrace, Utah, for

the AMS second-place award of $1,000 for her project, her project, “Effects of Increased CO2 and Pollution- “A Subtropical Study of Mine-Drilled Lakes and Their Based Particles on Glacier Ice Melt.” Effects on Evaporation and Evapotranspiration.” —Charles Holliday

2013 Science Fairs

The AMS awards Certificates of Outstanding Achievement to student exhibitors for creative scientific endeavor in the areas of atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences at regional and state fairs affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Listed below are AMS award winners from the 2013 fairs.

ALABAMA Matthew Gautreaux, Pope John Paul II Catholic High ALABAMA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR School, ‘Protecting New Orleans” Deanna Abrams, Alabama School of Fine Arts, “A Dynamical-Systems Analysis of the Monodisperse ALASKA Aerosol Coagulation Model” Abigail Smith, Pope John Paul II Catholic High SOUTHEAST ALASKA REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR School, “Quantitative Assessment of Cool Roofs” Charles McAndrews, Thunder Mountain High Jonathan Oliver, Wetumpka High School, “Pollution School, “How the Different Types of Water Affect and Depth of Water” Its Freezing Point”

940 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 941 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC ARIZONA Megan Mckibbon, Center High School, “Hurricane House: The Mathematics of Tensile, Bending, YOUTH ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE FAIR Facturing, and Yielding on the Composition of Hailee Carrasco, Pearce Elementary School, “Cloud- a Steel Bar” in’ Bottle” William Dye-McMullan, Buena High School, “Quick- CONNECTICUT sand Climate Control” CONNECTICUT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR— ARKANSAS LIFE SCIENCES NORTHWEST ARKANSAS REGIONAL SCIENCE AND Elaine Lynders, Our Lady of Mercy School, “Sa- ENGINEERING FAIR linity Study Before and After a Salt Marsh Restoration” Peyton E. Wagner, Alma High School, “Project Cole Simons, Our Lady of Mercy School, “Tsunamis: Downburst” The Effects of Water Depth and Sea Floor Varia- Makenzie Bradshaw, Bergman Middle School, “Hot tion on Wave Velocity” Spots” CONNECTICUT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR— CALIFORNIA PHYSICAL SCIENCES MONTEREY COUNTY SCIENCE FAIR Aaron Dang and Kofi Ansong, Classical Magnet Art Tiongson and Finn Barry, International School School, “Meltdown” of Monterey, “Acid Waves: How Carbon Dioxide Affects Shells” DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

RIMS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR DC SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND Thomas Bianco, Xavier College Preparatory, “Moni- MATHEMATICS FAIR toring Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances” Albani Bonillo, Hardy Middle School, “Ocean Blake Bergstrom, Martin Luther King High School, Currents” “Visual and Photometric Classification of a Sample of Low to Intermediate Redshift” FLORIDA BIG SPRINGS REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR COLORADO Clay French, Belleview High School, “How Does COLORADO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Humidity and Location Affect a Sextant?” Connor Zitzman, The Classical Academy, “F5 Live” Zach Mayfield, St. John’s Lutheran School, “Ocean Ryan Davis and David Rush, Arriba-Flagler School, Acidification: Effect of Crude Oil on Seashell “Hot Headed” Mass” Angela Cole, Wildwood Middle High School, “I’ve CORDEN PHARMA COLORADO REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR Got Sunshine!” So-Yun Kim, Fairview High School, “Influence of Kathryn Dougherty, The Villages Charter High Wildfires on Surface Ozone in Colorado” School, “Use Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to Measure Coronal Mass Ejection” DENVER METRO REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGI- NEERING FAIR INDIAN RIVER REGIONAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING Cameron Summers, Cherry Creek High School, Barrett Jelli, Vero Beach High School, “ Gone with “Harnessing the Energy of the Ocean” the Wind” Daniel Bor, Cherry Creek High School, “Removing Kimberley Toperzer, Sebastian River High School, Carbon Dioxide from the Air” “Soaring”

