News and Notes
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news and notes New president at South Dakota Tech significant R&D programs. It replaces the Federal Council Richard A. Schleusener has been for Science and Technology which was established by Execu- named president of the South Dakota tive Order in 1959. School of Mines and Technology by National Science Board election the State Board of Regents, effective 1 Members of the National Science Board, governing body of March 1976. For the previous nine the National Science Foundation, have reelected Dr. Norman months Dr. Schleusener had served as Hackerman and Dr. Russell D. O'Neal as Chairman and acting president of the school follow- Vice Chairman of the Board, respectively. The election, ing the July 1975 resignation of Dr. which occurs every two years, was held on 21 May at the Harvey R. Fraser. Before his acting ap- 26th Annual Meeting of the Board. Dr. Hackerman is Presi- pointment he served one year as vice dent of Rice University and Dr. O'Neal is Chairman and president and dean of engineering, and Chief Executive Officer of KMS Industries, Inc., in Ann from 1969 to 1974 he was director of the school's Institute Arbor, Mich. of Atmospheric Sciences. His other administrative experience includes three years as A century of weather observations at Beatrice, Ontario executive officer of the civil engineering section at Colorado An important milestone in the history of weather observing State University as well as six years on their faculty and a in Canada occurred in February 1976. Members of the Hol- year at Kansas State University. Dr. Schleusener holds the lingworth family of Beatrice, Ontario, have now been the B.S. from the University of Nebraska, the M.S. from Kansas official weather observers for a full century at the same site State University, and the Ph.D. from Colorado State Uni- —a unique achievement in Canada and perhaps in the versity. He is a member of the American Meteorological world. Celebrations to mark this important event were held Society. in the auditorium of the Headquarters of the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) on 30 March 1976. The event Office of Science and Technology Policy established brought together 250 people to honor the current observers The National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, at Beatrice, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hollingworth. Present were and Priorities Act of 1976 was signed into law by President Mr. J. R. H. Noble, Assistant Deputy Minister of the AES; Ford on 11 May 1976. The principal purpose of the bill is to D. S. Ross, Acting Ontario Regional Director of AES, who create in the Executive Office of the President an Office of chaired the ceremony, and Dr. P. D. McTaggart-Cowan, a Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The functions of the neighbor, friend and fellow-apiarist of the Hollingworths and office include: preparation of an annually updated five-year outlook that highlights current and emerging problems which have been identified through the results of scientific research, and opportunities for the use of science and tech- nology to contribute to the achievement of federal objectives and national goals; assistance to the Office of Management and Budget in reviewing funding proposed by federal agencies for research and development; and assistance to the President in preparing an annual science and technology report. The office is to be headed by a director who is subject to confirmation by the Senate. The primary function of the director is to provide advice on the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of issues that require attention at the highest levels of government. The director is named as a member of the Domestic Council and an adviser to the National Security Council, and is also called upon to estab- lish an intergovernmental science, engineering, and technol- ogy advisory panel to identify and define problems at the state, regional, and local levels that science and technology may assist in resolving. The Act calls upon the President to establish a Committee consisting of the director of OSTP and 8-14 other members Mr. J. R. H. Noble (left), Assistant Deputy Minister of to undertake a two-year study of the overall context of the Atmospheric Environment Service, presents Mr. and Mrs. federal science and technology effort. Albert Hollingworth of Beatrice, Ontario, with a letter from The Act also established the Federal Coordinating Coun- Jean Marchand, Minister of Environment, Canada, and a cil for Science, Engineering, and Technology, an interagency silver tray in appreciation of the 100 years of observations by group consisting of representatives of federal agencies with the Hollingworth family at the same site. Bulletin American Meteorological Society 827 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/02/21 12:57 AM UTC 828 Vol. 57, No. 7, July 1976 a former Director of the Meteorological Branch (now AES). The increased rainfall detected by FACE scientists