Spring 1999
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Spring 1999 |
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"The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the following counties....." Serious weather-related messages always get our attention. Our lives can depend on the accuracy of the information. Analyzing and predicting the weather is a highly sophisticated profession that uses some of the most advanced technologies. Experts in atmospheric research and meterology utilize Doppler radar data to initialize high-resolution numerical forecast models. They use parallel computing and networking, model physics and predictability to analyze and forecast weather patterns hours to days in advance. One of America's leading meterological scientists is Rose-Hulman alumnus John Snow ('68, EE). Snow has been honored nationally and in England for his work. He's chaired some of the leading organizations that deal with atmospheric research. Snow has also led national efforts to improve earth science education in the K-12 grades. Since 1994, Snow has been dean of the College of Geosciences and professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The college consists of approximately 550 faculty, researchers and staff. Snow is also director of a major research center, the Oklahoma Weather Center. The Center is a confederation of federal, state and university organizations working together to improve the understanding of the Earth's atmosphere. The Center has played a key role in the $4 billion, decade-long modernization of the National Weather Service that is now nearing completion. The Center's programs include the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS). Honored two years ago by the Smithsonian Institution for its innovative development of software, CAPS personnel are developing new methods for the computer-based prediction of local, high-impact weather. Snow's current professional interest is in earth system science. "It's the integration of the best available knowledge from the earth and life sciences to provide a holistic picture of how the world works," explains Snow. His primary expertise is in the dynamics of columnar vortices, ranging in scale from small dust devils to tornadoes. He's also widely recognized for his research related to meterological measurements. Snow is the chair of national and international committees that set standards for the performance and utilization of surface-based instrumentation for measuring temperature, humidity, wind and pressure. It was the United States Army that started Snow on his career path. "An officer in the Pentagon noticed that my electrical engineering education included antenna design," recalls Snow who earned the MSEE from Rose-Hulman a year after receiving his bachelor's degree. "He decided that with my last name and knowledge of antennas, the logical assignment for this new second lieutenant was Alaska!" A person might think that an assignment in Alaska would have meant a short military career for Snow. But, that wasn't what happened. His military service lasted 28 years. Snow served in Desert Storm and received the Bronze Star for his service with the 22nd Support Command in Saudia Arabia in 1991. He directed operations and logistics support. Snow retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel three years ago. After receiving his Ph.D. in atmospheric science from Purdue University in 1977, Snow taught at the university for 16 years. He was promoted to the rank of professor of earth and atmospheric sciences before taking the dean's position at the University Oklahoma. What's on the horizon regarding better systems to predict the weather? "We're studying cutting edge technology to create the next generation of Doppler radar," he noted. "Phase-array radars, with antennaes with moving parts are the weather radars of the future," said Snow. "We also need small rapidly deployable radars to study phenomena such as hurricanes and tornadoes." Research is also under way to development enhanced numerical modeling methods and new data acquisition systems to improve the speed and accuracy for predicting severe weather, he stated. Snow has been honored as a Fellow in the American Meteorlogical Society and by the group's counterpart in the United Kingdom. He also serves on the education and human resources committees of the American Geophysical Union and the American Institute of Physics. "Meterology is maturing as a professional discipline. Our ability to observe and predict has improved remarkably in the last decade. As a result, meterological information can now give industries that are weather sensitive a competitive edge in many situations. Only a few people understand this. "As an example, most people don't fully understand the tremendous impact that meterology has on the nation's business." We should all be glad that John Snow does.
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