Storm Conference

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2010

How does a student fair when confronting their future? How might a student find allure in their chosen profession?

It is not a secret that students wonder from time to time why it is they are studying what they are studying. With seemingly endless homework, it is easy to loose perspective. Some are more certain than others, and others not certain at all. Taking into consideration that uncertainty, the American Meteorology Society (AMS) Lyndon State College chapter conducts a purely student led conference that attracts students and professionals alike.
The conference is a chance for Atmospheric Science students to both meet professionals in many fields of expertise and also for students to get to know their student counterparts from other schools they would otherwise not meet. Anthony McGee, the AMS president at Lyndon State College, along with other members in the AMS chapter, organized this year’s conference. McGee says, “You have this awesome mix of people who have been in the field for years and students that are just starting out.” This year there are over three hundred people attending the conference appropriately dubbed the Storm Conference. McGee also said, “A lot of the presentations are student presentations”, stressing, “It’s encouraging for students to know that professionals are hearing what they have to say.”
With the mix of students and professionals in one place, there exists a chance to not only learn more about ones chosen profession, but also to connect to others and to keep those connections strong. The head of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Dr. Roger Wakimoto, will be this year’s key not speaker. Dr. Wakimoto’s speech is expected to be on his personal journey as a Meteorologist.
The students also benefit by getting to hear presentations of current research in different fields. Lyndon State Atmospheric Science student Kyle Blount said, “You get to learn about facets that you didn’t know existed”, also saying, “It definitely helps guide you to what you like to do in Atmospheric Science.”
It is not hard to see that the Storm Conference provides the students the chance to discover themselves within that community. What may be hard to see however is the bond that is created between these students because of events like this one. So how does a student fair when confronting their future? If you are apart of the Storm Conference, I would say pretty well.