SAN LUS VALLEY REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR LAKE REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Brisha Wakasugi, Alamosa High School, “The Min- Neil Poonai, Reinan Mortiz, Lake Minneola High nie Lynch: A Comparative Study in the Effects of School, and Jason Pelletier, East Ridge High Parent Material on Water Quality in Ephemera” School, “The Hydrogen Project”

942 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 943 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC PASCO REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR ROCKDALE REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- David Gamero, Academy at the Lakes, “Brain Brace” ING FAIR Raj Warman, Academy at the Lakes, “How Does Jordan Dobson, Rockdale Magnet School for Science Changing the Real and Imaginary Perturbation and Technology, “Detection of Environmental Affect the Mandlebrot Fractal?” Damage by Fuel Cell Output Water”

SARASOTA REGIONAL SCIENCE ENGINEERING AND ILLINOIS TECHNOLOGY FAIR CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT SCIENCE FAIR Dylan Seem, Sarasota High School, “Determining Op- Melissa Yuen, Walt Disney Magnet Elementary timal Relative Humidity and Condensation Volume School, “Factors in Impact Cratering” for Electricity Build-up on Metal Surfaces Due to Bushraa Shamshuddin, Lane Technical High School, Spontaneous Water Self-Ionization and Absorption” “The Effect of SODIS on Turbid Waters”

SEMINOLE COUNTY REGIONAL SCIENCE, MATH AND HEART OF ILLINOIS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ENGINEERING FAIR FAIR Robert Bagwell, Crooms AOIT, “Acid Rain” Kaylee Ragon, Parkview Junior High, “Rayleigh ‘N’ STATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR OF FLORIDA Love” Kristina M. Thoren, American Heritage School, “An ILLINOIS JUNIOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FAIR Improved Novel Method for Measuring Atmo- Aliza Malyani, Niles North High School, “The use of spheric Haze and Its Use in Identifying Areas of the ptvD Gene to Oxidize Phosphite in Modified Higher Air Contamination” E. Coli for Water Purification” Jonathan P. Sepulveda, Sanford Middle School, Rachel Sison, Niles West High School, “Effect of “Precipitation and Temperature Trends in Florida Temperature Variations on Painted Lady Butterfly Reveal Regional Climate Changes” Growth and Development” SUMTER COUNTY REGIONAL FAIR INDIANA Angela Cole, Wildwood Middle High School, “I’ve Got Sunshine” LAFAYETTE REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Kathryn Dougherty, The Villages Charter School, FAIR “Use Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to Mea- Neal Mahajan, West Lafayette Junior High School, sure Coronal Mass Ejection” “Can Solar Disinfection be used to Purify Surface Water?” GEORGIA NORTHEAST INDIANA REGIONAL SCIENCE AND CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR ENGINEERING FAIR Charlotte Hagedorn, Summit Middle School, “Hot Courtlyn Edwards, Aiken Elementary School, “Mak- Air Rises” ing Waves” Alexandra Bayes, Saint Charles Borromeo School, “Which Alternative Energy Source is Better for GEORGIA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Fort Wayne, Wind or Sun?” Carlan Ivey, Rockdale Magnet School, “Solar En- ergetic Particle Effects on Atmospheric Ozone NORTHEASTERN INDIANA TRI-STATE REGIONAL Pressures” SCIENCE FAIR Di Qi, Americus-Sumter County High School, “Ex- Mallorie Grace Gallison, Prairie Heights Middle amining the Relationship between Air Quality School, “Forces of Nature” and Lichen Groth” NORTHERN INDIANA REGIONAL SCIENCE AND GWINNETT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR ENGINEERING FAIR Yong Lee and Joshua Neely, Mill Creek High School, Lauren Salela, St Pius X School, “How Do Waves Ef- “Hands on Plastic: Recycling Alternatives” fect Our Shoreline?”

