Editors' Note: Interacting with Customers? Prove It!

NOAA will soon be assembling its annual business report, and one of the goals of this edition is to provide a showcase of photos of NOAA employees interacting with customers. If you are meeting with customers, try to have a couple of photos taken. Since printed documents require a high-quality image we prefer to receive standard color prints taken with 35mm film. These can be scanned at a very high resolution and saved as TIFF files suitable for reproduction. Here are a few hints for taking good, useable photos:

1. It helps to have medium or close-in shots which clearly show the faces of both parties;
2. Photos are better if the customer and their organization can easily be identified in the picture by what he or she is wearing (American Red Cross patch or county emergency management logo on their shirt or hat are good examples);
3. Don't pose photos with people smiling and staring at the camera - instead, get the subjects interacting and talking with each other or looking at some object - but don't forget, we need to see both of their faces and get some clue of what they are doing in the photo.

If you have photos like this already, or if you can have some taken in the next few weeks, contact us at NWS.Focus@noaa.gov.

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What's "Next" for the Weather Service?

On June 13-14, 2001, over 60 scientists from universities, laboratories, NWS/NOAA, and Canada and attended the NWS "Next and After Next" Workshop hosted by the Office of Science and Technology (OST) in Silver Spring, MD. The purpose of the workshop was to gather information and insight from leading experts about where science and technology advances can take weather services over the next 25 years (hence "NWS Today" covers years 2001-2005, "Next" is 2006-2010, and "After Next" is 2011-2025). Topics covered in the workshop included: enabling technologies/dissemination; the future of observations; data assimilation and modeling; forecast techniques; and fundamental understanding of hydrometeorological sciences. The information learned and exchanged during the workshop, as well as other sources, will contribute significantly toward the development of a NWS Technology Infusion Plan (TIP).

This plan, integrated across various science and technology areas, will allow the NWS to strategically plan, focus, and coordinate research and take the necessary steps to operational implementation. For more background and a picture taken at the workshop, click here. For more information about the workshop, contact Paul Hirschberg at Paul.Hirschberg@noaa.gov.

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The NWS has formed a Quality of Work Life team charged by NWS Director Jack Kelly with researching significant work life issues and recommending solutions to the NWS Corporate Board.

The team includes representatives from every NWS region and headquarters office, representatives of the NWSEO and representatives who do shift work. Acting team leader Stephan Smith said the team makeup represents the highly diverse character of the NWS workforce. "We have some people who are in the early stages of their careers, and others who have already gone through many of the challenges of balancing work and home life," Smith said.

The NWS team's first task is to poll the workforces they represent and solicit people's thoughts on work life issues they would like to have addressed by the group.

NWS QWL Team Members:

• ER: William Ross and Gail Hartfield
• WR: Erik Pytlak and Nancy McGlothlan
• AR: Jim Peronto and Avee Evans
• PR: Roy Matsuda and Pamela Fujiwara
• CR: Elaine Wilbur and Debra Blondin
• SR: Michael Vescio and Charlie Liles
• NWSEO: Robert Farrell and Carolyn Willis
• OOS: Ella Lichtenburg
• NCEP: Jim Cisco and Linda Burroughs
• OST: John Ball and Bob Elvander
• OHD: Russell Erb and Julie Daniel
• OCWWS: Laura Cook and Elizabeth Page
• Team Lead (Acting): Stephan Smith

At the end of June NOAA opened an Employee Worklife Center in Silver Spring, MD. The center will be a one-stop-shopping service helping employees balance work life and home life. The center's full time professional staff which will be available for consultation via e-mail or a toll-free number 1-866-NOAAWLC (1-866-662-2952). Visit their website for more background on the services available http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~Diversity/employeeworklifecenter/.

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WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge is testing a heat forecasting and warning system for the city of New Orleans, LA, through September 30, 2001.

The Operational Heat Stress Assessment System (OHSAS) for Metropolitan New Orleans is designed to improve forecasting dangerous heat conditions and issuing early heat warnings to the public.

