NOAA’s Science On A Sphere TM captured the eyes of thousands of participants visiting the exhibit hall at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society in Atlanta recently. The graceful arches of the aluminum support structure and the eye-catching display of NOAA data on the six-foot, three-dimensional sphere were the first thing visible to anyone entering the exhibit hall in the Georgia World Congress Center. Throughout the week of the conference, audiences had opportunities to experience several Science On A Sphere presentations. NOAA’s 3,000 square-foot exhibit also featured a series of sleek kiosks and information tables where scientists and outreach staff offered presentations on a wide range of topics of interest to atmospheric scientists participating in the annual meeting. During the opening night ceremonies, Brig. Gen. D.L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), NWS Director, spoke and praised a long list of partners and team members who had important roles in the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Before the ceremony, retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, visited with the NOAA staff and toured the exhibit.

WCM Jeff Last speaks to a family about tornado safety at the 4th annual Einstein Science Expo in Green Bay, WI, on January 14, 2006. WFO Green Bay participated in the event with a "How We Measure the Weather" booth.

WFO San Francisco Warning Coordination Meteorologist Dave Soroka with members of the public viewing NWS literature on tsunami preparedness and other topics at the City of Pacifica, CA, Disaster Preparedness Fair January 21, 2006. Photo taken by Nora-Lyn Soroka.

Steve Cobb, WFO Lubbock Science and Operations Officer poses with Nathan Ortiz, Groundhog Job Shadowing Student from Lubbock’s Coronado High School at the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). WFO Lubbock partnered with the South Plains College Tech Prep program to participate in a local Groundhog Job Shadow Day on February 2, 2006. Every February, on or near Groundhog Day, these high school juniors are challenged to “try on” an occupation by shadowing a local business professional and questioning whether their talents and abilities would be a good fit for a job. Ortiz shadowed Cobb and two other staff members to experience a mix of duties at the WFO. Photo by John Lipe, WFO Lubbock Senior Service Hydrologist.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist Ted Buehner, WFO Seattle (center), poses with Brazilian System of TV (BST) correspondent and executive producer Renata Pereira and her cameraman (left). Buehner did an interview on tsunamis. BST is the second largest TV network in Brazil.

Take a look at other NWS news, as submitted for the NOAA Weekly Report.