Welcome Campers!

Hello, Campers.

I bring you greetings from myself (as Director of the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences or NCAS) and my research team out here in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. By the time you get this message I will be about 2000 miles to the SE of Barbados on a course for an oceanographic mooring located at 0^o (the equator) and 23^oW. From there, we will travel due north along the 23^oW longitudinal line for a transect (hopefully) of air masses and tropical waves exiting the coast of west Africa. I will be on this research vessel, the NOAA Ronald H. Brown, for thirty-one days. I lead one of three scientific groups aboard this ship. The lead team is from the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and one is from NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). Detailed Information on our cruises are located at the following websites:

http://www.coas.howard.edu/chem/vmorris/Morris-etal06%20AEROSE.pdf

http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/smcd/spb/iosspdt/iosspdt.php [click on Field Programs, and then on the AEROSE link]

I wish that I could be in Washington, DC or Puerto Rico to welcome you to the program. This year marks the ninth year of weather camps hosted by my research center. We aim to expose you to far more than you expect, open your minds to the wealth of possibilities, and opportunities waiting for you in the weather and climate-related sciences. These opportunities apply to disciplines ranging from natural and physical sciences, to engineering, business, and communications. I started my college career interested in a biology/psychology double major. I ended up with a chemistry and mathematics major with a physics minor. Shortly afterwards (but many, MANY years ago), I earned my PhD in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. I’ve studied around the world and currently hold faculty appointments in the US, Ethiopia,and the Philippines. I have been excited about the investigative nature of science – seeking answers to unknown questions. I have always enjoyed the wonder s of the global environment , of travel and the satisfaction of working on issues that challenge my mind.I have been fortunate enough to find a career that brings me enough satisfaction that I never tire of going to work. I hope that your experiences over the next two weeks help guide you to a path of equal, if not greater, fulfillment.

I trust that you are in the capable hands of Mr. Mike Mogil, Amy Sanders, and Joseph Williams who will take you on a tour of weather and climate sciences and expose you to the breaking scientific, professional, and academic opportunities in these and related fields of study. They will introduce you to professionals that span the spectrum of disciplines and expertise that are affected by our environment, weather, and climate. I hope that you are ready to take full advantage of this experience.

I will follow this blog and will provide details of my research cruise via blogs here and discussions on the weather camp facebook page. Please connect and feel free to ask questions. I posted a few photos from this year's cruise, a couple from prior cruises, and a photo of the Meteorology and Hydrology Summer Camp in Barbados. Yep, it's a global thing! One of my former students runs a similar high school camp in Barbados and I visited her group just before the cruise. They send their greetings to you all.

Best wishes!

Vernon R. Morris, PhD

Director, NCAS