Students Attend the American Meteorological Society's Career Fair in New Orleans

Several School of Mines Atmospheric Sciences students attended the  AMS annual Career Fair, held in New Orleans January 22-27, 2012. M.S.-degree-seeking students Emily French, pictured at left, and Gretchen Berg, each presented posters about their research work. Others in attendance were  Theresa Aguilar and Dan D'Amico, masters degree students, and Eric Hout, BSIS-ATM undergrad. Associate Professor Dr. Bill Capehart accompanied the students.

Attendance at the career fair is always an exciting time for the students, as they get to meet other professionals in their field of study, and they meet with the next group of college students who are interested in the atmospheric and environmental sciences.

(Posted 1/26/2012)

Heather Caye Attends AGU Meeting in San Francisco

The students in the Atmospheric Sciences Department are often given the opportunity to attend scientific conferences, at which they will present a talk or poster on their research work. It also gives them a chance to network with other students, as well as professionals in their field of study.

Heather Caye, second-year master's degree student in Atmospheric Sciences at South Dakota School of Mines, presented a talk entitled "Electrification of the 29 June 2000 Supercell Thunderstorm" at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting held in San Francisco in early December, 2011. Heather is completing her degree work under the direction of Dr. Andrew Detwiler. Heather is from Allen Park Michigan.

(Posted 1/10/2012)

Parade of Trees at SDSM&T

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences once again entered the Parade of Trees contest at the School of Mines. The theme of this year's contest was about Engineering, but as future scientists and not to be outdone by this, our team of undergrads and graduate students still received an award (by virtue of a tie with Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration) for their unique "tree."

Affectionately named "Winston", our weather station was highly decked out in lights and whatever weather instruments were available. The yellow tags read: "This is what happens when you let a meteorologist engineer a Christmas tree!".

Congratulations, students!

(Posted 12/5/2011)

Atmospheric Sciences students receive fellowships

Three graduate students in atmospheric sciences and one undergraduate student in the BSIS-ATM program have received scholarship awards this fall semester.

Mr. Dan D'Amico, from Twinsburg, Ohio, was awarded a Nelson Fellowship. This fellowship was established at SDSM&T by Joseph F. Nelson, and is awarded in recognition of academic achievement by a student in either chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, geology, geological engineering, math, or atmospheric sciences. Dan, in his second year of study, is conducting his thesis research work under the direction of Dr. Bill Capehart.

Ms. Frances Sewell, a second-year MS student from Monticello, Maine, was awarded the Harry and Laura Orville Scholarship for 2011-2012. This award was established to provide support for entering or current graduate students in atmospheric sciences or an environmental field. Frannie is completing her research work under the direction of Mr. Darren Clabo.

Ms. Emily French, Torrington, CT, was recently awarded an Ivanhoe Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship was founded by L.F. "Bus" Ivanhoe, a School of Mines graduate and recipient of the Guy E. March Medal for outstanding achievement in his field. Emily is doing her research work under the guidance of Dr. Donna Kliche, and is also in her second year of studies.
 

Mr. Eric Hout, a BSIS-ATM undergraduate, received three scholarships for this academic year: an American Meteorological Society Undergraduate Scholarship, a NASA Space Grant Consortium Scholarship, and a National Weather Association-Accuweather Undergraduate Meteorology Scholarship.

Congratulations to these students on their achievements and in receiving these scholarships!
Posted 9/20/2011

Duke University professor to speak about environmental genocide in Iraq

Dr. Curtis Richardson, professor of resource ecology at Duke University, will speak about environmental genocide that has taken place in Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshes, considered by many to be the cradle of Western civilization. This special seminar, sponsored by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at SDSM&T, will be held on September 15 at 5:00 p.m. in Room 204 of the Classroom Building on the School of Mines campus. Richardson will provide historical background, review the ecological devastation that has resulted from a systematic plan by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi government to drain the marshes, and discuss the future of the marshes and the remaining population of indigenous Marsh Arabs known as the “Madan,” a 5,000 year-old culture that formerly numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The public is invited to attend this event. Refreshments will be provided after the presentation.

Posted 9/2/2011

Dr. Harold D. Orville

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Dr. Harry Orville, longtime professor and research scientist at IAS. Services were held July 23 at Emmanual Episcopal Church in Rapid City. You may read his obituary and sign the guest book at the Edstrom and Rooks website using this link:  Serenity Springs Funeral Chapel.

Posted 6/2011

SD Mines Students Receive Trophies in the Weather Challenge Forecasting Contest

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the School of Mines has participated in the WxChallenge nationwide forecasting contest since 2006. WxChallenge, developed and managed by the University of Oklahoma, tests the forecasting skills of students and faculty from participating colleges and universities across the nation. During the 2010-2011 academic year, the School of Mines’ forecast team, consisting of 14 graduate and undergraduate students and one faculty member, ranked 19th overall out of 51 participating universities.

 Forecasts were made for five 2-week forecast periods each semester, with each period set in a different city. For each city, the maximum and minimum temperature, maximum wind speed, and cumulative precipitation were forecast for the day. The closer the forecaster came to the actual observations, the lower their score became. Trophies were awarded when a forecaster scored the lowest for a single period or overall for all forecast sites. Our students made forecasts for Seattle, Washington, in this year's contest.

Over 1600 individuals participated in the contest, with four School of Mines graduate student participants ranking in the top 50% in this group. Earning trophies were Dan McKemy (far left in photo), who placed 2^nd overall and Shawn Honomichl, who placed 4^th overall (second from right in photo); also pictured are Dr. Paul Smith, IAS director and Dr. Bill Capehart, Dept. Chair for Atmospheric Sciences. Other graduate students who placed in the top 50 were Dan D’Amico, who placed 7^th and Joshua Brewer, who placed 22^nd overall in that same category. 

Posted 5/3/2011

Dr. Andy Detwiler receives Thunderbird Award

• New Student Organization is formed at SD School of Mines
  Atmospheric Sciences students at the School of Mines have formed the SDSM&T Weather Association. The purpose of this organization is to encourage increased knowledge of and interest in atmospheric science and meteorological phenomenon among its members. The organization is committed to community involvement through outreach and education programs aimed at individuals of all ages. Further, the organization is aimed at unifying students with interests in the atmospheric and earth sciences through group activities.

   Patrick Ealy was elected the club’s president. Other officers are Daniel D’Amico, Vice President; Franny Sewell, Secretary; and Ciara Breen, Treasurer. Patrick and Ciara are undergrads in the BSIS-ATM program and Franny and Dan are M.S. students in the Atmospheric Sciences program. Staff advisors are Darren Clabo and Pam Cox.

  One of the first activities of the newly-formed group was to coordinate with the National Weather Service to present a Skywarn Storm Spotter Training event, held on campus March 30 and open to the public. Attendance was mixed between students with an atmospheric science background and those from outside the program as well as many community members. In total, nearly 50 people were in attendance.

  The group has plans for more activities, and you may visit their website by using the following link: SDSM&T Association Club or on Facebook. Membership is free and is open to students and members of the public alike. (posted April 2011)

   

• Dr. Paul L. Smith was named Interim Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences in July 2010 (posted July 2010)

• Dr. Donna Kliche was promoted from Research Scientist III to Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences in July 2010 (posted July 2010).

• Shane Hansen (M.S.-ATM 2005) visited us on Friday, April 30, 2010. He is currently working for IMG, an environmental consulting firm in Sheridan, WY. He was gracious enough to present a guest lecture in our Air Quality class. It was great seeing you Shane! (posted 5/3/10)