942 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 943 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC Kevin Latimer, Penn High School, “Designing a MINNESOTA Continuously Variable Transmission Vertical Axis DAVID F. GRETHER CENTRAL MINNESOTA REGIONAL Wind Turbine” SCIENCE FAIR IOWA Jouman Hamade, Al-Amal School, “Warming and Cooling Patterns in Sand, Water and Gravel” EASTERN IOWA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Taylor Fondie, Blaine High School, “SPF Effect on Melat Gebremariam and Narayani Thijm, Maharishi UV Rays” SAE, “What is the Greenhouse Effect and How Does It Work?” SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA/WESTERN WISCON- Alison Dickinson, Van Buren Comm High School, SIN REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR “The Effects of Acid Rain and Climate Change Paige Weymiller, La Crescent Middle School, “Ther- on Eisenia foetida” mal Pollution=Fishy Heat” Nick Beranek, Cotter Junior High, “Mississippi Wing LOUISIANA Dams”

Rainbow Ackerman, Rosepine Jr. High School, “Wow, MISSISSIPPI What’s That over There?” Cole Fleming, Lacassine Junior High School, REGION V MISSISSIPPI SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR “Tornadoes” Tyhendron Wilson, Reed Resource Center, “The Pol- lution Threats to the Purity of H2O” MARYLAND Aaron Manor, Southeast Lauderdale Middle School, “Acid Rain: The Plant Killer or Not?” BALTIMORE SCIENCE FAIR: Andreas Seas, Centennial High School, “Measuring MISSOURI Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide with a Miniaturized Laser Heterodyne Radiometer” GREATER KANSAS CITY SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- Benjamin Eapen, Long Reach High School, “Bend It ING FAIR Like Snell” Mystika Gates, Santa Fe Middle School, “Would a Series of Thermobaric Explosion Disrupt the CHARLES COUNTY SCIENCE FAIR Circulation Enough to Drop a Hurricanes Saf- Katie Polk, North Point High School, “The Effects of fir–Simpson Hurricane Scale?” Space Weather on GPS Accuracy” Kathryn Dix, Olathe North High School, “Correlation John Radtke, North Point High School, “The Effect of between El Nino, La Nina and Droughts” Varying Weather Prediction Methods on Forecast Accuracy” MASTODON FAIR Shelby and Taylor Stevens, Ridgewood Middle School, FREDERICK COUNTY SECONDARY SCIENCE AND “Tornado Warning” ENGINEERING FAIR Austin Sitz, Crystal City Elementary School, “Turbine Robin Wivell, Catoctin High School, “Correlation Blades” Study of Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Net Primary Productivity North of 42° North Latitude” SOUTHEAST MISSOURI REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR Meagan Parker, and Danielle Helderman, Delta High MASSACHUSETTS School, “What Would You Want to Breathe?” Zachary Vogel, Saxony Lutheran High School, “Ocean BCC/RENSSELAER REGION III SCIENCE AND ENGI- Proximity and Temperature Predictability” NEERING FAIR Connor J. Cardoso and Andrew J. Raposo, Som- MONTANA erset-Berkley Regional, “Algal Bloom and CO2 Consumption” BILLINGS CLINIC RESEARCH CENTER SCIENCE EXPO Emma L. Fiore, Case High School, “The Effect of Max Serafin, Livingston Sleeping Giant Middle Wind Turbine Design on Power Output” School, “Do Sunny Days Pay?”

