October 15 - 16, 2009
Eric Barron, Director, NCAR
Steven Businger, Chair, Unidata Policy Committee
"From facsimile machines to smart phones, continuing transitions in information delivery"
I plan to provide a a personal history of how Unidata has impacted my teaching and research. Before Unidata (BU) we hung fax charts in the Hall at NCSU and the Dept at UW employed a full time person to help plot data on charts. Now I am working with my staff to facilitate access to satellite imagery and model output from my iPhone. Transitions in teaching and research will be illustrated.
Rich Clark, Millersville University
"Drinking from the spring: The benefits of data services, tools, and leadership to students."
Ben Domenico, Unidata, will serve as the emcee for the event.
John Dutton, Dean Emeritus, Penn State University
Jack Fellows, Vice President and Director of UCAR Community Programs
Dave Fulker, Director Emeritus, Unidata
Mary Glackin, Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA
Bernard Grant, NSF
Richard Greenfield, Retired, National Science Foundation
"Recollections of the Unidata Origins: An NSF Perspective"
Cliff Jacobs, NSF, Geosciences Directorate
"Why Has Unidata Been Successful?"
By many measures Unidata has been a successful community endeavor. The talk presents the themes that have led to success and synergy among those themes that have yielded such positive outcomes. The final theme provides the context for Unidata today -- the burden of success.
Don Johnson, Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tim Killeen, NSF
Gary Lackmann, Outgoing Chair, Unidata Users Committee
"The Unidata Difference: Within and Outside the Classroom"
Abstract: From the use of archived case-study data in student term paper projects, to the utilization of realtime data for analysis and forecasting exercises, the value of Unidata software and data in the classroom is widely recognized. However, Unidata's role in university research activities outside the classroom may not be as fully appreciated in the broader geoscience community. Faculty, graduate, and undergraduate research have benefited tremendously from Unidata products and services. In these brief comments I will share observations and experiences which highlight Unidata's value to the university research enterprise.
Alexander E. MacDonald, Director, NOAA/ESRL
"Memories From 25 Years of Working With Unidata"
Charlie Murphy, Kean University
"Riding the Unidata Express (20 Years at the Speed of Light) "
Recollections of an undergraduate educator who boarded the Unidata Express over twenty years ago. The challenges of keeping up with the evolution of the Unidata program, technology, data sources and the effective integration into the undergraduate curriculum. How Unidata Express dragged us (sometimes kicking and screaming) into the 21^st century and helped shaped geoscience education. And then of course there was the pin 17 issue.
Steve Nelson, NSF
Mohan Ramamurthy, Director Unidata
Perry Samson, University of Michigan
"Unidata and Oceanography Through the Ages"
In the beginning (25 years ago), there was darkness. Then came
Unidata. Now technologies such as NetCDF, NcML, THREDDS, NetCDF-Java
and IDV are shining light upon oceans of information. A brief
history of ocean infomatics as enabled by Unidata will be presented.
Louis Uccellini, Director, NOAA/NCEP
"The Unidata-NCEP Partnership: Transferring Model Output and Software to the University Community"
NCEP's involvement with Unidata represents a history of interactions facilitating the real-time transfer of numerical weather prediction models to the university community. This history will be reviewed highlighting the role of USWRP and CONDUIT. The Unidata-NCEP partnership also allowed the N-AWIPS display software to be distributed to the university community providing easy access, display and manipulation of the data. The many advantages of this partnership for NCEP will be discussed including rapid diagnoses of deficiencies and increased sources for new and upgraded model evaluations.