Our organization, GSAAS, is responsible for organizing this year's Annual Colour of Weather Networking Reception at the 2014 Annual American Meteorological Society's Conference in Atlanta, GA and would like to personally invite you to attend and participate in this year's Annual Colour of Weather Networking Reception.

The Annual Colour of Weather (CoWx) networking reception will be held from 8:30 PM to 10:00 P.M. on Monday, 3 February 2014.   

The theme of this year's reception is once again Widening Professional Networks for Diversity and Sustainability (WINDS). The 2014 reception marks the ninth year of the formal receptions.  The ad hoc receptions date back nearly a decade. To enhance this year's theme, we have incorporated a new blog community on Google + (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/113001177811457735156?cfem=1) to produce more effective networking and to stay up to date with information for the meeting and colleagues in the field. Please RSVP for the event at this site or [email protected]

The next generation of scientists serving the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences community will be drawn from an American population that is more culturally and ethnically diverse than ever before. As custodians of our respective professions, today's scientists look to the future with great anticipation and the duty to encourage our brightest talents to pursue careers in the geosciences by providing access to leaders in the field and engaging them in ways that promote exchanges of pertinent career and professional information and advice, support inclusion, and break down stereotypes and barriers to success.

The Ninth Annual Colour of Weather reception is an event celebrating diversity of representation in careers and fields of study contributing to the atmospheric sciences. This event provides a unique mentoring and professional development experience for students and young professionals of color or from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the fields of atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, hydrology, meteorology, and other fields encompassed by the AMS. The event is co-sponsored by NOAA, NOAA Center for Atmospheric Science, Howard University's GSAAS, and Colour of Weather, Inc. 

Additional, GSAAS has created a G+ (google community) to serve as a continuing platform for networking and exchange of information. Please pass this along to invite other colleagues who may be interested in following this community which provides status updates for the networking reception. Here is the link to join https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/113001177811457735156?cfem=1

For additional information, please contact Dr. Vernon Morris (e-mail: [email protected])

Or visit http://annual.ametsoc.org/2014/index.cfm/programs-and-events/social-events/annual-colour-of-weather-cowx-networking-reception/

 
Members of GSAAS and HUPAS have been highly engaged in helping the community and building professional development this month.

On March 8, members volunteered as judges for a science fair held at the Cleveland Elementary School (DCPS-ES).

Members participated at the DC Stem Fair at Wilson High School on March 24. They demonstrated experiments such as cloud in a bottle to students.

More recent, members traveled to Tallahassee, Florida for the 6th NOAA EPP Science and Education forum.  The event was held at Florida A & M University (FAMU). Members presented their research in both the oral and poster categories. Some members also received awards for their research.  UMD Ph.D candidate and NOAA-CAS fellow Serenella Linares, won first place for her research:  "Fungal Diversity Associated with Saharan Dust Storms", which was presented in the Climate and Mitigation session.  GSAAS President Mayra Oyola won an honorable mention (2nd place) in the same category.  Her presentation title was the "Analysis of the Interhemispheric Tropospheric Vertical Distribution of Ozone over the Atlantic Ocean: Assessing the “Ozone Paradox” during the 2011 Aerosols and Ocean Science Expedition". GSAAS member Shayda Sanders received an honorable mention in the Weather Ready Nation oral presentation category for her research "Relationships Between Demographics and Protective Actions during Severe Weather Outbreaks: 2011 Super Outbreak, Tuscaloosa, AL."  GSAAS member Monique Walker won an honorable mention  in the poster presentations, for her presentation of “Semi-Automated Alignment for Optimum LIDAR Performance”. The full list of winners can be found here. The winner's gallery is here.

NCAS also presented a video of some of the members of NCAS, their research projects and a few activities that occur within the program.
President Mayra Oyola presenting.
GSAAS member Karretta Venable presenting her research.
GSAAS Member Shayda Sanders during her oral presentation.
GSAAS Public Relations Officer Tasha Anderson with her research.
GSAAS Student Representative Ben Albright by his presentation.
UMD Ph.D Candidate and NOA-CAS Serenella Linares with members of GSAAS and faculty of Howard University. Congrats winners!
Members of GSAAS with faculty of Howard University and NOAA-CAS fellows.
 
_Students and faculty from Howard University participated last week at the 92nd Annual American Meteorological Society conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Below are some pictures from the event:
Taken after the Awards Banquet.
GSAAS HU AMS poster.
Taken after the Colour of Weather Reception.
AMS- President Elect James Marshall Shepard speaking at the Colour of Weather Reception.
GSAAS HU Exec Board with James Marshall Shepard.
President Mayra Oyola, holding an issue of BAMS in which work she and other HUPAS students and facility worked on. She is also standing next to a poster she co-authored with academic advisor Dr. Nick Nalli.

Here is a link to that BAMS issue.
Secretary Lorenza Cooper explaining his research to a conference attendee.
For more photos please click here.
 
Students and faculty from Howard University participated last week of the 1st International Conference on Saharan Dust Long range transport and effects, which was celebrated in San Juan, PR.  GSAAS/HU AMS President Mayra Oyola along with former vice-president, Yaitza Luna, former treasurer Jose Tirado and members Adrian Flores and Maria Velez presented their research at the workshop. Dr. Everette Joseph, Director of the Howard University Program of Atmospheric Sciences and Dr. Vernon Morris, Director of the NOAA Center of Atmospheric Sciences also participated of this event. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a scientific forum for specialists on various topic related to the long-range transport and impacts of mineral dust in the atmosphere, but with emphasis on African dust and its transport and impacts on the Americas.

Good work everyone!

Here are some pictures from the conference:
Students and faculty at the conference.
GSAAS member and former vice-president Yaitza Luna, displays her research.
GSAAS/HU AMS president Mayra Oyola with her research.
 
HUPAS student, GSAAS member and BCCSO scholar, Churchill Okonkwo has been awarded 2nd place for his poster at the 2011 Joint Annual Meeting of the NSBP and NSHP.  His research is on the "Spatial Characteristics of Hydrometeorological Variables and Drought Hazard Mapping in Lake Chad Basin." Congrats and keep up the good work!

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GSAAS and HUPAS members Churchill Okonkwo and Sium Tesfai will be presenting their research at the 2011 Joint Annual Conference of NSBP (National Society of Black Physicists) and NSHP (National Society of Hispanic Physicists) in Austin, TX this week.  The conference runs from Wednesday, September 21 to Saturday, September 24 and is held at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.

The poster presentation Churchill will be presenting is entitled "Spatial Characteristics of Hydrometeorological Variables and Drought Hazard Mapping in Lake Chad Basin."

For more information on the conference, check out this link.

Good luck Bison!