944 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 945 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC Holland Howe, Billings Lewis and Clark Middle Riley McKinstry, Matthew Smith, and Christina School, “Fast Wax?” Harrell, V. Sue Cleveland High School, “Carbon Dioxide and Atmospheric Temperature” MONTANA STATE SCIENCE FAIR Rachel Ehlers, No. Toole County High School, “Using NEW MEXICO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a Bioremediation David Murphy, Los Alamos Hihg School, “The Effects Agent in Arsenic Contaminated Water” of Vorticity on Vortex Formation and Morphology” Hayden Randall, Taos High School, “No Mo Mine: NEBRASKA MgSO4, Mo and Plant Remediation of Mine Re- sidual Contamination” METROPOLITAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Aaron Fluhman, Roy Municipal School, “When the Lily Foley, St. Vincent DePaul, “How Different Colors River Stood Still” Absorb and Re-Emit Radiant Energy” Natalie Avitia, Grants High School, “Will Ice See James Brockhouse, St. Cecilia, “Can Tree Rings Tell You Again?” Climate?” Aubrey Grasz, Lifegate Christian, “Reducing the NEW YORK Urban Heat Island Effect: Can Better Choices of Materials Reduce Urban Temperatures?” GREATER CAPITAL REGION SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- ING FAIR NEVADA Joshua DeJoy, New Paltz High School, “The Relation- ELKO COUNTY SCIENCE FAIR ship between Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes and Sunspots” Colton Kelly-Brady and Richard Pete, Owyhee Com- bined School, “Biochar as a Carbon Sequestration NEW YORK CITY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Tool” Reina Trumpet, John Bowne High School, “Remote NEW JERSEY Sensing Earth Surface Temperature Analysis: A Comparison between NASA and NOAA Data” MERCER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Ida Chen, Queens High School for Sciences @ York Alexis Lyn Oldfield, Hamilton High East School, College, “The Effect of Seasonal Change on Atmo- “A Graphical Model Depicting the Point of Sand spheric Visibility” Dune Destruction after a Massive Tropical Storm” Mikhaila Marchan, Queens High School for Sciences @ York College, “The Effect of Seasonal Change NORTH JERSEY REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR on Atmospheric Visibility” Jawana Anyse Wilson and Yvonne Njoku, North Plainfield High School, “The Effects of Ultraviolet YING TR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Radiation on Pond Plankton” Keirsten Frair, Windsor Middle School, “What Bar- Annie He, Pascack Hills High School, “The Effects of rier Protects the Most against Tsunami Damage Global Warming on the Metabolic Rate of Various to Land?” Organisms” Naomi Scarlett Pohl, Morristown High School, NORTH CAROLINA “Climate Change in the Atlantic: How Ocean MECKLENBURG REGIONAL SCIENCE & ENGINEER- Acidification and Rising Water Temperatures Will ING FAIR Affect Calcification” Marshall Craft and Natalie Ly, Phillip O. Berry Academy NEW MEXICO High School, “Sequestering Carbon Dioxide Emis- sions by Precipitating Solid Alkaline Carbonates” CENTRAL NEW MEXICO SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- ING RESEARCH CHALLENGE NORTH CAROLINA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Tomas Gallegos, St. Pius X High School, “The Effects FAIR of Global Climate Change on the Hatching Rates Omar Abufoul and Adam Alama, Charlotte Islamic of Artemia nyos” Academy, “Building Design and Wind Velocity”

944 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 945 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL SCIENCE OREGON FAIR AARDVARK SCIENCE EXPOSITION Richard Everhart, Isaac M. Bear High School, “Com- puter Vision: Using Electromagnetic Wave Interac- Shannon Brennan, Oregon Episcopal School, “The tions Manifested in Layered Light to Calculate Pi” Effect of Dispersant on Sea Urchin Eggs” Steven Demetrious, Topsail Middle School, “Wind CENTRAL WESTERN OREGON SCIENCE AND ENGI- Turbine” NEERING FAIR Nathan Kinsey and Elizabeth Kinsey, Charles Mur- ray Middle School, “Predicting the Slope of Cape Chloe Stewart, West Salem High School, “Iron Fertil- Fear Beaches” ization of Marine Diatoms in Nutrient Poor Water” Bryton Dorland, Tillamook High School, “Attract- NORTH DAKOTA ing Diving Ducks through Habitat Management”

