Editors' Note: Keep Your Colleagues in Focus

We hope you find NOAA's NWS Focus useful. One of the challenges with an online publication is getting all employees to look for and read stories on the web. To overcome this problem, at the Baltimore/Washington WFO, Michelle Margraf, a general forecaster-meteorologist, prints out and posts a copy of NOAA's NWS Focus for her co-workers. Margraf says that posting the publication is "...a great way to spread the word. I look forward to finding out what's happening agency-wide with each issue." Thanks for helping us get the word out by posting a paper copy of NOAA's NWS Focus on your office bulletin board.

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Hiring Freeze Updates

• Commerce Department Allows Some NWS Hiring For Critical-Operations Positions: Mark Brown, Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer, reports that the Commerce Department approved, as requested, a recent NWS proposal to waive hiring controls allowing 152 NWS critical-operations positions to be filled. NWS will be gathering additional waiver requests for future vacancies and submit them as required.

• Extension of Student Appointments: In a March 7, 2001, e-mail, DOC Human Resources managers were advised that it had been "...determined that extensions of student appointments are acceptable; these actions do not require waiver approval from the COS [Chief of Staff]." Therefore, student appointments may be extended without hiring waivers.

• Student Summer Hire Program: The DOC Chief of Staff also approved student summer hires as an exception to DOC hiring controls; consequently, the NWS has been given approval to hire an agency-wide total of 70 summer students. Hiring above the total number allocated to NOAA would require an additional DOC exemption from the hiring controls. Ted David, CFO/CAO, will be working with the regions and offices to allocate these positions across the agency

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NWS National Cooperative Observer Program Manager Andy Horvitz met with The Weather Channel (TWC) on March 19, 2001, to discuss proposals to publicize the Cooperative Observer Program. Topics Horvitz and TWC discussed included live broadcasts of cooperative observers during significant weather events, recognizing cooperative observers achievements (i.e., "Cooperative Observer of the Month"), and a video history of the program for TWC's "Prime Format" show, scheduled to debut in August.

"The Weather Channel is genuinely interested in promoting this program," said Horvitz. "And this partnership is one that will benefit both The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service."

The Cooperative Observer Program Headquarters home page is http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/COOP/index.htm.

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On Friday, March 23, six members of the House Science Committee Staff toured the Sterling WFO. NWS Director Jack Kelly provided the staffers with an NWS overview that included how we must keep up with advances in science and technology to meet and improve service needs. Sterling MIC Jim Travers, briefed them on the operations and services provided by the local office. Questions from the committee staff focused on operations and how research is incorporated into operations. Richard Legatski, the NOAA Legislative Affairs officer who is currently working weather service issues, said "The staffers enjoyed seeing the Weather Service in action and have expressed interest in follow-up briefings this fall."

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Going, Going ...Gone! Blue Dinosaurs on Their Way to Extinction

When the last AWIPS system was commissioned in August, the Automation of Field Operations and Services (AFOS) systems went the way of the dinosaur. The AFOS "Blue Boxes," termed for the NOAA blue color, are now going through the formal General Services Administration (GSA) property disposal process.

In 1978, AFOS advanced the NWS from the teletypewriter to the minicomputer era. According to John Van Kuren, Office of Operational Systems, NWS data product rates increased 30 times with AFOS. Twenty-two years later, AWIPS increased the NWS communication speed to 50 times faster than AFOS and increased data volume more than 200 times.

As of March 22, 2001, 56 AFOSs have been officially disposed, according to Jerald Dinges, AFOS Property Accounting Manager. GSA has found buyers (generally scrap metal companies) willing to pay between $26-$110 for each blue box.

Alan Rezek, MIC, WFO Charleston, WV, collects old NWS equipment (e.g., everything from a picture of the first weather map NWS ever produced to a console from a Weather Service Radar-57) for a museum at the WFO. The AFOS systems from WFO Charelston, WV, and Weather Service Office Erie, PA, will be added to Rezek's work in preserving the history of NWS.

To find the latest disposal status of individual AFOS systems click on http://www.awips_commissioning.nws.noaa.gov/decomm_main.htm select STATUS from the menu on the left, then select AFOS Equipment Disposal Status.

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Regional Directors To Brief Members of Congress on FY 2002 Budget

During the week of April 9-13, the NWS conducts its quarterly Corporate Board Meeting at Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. On April 11, the Regional Directors will visit Congressional offices to discuss issues and activities pertinent to their regions, as well as the proposed Fiscal Year 2002 Administration budget submission, which is scheduled to become public on April 9. Once the budget is public, the Communications Office will share information with employees about its content.

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Quotable Quote on the Role of Models and Local Forecasters

The relationship between NCEP-produced models and WFO-produced local forecasts can be challenging for our employees to explain. But on March 9, when Secretary Donald L. Evans made his first visit to a WFO since taking office, Denver MIC Larry Mooney explained this relationship with words worth repeating.

At a recent senior staff meeting, NWS Director Jack Kelly shared a note from Mooney which read, "I told the Secretary that while the models continue to improve, the WFO forecasters add value to the forecast because of their knowledge of topography and local effects. Enhancing the numerical forecasts rather than relying upon them was our role. The Secretary acknowledged the importance of this concept."