The New Orleans forecast office already issues "heat outlooks" for heat conditions over a 48- to 72-hour period, "heat watches" for 24- to 48-hour periods and "heat advisories" and "excessive heat warnings" for conditions within 24 hours.

The OHSAS test adds more focus to forecasting air masses that have historically led to increased summer mortality in the New Orleans area. The OHSAS program is based on the research of Laurence S. Kalkstein, associate director of the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware. For more details on the New Orleans test see the full story on the NOAA website at www.noaa.gov.

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NOAA Solicits Your Input On Core Values

NOAA is encouraging employees to share their ideas about what the agency values most. The values identified will be consolidated and discussed by NOAA executives for communication and linkage to NOAA initiatives such as performance plans, strategic plans, and annual operating plans.

"I encourage everyone to respond," said NWS Deputy Director John Jones. "This is an opportunity to communicate what values you think NOAA should be reinforcing in all of its actions." Take the time to complete the short form http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/%7EDiversity/wttvalues.html and share your vision. The deadline for comments is July 27, 2001.

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NWS Headquarters Welcomes Students From Minority Serving Institutions

Last week the NWS hosted eight scholarship students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) for a three day visit. The students, all college undergraduates, completed a whirlwind tour of the NWS facilities and were briefed by a host of NWS offices. The purpose of the three-day visit was to give the students an opportunity to interact with and learn about the various occupational fields within the Weather Service. During the students' visit, they had an opportunity to see first hand the importance weather and climate on today's society and meet professionals in the Weather Service. "This program is important because it has enabled me to observe all of the aspects of NOAA and how they are connected...to find out other careers that are available," said Pennie Mays, a junior from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Kristina Dawsey, a sophomore from Huston-Tillotson College in Texas agrees, "NOAA is giving me the chance to get an understanding of what I can do in life."

This is the first class of undergraduate scholars in the Educational Partnership Program (EPP), although NWS has hosted many students and interns as a part of other diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) initiatives. The objective of the EPP MSI program is to provide an opportunity for students attending minority serving institutions to study disciplines relating to the agency's mission. The programs aims to bring students into NOAA offices to participate in current research and development activities. Students receive financial assistance for tuition and fees as a part of the program. Next year, NOAA hopes to expand the program to include 15 college students.

This week the students toured the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). On July 2, 2001, the students will begin a work assignment for the remainder of the program. Mentors for the students will also be assigned. The entire program runs 10 weeks. For more information on the Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions, please go to http://www.ofa.noaa.gov/~sdb/EPPS1.htm or www.rdc.noaa.gov (look under NOAA - Nationwide Announcements for Educational Partnership and click there). Click here to see a photo of the participants in this year's program.

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Reminder: Thrift Savings Plan Open Season Ending

Remember that the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Open Season ends on July 31, 2001. The TSP Open Season is the period during which employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) may elect to begin contributing to the TSP, change the amount they are contributing to the TSP, or terminate their TSP contributions (without losing the right to resume contributions the next open season). This open season, FERS employees may elect to contribute up to 11 percent of salary and CSRS employees up to 6 percent of salary to the TSP. In addition, TSP participants may invest in any of the five TSP investment funds. If you do not wish to change your current TSP contribution election, you do not need to take any action.

TSP participants make changes to their account via the TSP Web site, www.tsp.gov, the ThriftLine automated telephone service (1-504-255-8777), or by mailing Form TSP-50 to their Plan record keeper. These elections will take effect when the next payroll contribution is received from the participant's employing agency. For more information, see the article in the May 4, 2001, issue of NOAA's NWS Focus.

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Also on the Web...

We've posted some photographs of Sterling, VA, WFO Lead Forecaster James Wiesmueller's recent climb of Mt. McKinley. Check them out by visiting http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/denali.htm. You can read about his adventure in the June 15, 2001, issue of NOAA's NWS Focus.

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