NORTH DAKOTA STATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- CREST JANE GOODALL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FAIR ING FAIR James Topping and Madison Smith, West Linn High Erin Haase, Ellendale Public School, “And the Fore- School, “The Urban Heat Effect Experiment” cast Is . . .” INTEL NORTHWEST SCIENCE EXPO OHIO Shannon Brennan, Oregon Episcopal School, “The Effect of Dispersant on Sea Urchin Eggs” MARION AREA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Anwesha Mukherjee, Class Academy, “Acid Showers Suyash Dixit, Olentangy Shanahan Middle School, Bring No Flowers” “Hydropower” Andrea Bian, Summa Whitford, “The Acid Ocean: Shannon Powers, St. Vincent De Paul Elementary, How Humans’ CO2 Emissions Affect Marine Life” “Hydropower” Nandini Naidu, Valley Catholic Middle School, “A Novel CO2 Sequestration System” NORTHEASTERN OHIO SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- ING FAIR Johnathan Stevenson, Euclid Central Middle School, PENNSYLVANIA “Meteorite Madness” DELAWARE VALLEY SCIENCE FAIR Leah Stanevich, Kent Middle School, “North, South, Simon Seth Roffe, The Marine Academy of Science East, West: A Study of Microclimates” and Technology, “Detecting Differences in the Kaitlin Stessney, Kent Middle School, “Climate Cosmic Ray Flux in Sandy Hook and Determining Change Contribution to Extreme Weather Events” Correlation with Cloud Formation” Anthony Polizzi, St. Albert the Great Elementary Eric Kaskowitz, Parkland High School, “Atmospheric School, “Here Comes the Sun” Haze and Solar Power Generation” Daulton Wallace, The Charter School of Wilming- NORTHWEST OHIO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ton, “Efficiency of Natural vs. Man Made Erosion FAIR Prevention Structures” Nathan Delagrange, Hicksville High School, “Frost Shyam Chaudhry, Germantown Academy Upper Protection (Methods of Preventing Frost Damage School, “Predicting Hurricanes” to Plants)” Jessica Xu, High Technology High School, “The Effect Adam Birkemeier, St. Anthony of Padua, “How Do of Increased CO2 Concentration on the Stomata Wind Turbines Affect Radio Waves?” Density of Triticum aestivum (Winter Wheat) Plants” OKLAHOMA Jacqueline Poglodek, Marine Academy of Tech/Envi- BARTLESVILLE DISTRICT SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- ronmental Science, “Microclimatic Wind Patterns ING FAIR along the New Jersey Coast” Spencer Heald, Bartlesville Mid-High School, “Don’t Sydney Kriner, Ursuline Academy, “Creating the Blow Your Top: Designing Hurricane Resistant Global Conveyor Belt in Your Kitchen: Ocean Roofs” Currents”

