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Overview of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences
The Department of Atmospheric
Sciences offers one of the six science-oriented Master's degrees at SDSM&T
and offers the Atmospheric Resources track in the Atmospheric and Environmental
Sciences (AES) Ph.D. degree
program. The Department also supports a
specialization in atmospheric sciences within the B.S. in Interdisciplinary
Sciences (B.S.I.S.) major.
The
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a nationally-recognized
engineering and science-oriented institution for pursuing an atmospheric
sciences/meteorology education and is in an ideal location for atmospheric
sciences research. Rapid
City is the
gateway to the beautiful Black
Hills to the west; to the
east of the city are the expansive Great
Plains and Badlands.
The
area presents a kaleidoscope of weather and climate. The Black Hills are a constant source of convective clouds in the late spring and
summer. The orographic and heating effects of the
mountains affect the weather many miles downwind. The variation of weather from
mountains to plains in the winter is almost legendary, the Rapid City area being the site in January 1943 of one of the
largest, fastest temperature oscillations on record. The winters, while cold,
are not severe and are generally more comfortable than most people think. The
low humidity of the region, typical of the interior West, makes temperature
extremes tolerable. Annual precipitation is about 17-20 inches (43-51 cm) and
total snowfall averages 36 inches (91.4 cm) per year. Rapid City's mean temperature for January compares favorably
with those of Kansas
City,
Chicago, Buffalo, and Nashua,
New Hampshire.
For
periods of relaxation, the region offers a vacationland to its residents.
Picturesque lakes and pine-covered mountains rich in the history of the Old
West abound. Excellent outdoor recreation facilities encourage hiking, camping,
swimming, boating, fishing, bicycling, horseback riding, and golfing. In winter
and early spring there is downhill and cross-country skiing. Pheasant,
antelope, and deer hunting are very popular. A local symphony orchestra offers
fine music, and an amateur theater group presents several productions during
the year. In summer, the Black Hills Playhouse Theater provides professional
theatrical entertainment; and in winter, the Black Hills Community Theater of
Rapid City provides a series of plays. Several nationally known entertainers
and symphonic orchestras appear during the year at the
Rapid City Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
The
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology offers a quality education in
science and engineering. The total student body numbers about 2,200 students,
of whom some 200 are graduate students. The departments of physics, computer
science and mathematics, chemistry, and geology, and the engineering
departments offer excellent elective course work for the graduate student in
atmospheric sciences. The staffs of the various departments have diverse
backgrounds and provide a broad educational environment in which the student
may study and do research.
The
Department of Atmospheric Sciences' main
offices are housed within the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences in the Mineral
Industries
Building on the SD Tech campus
(see links at right).
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SDSM&T Campus Map (click on map for
enlarged view)
Mineral Industries (MI) Building
SDSM&T Links
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