in 1975 The Beatrice story dates back to February 1876, when John applies to what they call the "floating target." Williams Hollingworth began to record weather observations for the explains: "You want to find the increase in precipitation Meteorological Office. Three times each day for 42 years he caused by seeding over the entire target area, but in convec- recorded the temperature and precipitation, as well as tive storm regimes it is difficult to have full treatment of noting the speed and direction of the wind. John Henry all clouds at the moment they become ready for effective Hollingworth inherited his father's farm in 1918 and with it seeding. If you treat three in the target area, you can evaluate went the weather duties. Between 1918 and 1941 he kept a what the precipitation effect is from those three clouds. But daily record of the weather, and in 1941 his son, Albert, the next day, the seedable clouds are in a different location assumed those duties along with the family farm. Today, the in the target area, and you select some of those for treatment. path from the farmhouse to the instrument area shows the These clusters of seedable clouds are what we call the wear of more than 73 000 visits. floating target." During the ceremony, Mr. Noble recalled the activities of The FACE 76 target area, as in previous years, is a the Meteorological Office back in 1876 (it was then only a few rectangle covering about 13 000 km2 south of Lake Okee- years old), when the observational program at Beatrice began. chobee. A network of surface instruments measures weather During that year the first storm warnings were issued, and conditions and rainfall at the surface, and a mobile camera for the first time, probabilities were relayed by telegraph to unit used in the target area under the seeding aircraft various newspapers in Ontario and Quebec, and the observing photographs the growth of target clouds penetrated by the network consisted of less than one-tenth the number of planes. Low-level aerosols are sampled at a station near stations in operation today. Mr. Noble then read a letter Immokake. The digitized weather surveillance radar at from Jean Marchand, Minister of the Environment, Canada, NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami probes clouds who lauded Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hollingworth and their over the target area, providing data to help FACE scientists relatives for the "quality and continuity of records at Bea- select clouds for seeding and estimate floating-target and trice so important especially in these days when questions are total-target rainfall. being raised about changes in climate." Surface stations will also measure atmospheric electrical Mr. M. K. Thomas, Director-General of the Central Ser- impulses as part of a sferics study, fielded this year for the vices Directorate of AES, presented the honored guests with first time, that is aimed at determining whether cloud seed- the first copies of an 18-page commemorative booklet entitled, ing and lightning production are related. "A Century of Weather Observations at Beatrice, Ontario, William L. Woodley, leader of NHEML's cumulus group 1876-1975." The booklet tells of the beginnings of the and FACE, noted a shift in emphasis in this year's project Beatrice station and of the meticulous work of three genera- —"We'll still be seeding a floating target, but it will be tions of Hollingworths recording the weather in the Muskoka much larger, as we try to expand the floating target." This countryside of Ontario. It also points out the value of this shift in emphasis is a natural evolutionary change in a type of weather information in that long-established records, field program that is now in its fifth full year, Woodley such as those from Beatrice, provide an important link be- believes. "In the late 1960s, we confirmed that dynamic seed- tween the records of recent years and those of the past ing could increase rainfall production in individual cumulus century. Research in the problems of both long-range weather clouds. In 1970, 1971, and 1973, we observed that seeding forecasting and secular fluctuations of climate makes use of also seemed to promote the mergers of individual clouds. such records. Last year we identified rainfall increases caused by dy- namic seeding in the floating target. This year we hope to FACE 76 resolve our last major uncertainty." This year, three seeding aircraft will be used, instead of This year's Florida Area Cumulus Experiment, called FACE the one or two usually available to FACE. In addition 76, was scheduled to begin on 2 June if weather conditions to silver iodide flares, two of the aircraft have ice particle were favorable. Conducted by the National Oceanic and counters and sensors for liquid water. One of the two instru- Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane and Ex- mented airplanes also carries a cloud-particle replicator from perimental Meteorology Laboratory (NHEML) in Coral the University of Nevada's Desert Research Institute.