946 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 947 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC Charlotte Maiden, The Marine Academy of Science SOUTH DAKOTA and Technology, “Analysis of Marine Debris on EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- Kingman and Mills and Fisherman’s Beach, Two ING FAIR Sandy Hook Beaches” Nick Handberg and Layton Davis, West Central CAPITAL AREA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Middle School, “Which Heats Faster, Sand or Sara Burke, St. Joan of Arc School, “Is Global Warm- Water?” ing Happening in Harrisburg, PA?” NORTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA SCIENCE AND MATH- NORTH MUSEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EMATICS FAIR FAIR Jacob Feist and Lane Rossow, Herried School, “Oil Sneha Mittal, Manheim Township Middle School, Viscosity! Thick or Thin” “Effect of Humidity and Temperature on Solar TENNESSEE Panel Output” CUMBERLAND PLATEAU REGIONAL SCIENCE AND PITTSBURGH REGIONAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING ENGINEERING FAIR FAIR Matthew Foutch, Dekalb County High School, Solar Oruba Ahmed, North Allegheny Intermediate High Powered Water Desalination” School, “Star Light, Star Sight” Kinsey Potter, Jackson County High School, “Wind Christian Peterson, STREAM Academy Regional Power” Cyber Charter School, “Tornado Simulation!” Piyusha Sane, North Allegheny Senior High School, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- “Reducing CO2 Emissions” ING FAIR Nila Suresh, North Allegheny Intermediate High Rebecca Meystrik, River’s Edge Christian Academy, School, “Green Roofs’ Role in Mitigating the Ur- “Battle of the Elements” ban Heat Island Effect” Natalia Sychtysz, St. Mary’s Catholic School, “Hori- zontal Windmill vs. Vertical Windmill” PUERTO RICO PUERTO RICO METROPOLITAN SCIENCE FAIR WEST TENNESSEE REGIONAL SCIENCE & ENGI- NEERING FAIR Jessie Moore, Robinson School, “Use of Microcon- troller to Measure Sunlight” Sam Hedge, Camden Central High School, “Water Isabella Rivera, Annabella Zampierrollo and Javiera Quality in Selected Watersheds in Benton Co. Santori, Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas. “Study TN” of the Effect of Hurricanes on Ocean Water Casey Phelps, Munford Middle School, “Recorder– Temperatures” Measuring an Earthquake”

RHODE ISLAND TEXAS AUSTIN ENERGY REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR RHODE ISLAND SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR David Hudson, Pflugerville Middle School, “The Effect of Wind, Drought, and People’s Actions Christopher DeFreitas, Warwick Veterans High on Erosion” School, “Ozone Gas at Varying Distances from TF Peter Heinisch, Pflugerville Middle School, “Blown Greene State Airport” Away!” SOUTH CAROLINA Shadin Hussein, Austin Peace Academy Middle School, “The Green House Affect” LOWCOUNTRY SCIENCE FAIR Jonathan Wheeler, Vista Ridge High School, “Polari- Annemarie Thompson, Porter Gaud, “Charleston the metric Radar vs. Dual-Polarization Radar” Next Atlantis” Nicholas Summerour, Brenham Junior High School, Calvin Widholm, Charleston Charter School for “A Foggy Forecast: Determining Which Factor(s) Math and Science, “The Global Conveyor Belt” Affect(s) Fog Formation the Most”

946 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 947 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC Makayla Kelso, Vista Ridge High School, “Disease RITCHEY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR and Drought Resistance of Tomato Plants When Carly Johnson, Middle Ogden Preparatory Academy, Treated with Bacillus subtilis” “The Mystery of Utah’s Brown Dirty Air” Kayla Thompson, T.H. Bell Junior High School, “The DALLAS REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Effects of CO2 on Global Warming (The Rate at FAIR Which Glaciers Melt)” Connor Digan, Shepton High School, “Stopping Tsunamis with Ocean Floor Trenches” SALT LAKE VALLEY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Danielle Jones, Mccowan Middle School, “Dare to Nityam Rathi, Midvale Middle School, “Prevention Compare: Which Solar Cell will Prevail” of Post-Wildfire Soil Erosion and Mudslides: Re- conditioning of Hydrophobic Soil” FORT WORTH REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEER- Emma Hanson, Salt Lake Center for Science Educa- ING FAIR tion, “Ground-level Ozone Prevention” Thu M. Pham, McLean 6th Grade Center, “The Daniel Liu, West High School, “Recovering the Effec- Greenhouse Effect in a Cup” tive Thermal Conductivity of SIBMA Sea Ice with a Composite Material Model” UTAH SOUTHERN UTAH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR CENTRAL UTAH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Jessica Wilken, Dixie Middle School, “Making a Katherine Van Wagoner, North Star Academy, Hygrometer” “Breath Easy” Rhiannon Bradley, Carbon High School, “The Feasi- True Thatcher, Oquirrh Hills Middle School, bility of Wind Power near Helper, UT” “Turbine” Kierra Hudson, Success-Dixie, “The Effects of Acid Rain on Solanum lycopersicum” Mikayla Frei, Dixie Middle School, “Relative Humidity”

