The State of the NWC Seminar Series: A Forum

Discussion

Jonathan J. Gourley

NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory

A Brief History

Summer 2006 - Move to the NWC

Fall 2006 – New format for seminarsOne NWC-wide seminar on Tues afternoons;

Discussion leader: meSpecialty Seminars

Boundary Layer, Urban Meteorology, and Land-Surface Processes; Discussion leaders: Sean Arms, Jeff Basara, Evgeni Fedorovich & Petra Klein

Climate Seminar; Discussion leaders: Pete Lamb Atmospheric Radar Research Seminar; Discussion

leaders: Khoi Le, Robert Palmer & Rockee Zhang Convective Storms & NWP Seminar; Discussion leaders:

Jerry Straka, Robin Tanamachi, Louis Wicker & Ming Xue Weather, Society, and Policy; Discussion leaders: Harold

Brooks & Somer Erickson

2009 Time Series

2009 Time Series

Unofficial feedback

“There are too many seminars”

“I’m too busy; I have another meeting”

“I only attend seminars in my specific field of interest”

“I like the way it used to be (separate SOM and NSSL seminars, no specialty groups)”

“No one expects me to go”

“Nobody will attend my seminar, so what’s the point?”

Discussion Topics for Improving Attendance

Format changes General + Specialty Seminar Groups Shorter time/multiple talks (conference style)

Speakers Currently, most are internal (NWC) If from the outside, who do you want to invite?

Dissemination of Information webpage + weekly emails sufficient? Broadcasting seminars Making seminar powerpoints or pdfs available afterwards

Audio/Visual Capabilities

Beverages/Snacks

Notes from DiscussionOverall, we had a lively discussion from the 15 or so folks who

represented various areas of the the NWC (faculty, forecasters, researchers, graduate students). All agreed attendance has dropped in the last 2-3 years. Some claimed the synergy in the NWC also means more mandatory meetings, which makes the seminar series a second choice. Another distraction was the large number of seminars that occur in the NWC. Lastly, it appears the expectation that students and especially their peers (i.e., advisers, faculty, researchers) to attend the NWC-wide seminar has gone away. This is not true with all groups, such as the Radar Specialty seminar, where there is some control on student attendance. On the next slides, I have provided a summary of suggestions to improve attendance, with a subdivision based on individual comments and suggestions that seemed to be agreed upon by all. The final slide lists some potential guests we can invite to the NWC.

Individual CommentsAsk management to enforce mandatory attendance; e.g., 50% for

graduate students and 2 seminars/semester for NSSL and OU research staff. Students not indoctrinated to attend are unlikely to pick it up later in their careers.

Make ppt files available prior to seminar to boost interest

Record seminars in a studio and broadcast them via internet video channel; or record seminars in 1313 and make them available afterwards

Use software that notifies upcoming seminars with text messages

All submitted journal articles should be accompanied with a seminar

Large number of specialty seminar groups is distracting. Consider lumping BUL, CLI, and SOC specialty groups into a “Special Topics” group

Projectors are at eye-level only for people seated at top of auditorium. Consider options to project screens lower.

Conduct a survey to NWC occupants to determine why people do or do not attend, what would compel them to attend, etc.

Consensus CommentsAn email message with “1-hr seminar reminder” in the subject

header would be a useful/sufficient reminder

Ask/remind hosts of all visitors to the NWC to encourage them to give a presentation. Many claimed there were visitors from foreign countries working in “the office next door”, but no one had any idea what they were doing.

Managers of all new scientists to the NWC should encourage them to give a “self introductory” seminar

Feature 1 NWC-wide presentation per month. Specialty seminar group leaders will encourage all members/students to attend, and will likely cancel their quasi-mandatory weekly meetings. Provide ample notification of the feature talk and provide beverages/cookies 20 min prior.

Expand the presenter pool to more outside guests, NWC private sector, and encourage more talks on forecasting issues (i.e., review of significant weather event, map discussion). Also take advantage of potential speakers who may be visiting the NWC as part of SOM 50th Anniversary, Dean search, and NSSL and SOM research and faculty candidates

Suggested NWC SpeakersGreg Tripoli,

microphysics/convective wx (Wisconsin-Madison)

Dave Schultz, eloquent science/etc. (Helsinki)

Kerry Emanuel, tropical cyclones (MIT)

Marshall Shepherd, urban weather (Georgia)

Walt Petersen, microphysics/radar/satellite (NASA Marshall)

Larry Carey, lightning/radar (Alabama-Huntsville)

Mike Eilts, private sector (WDT)

Warren Washington, science of service (NCAR)

Noah Diffenbaugh, regional climate modeller (Purdue)

Jim Steenburgh, winter weather (Utah)

Bart Geerts, observationalist (Wyoming)

Paul Roebber, mesoscale/radar/cloud processes (Wisconsin-Milwaukee)

Frank Marks, lab director (Hurricane Research Division)

Paul Markowski, tornadoes (Penn State)

Jeff Trapp, tornadoes (Purdue)

Daryl Herzmann, Mesonet (Iowa St.)