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Last Chance to Nominate Employees for NOAA Diversity Council SPECTRUM Awards

There are only two days left to submit nominations for the NOAA SPECTRUM Award - the deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, March 30, 2001. The SPECTRUM Award, an outgrowth of the NOAA Diversity Plan, recognizes employees and managers for their contributions and activities which promote NOAA's goals in managing diversity. Any NOAA employee who initiates and supports managing diversity activities and initiatives, and whose managing diversity participation goes beyond normal job requirements is eligible for the SPECTRUM. There are three award categories: the SPECTRUM Award for Executives; the SPECTRUM Achievement Award; and the SPECTRUM Concept Award. The award for executives will be non-monetary. Achievement and Concept awardees will receive a plaque, cash award of $2,500, and a diversity memento of their choice. More information and an electronic nomination form can be found at http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~Diversity/spectrum.html.

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NWS Upgrades Network at the Bowie Computer Center

On March 12, 2001, in coordination with IBM, NCEP's Central Operations reconfigured the network routers at the Bowie (MD) Computer Center to accommodate the operational and development sides of the IBM SP high performance computing system. The two sides of the massively parallel system are now able to back up each other. This network upgrade enables full use of both sides and allows the development system to back up the operational system in an outage.

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NWS Awards Five-Year Contract for Radome Inspection and Repair Services

On March 16, 2001, the NWS awarded a competitive contract for radome inspection and repair services. This contract allows immediate response for corrective maintenance on radomes in the event of damage from extreme winds, hail, other damaging natural hazards, fire, or vandalism. Radomes, the dome-like structure at the top of the radar tower, provide the primary protection for the radar antenna and its mounting. L3 Communications - ESSCO, of Concord, MA, the original manufacturer of the radomes, was awarded a five-year contract for $2.5 million to respond to operational and catastrophic repair needs for the national weather radar network. Nancy Bernigaud, Program Branch, Radar Operations Center, Norman, OK, said this standing contract should reduce turn-around times for radome repairs. "Offices that experience a catastrophic problem with their radome can now initiate an immediate response by contacting the NEXRAD Hotline after the damage has occurred," said Bernigaud.

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Six NWS Offices Slated For Closure

John Sokich, Strategic Planning and Policy Office, reports that the final notice for six additional weather service office closures will be published in the March 29, 2001, Federal Register. The offices are Olympia and Wenatchee, Washington; Riverside, Redding, and the Los Angeles aviation office, California; and the Fairbanks residual office, Alaska. This brings the total number of closed offices to 154.

Scientists-in-Training: Toddlers to Teens Answer the NOAA Call At the NOAA complex in Silver Spring, MD, "Take Our Daughters to Work Day," has evolved into "NOAA's Bring A Child to Work Day." This year's program is on April 26, 2001, and NOAA expects up to 600 students to participate-a 50 percent increase over last year's attendance. Ron Gird, outreach manager in the Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services, says he expects 70-80 students to participate in a program entitled, "It's Raining Cats and Dogs," which features hands on weather activities, videos, and information on how to prepare yourself against severe weather events in your neighborhood.

Approximately 20 NWS volunteers will help students build a tornado in a bottle, and teach them about the awesome power of flash floods and how to survive a hurricane. Students will meet the Weather Woodles. These slide show cartoon characters teach how NWS forecasts are made and disseminated. For approximately 10 years, employees have used the Weather Woodles, created by Carolyn Gurney Willis, WFO Billings, MT, for K-6 student outreach programs. Perhaps, these activities are appropriate for your community's program. For more information, contact Ron Gird at 301-713-0090 ext. 154 or e-mail ron.gird@noaa.gov.

Photos from the 2000 program at NWS Headquarters can be found on the web at: www.education.noaa.gov/kids2000/.

NWS Assists NOAA at National Science Teachers Association Convention

NWS personnel from the St. Louis Weather Forecast Office and Central Region Headquarters joined staff from several NOAA line offices to participate in the March 22-25, 2001, National Science Teachers Association Convention in St. Louis, MO.

Central Region Headquarters WCM Joe Sullivan and Public Affairs Specialist Pat Slattery helped staff the NOAA booth while St. Louis WCM James Kramper gave a presentation on "Careers in Meteorology." St. Louis MIC Steve Thomas and his staff provided office tours to busloads of teachers shuttled to the office in St. Charles, MO.

According to Slattery, teachers, and a few youngsters attending with parents, were fascinated by the "Tornado Machine," assembled and operated by Joe Sullivan. Consisting of a few pipes, wooden platforms, a water pan, and a small fan, a miniature "tornado" was formed as warm water melted dry ice and the fan created a small vortex. Sullivan also demonstrated how science teachers could use Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) for in-class weather projects.

More than 12,000 teachers attended the convention. NOAA staff utilized more than seven tons of displays, videos, and handouts to help the science teachers make plans to keep their students entertained while educating them about weather, the oceans, and the atmosphere.

For pictures of the conference visit www.nws.noaa.gov/com/nstapix.htm.

Ten Environmental Heroes Nominees Provided To NOAA

Last week's request for nominations of volunteers for NOAA's annual environmental heroes awards resulted in more than 40 entries from NWS field offices. Each NOAA line office could submit 10 nominees. From that total, NOAA will select up to 25 individuals or organizations for their efforts to preserve and protect our Nation's environment. "Paring the list down to 10 NWS nominees was challenging because so many volunteers obviously are deserving of recognition," said Susan Weaver, NOAA/NWS public affairs officer, who collected the NWS nominations. NOAA will announce winners in time for the nominating parties to present the awards in conjunction with Earth Day events in April 2001. All nominees will receive a letter recognizing them for their volunteer efforts. Congratulations to all of you who took the time to make a nomination.

Keep in mind that you can use the upcoming National Volunteer Week (April 9-15) as a news angle for a local letter to the editor to thank individuals or groups for the volunteer work they do to support the NWS mission.

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