VIRGINIA

BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS REGIONAL SCIENCE Andrew Vaccaro, Southwest Virginia Governor’s School/Radford High School, “Correlation between Artic Sea Ice Thickness and Surface Temperature” Kara Dennis, Southwest Virginia Governor’s School/ George Wythe High School, “The Effects of Edu- cation on the Belief of Global Warming Impact”

METRO RICHMOND STEM FAIR Zander Yssel, Godwin High School, “Laminar Air- flow over Seawater”

TIDEWATER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Pat Shorter, GSST, “The Effect of Various Algaecides on Aquatic Plants and Green Mat Algae” Katherine Webb, Tabb High School, “A Revised Estimate of the Effect of Human Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions on Global Temperature”

VIRGINIA STATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Nathan Kodama and Nipun Singh, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, “Compu- tational Journey to the Center of the Earth”

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MID-COLUMBIA REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGI- SICHUAN SCIENCE FAIR NEERING FAIR Madison Headrick and Jessie Headrick, Tianjin Inter- Naveena Bontha, Enterprise Middle School, “Carbon national School, “Air Quality Monitoring” Emissions and YOU!” Lizeth Zurita, Washington Middle School, “Pollution SLOVAKIA Impact on Clouds” SCIENTIA PRO FUTURO WASHINGTON, DC Marianna Antaličová, Secondary School, “Do Not Underestimate UV Radiation” WASHINGTON STATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR TAIWAN Naveena Bontha, Enterprise Middle School, “Carbon TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR Emissions and You!!” Nitya Krishna Kumar, Washington Middle School, Wei-Shan Lee, Chia-Wen Lu, and Ying-Chen Lin, “Disappearing Shells” National Taichung Girls’ Senior High School, “A New Exploration of the Younger Dryas Event—the YORK COUNTY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR Integration of Different Regional Paleoclimatol- Nikhil Malik, Central York High School, “De- ogy Data and an Analysis Using the Community salinating Seawater: Hydrogel Electrodes and Atmosphere Model” Microfluidics” Jack Hafer, Dallastown High School, “Analyzing Sensitivity of Turbulent Fluid Motion” AMS MEMBERS AND CHAPTERS

WEST VIRGINIA CALIFORNIA WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR LOS ANGELES COUNTY SCIENCE FAIR Zoe Buccella, home schooled, “Effects of Meteorologi- On a sunny, warm, spring morning, the Los Angeles cal Conditions on the Avian Faunas Paratympanic Chapter once again made the trek to the beautiful Organ: An Ethological Analysis” Pasadena Convention Center and judged the best weather-related projects at the Los Angeles County WYOMING Science Fair, held 22 March. There were two winners chosen by the judges. Of those two winners, one team WYOMING STATE SCIENCE FAIR was from the senior division and one from the junior Maria Hall, Sheridan Junior High School, “Are We division. Causing the World to Melt?” Chosen the best from the senior division was the Michaela Denniston, Greybull High School, “Reduc- project, “Constructing a Multi-variant Regression tion of Environmental Nanoparticle Contaminates Model for Hurricane Loss and its Application to Using Aluminosilicates” Hurricane Sandy.” Tenth grader Alice Zhai from La Cañada High School collected hurricane data from the National Hurricane Center and loss informa- INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIRS tion from ICAT Damage Estimates, an insurance corporation. Looking at variables such as hurricane size and wind velocities, Alice used an Excel pro- BRAZIL gram to derive a predictive model for calculating hurricane damage losses. Looking at more than 30 AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CAMPINAS SCIENCE FAIR different hurricanes, Alice found that using log data Felipe Segal, Lucas Affonso Ferreira, and Jonas Ba- for her variables proved to be most reliable, while tista, American School of Campinas, “Thermal the predictive equation turned out to be a higher Comfort by Trees” order nonlinear relationship. Considering that hur-

948 | JUNE 2014 AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JUNE 2014 | 949 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/25/21 02:36 PM UTC ricanes hit both urban and rural areas, the model were given to Middle School and High School stu- worked quite well, with a high correlation between dents, Grades 6–12. AMS member Mark Murray hurricane variables and hurricane losses. Alice said handed out the certificates at the awards ceremony. she became interested in the project after the dev- Robert Blaha judged the elementary division. The astating Hurricane Sandy caused so much damage winners were: to the East Coast. Joseph Black won the first-place prize in the junior Nicholas Summerour, Brenham Junior High School, division with his project, “The Effects of Different “A Foggy Forecast” Materials on a Fog Catcher.” Joseph is an eighth David Hudson, Pflugerville Middle School, “The grader from Miraleste Intermediate School in Palos Effect of Wind, Drought, and People’s Actions Verdes. Joseph used different materials—from cloth on Erosion” to synthetics—on his fog catcher. He then exposed the Shadin Hussein, Austin Peace Academy Middle catcher to the incoming marine layer on top of a hill School, “Greenhouse Effect” facing the ocean. Although there were very few fog Peter Heinisch, Pflugerville Middle School, “Blown days this year, Joseph found that the synthetic materi- Away” als collected more water than the cloth. Joseph said Makayla Kelso, Vista Ridge High School, “Disease that he got the idea from reading about how people and Drought Resistance of Tomato Plants When in the deserts of Africa collected water from fog in Treated with Bacillus Subtilis” places where it hardly ever rained. Jonathan Wheeler, Vista Ridge High School, “Polari- Judging the projects this year were chapter mem- metric Radar vs. Dual-Polarization Radar” bers Jeff Brown, Scott Moore, and Steve LaDochy. Pearl Tyson, Harmony SS, “Storm Drains: Are They Trashy?” TEXAS Matthew Purcell, Hutto Sci-Clops Science Club E, “Striking Energy” ALAMO REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Julian Richstrew, Eden Park Academy, “Air Pollution” AMS member Robert Blaha judged the Junior and Adam Plummer, Lake Pointe Elementary, “The Ef- Senior High School Division Projects. There were fects of Weather on Noise” six AMS Certificates of Outstanding Achievement Tristen Petersen, Serene Hills Elementary School, awarded for Grades 6–12. The winners were: “Greenhouse Effect” Rebecca Price Walnut Springs Elementary School, Alicia Aguilar, Joel C. Harris Academy, “The Com- “Flash Floods” parative Study of Ozone” Isaac Pompa, Joel C. Harris Academy, “Is it Chilly CANADA in Here?” Austin Turner, Coke Stevenson Middle School, NIAGARA REGIONAL SCIENCE AND EXPOSITION FAIR “Freestone and Acid Precipitation How Geological Andrew Ross, president of the Western New York Materials Are Affected by Acid Rain” AMS chapter, served as a judge at the Niagara Sloane Schultz, Spring Branch Middle School, “The Regional Science and Exposition Fair, held 6 April Wild World of Humidity” 2013 at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario, Brenda Castillo, John Jay Science and Engineering Canada. The winner of the AMS Certificate of Out- Academy, “Solar Panels through the Seasons” standing Achievement was Madison Hollister from Lincoln Abbott, TMI, “GeoEngineering: A Mitigation Winston Churchill School. Additionally, Andrew Strategy for Climate Change” Ross served as a judge representing the U.S. Army. An observation he shared with fair officials was AUSTIN ENERGY REGIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL an increase in the number of girls, who made up AMS members Troy Kimmel, Robert Blaha, and over half of the attendees. Girls were participating Bob Rose were the judges for the science festival. in projects in the physics area, which usually only AMS Certificates of Outstanding Achievement has projects by boys.

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