It's an REUnion!

Last updated 6/18/08.

Schedule

Friday, June 20:

Informal dinner and hang out. Meet up starting at 6p at the Clear Bay Cafe at Lake Thunderbird State Park. Nice setting overlooking the lake, informal, grilled foods and small bar, open until 11p, so you can linger as late as you want!

From maps.google.com, Lake Thunderbird is east of Norman on Hwy 9. The park entrance shown in the photo below is in the road segment where Hwy 9 bends to the northeast between 120th and 156th Aves SE:

Note the horse on the sign to the left, the Clear Bay Cafe sign in the middle and Lake Thunderbird State Park sign on the right. This is what the approach looks like if you are coming from Norman... except I hope you are driving on the correct side of the road!! :-)

Once you're in the park, take 3 right turns to get to the restaurant. The signs alternate between saying simply "restaurant" to saying something about Clear Bay Cafe or Clear Bay Grill. ~~three right turns inside the park~~

Saturday, June 21, at the National Weather Center:

120 David L. Boren Blvd. -- the northeast corner of Hwy 9 and Jenkins. Check out the Street View on maps.google.com. They've been here! They drove down David L. Boren Blvd & everything. Wow...

Agenda

9a - 10a: Ice Breaker/ Networking - introduce yourself to someone you don't know!

10-11:30a: Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Christopher Juckins, technical support meteorologist, NOAA Tropical Prediction Center (a.k.a. National Hurricane Center)

Ross Dixon, forensic consultant

Aisha Muhammad (REU'05), WeatherNews, Inc.

Eric Holthaus, Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society, applying weather to issues of environmental/social justice

11:30-1:30p: Lunch w/ mentors on the NWC patio. Families / significant others welcome.

1:30-2:30p: And Just How Do You Get to Those Places You Might Go?

Nick Metz (REU'03), pursuing Ph.D. at SUNY Albany

Kim Klockow (REU'04), pursuing MSPM and will do interdisciplinary Ph.D. at OU

Plus, improptu participation from everyone there! Several are working with only B.S. degrees, etc.

2:30-2:45 Break

3-4p: Networking Activity: Is REU worthwhile? ~~Why?~~How?~~ And how do we show that to NSF?

One idea:

Write a letter to NSF activity

Tell NSF one or more things you gained from being involved in REU! The first statement should give the cause and effect, then explain with additional sentences.

Example (I made this up):

By attending a national conference, I finally found the research area I wanted to pursue in graduate school! Before REU, I knew astronomy was really interesting but I thought meteorology would be, too. REU confirmed that meteorology was interesting, and that I liked the nature of research. But I still wasn't sure which field to pursue. I was thrilled to discover space weather at the AMS Annual Meeting and am now pursuing my Ph.D. in that field! Many thanks to NSF for giving me the opportunity to present my research while also continuing to explore the possibilities in the atmospheric sciences.

6:30 - 10:30p: Dinner @ Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (RSVPs are now past-due)
Business formal attire, spouses/significant others only. Past and current participants attending the REUnion were automatically considered RSVP'd. Others needed to have responded already.

Sunday, June 22: 9a

Informal meet-up at Golden Corral starting at 9 a.m. for some last good times before everyone leaves. They have a breakfast buffet that is reported to be pretty good, plus they have ample seating.

123 N. Interstate Drive, just north of Main Street, in Norman. Here's the view from maps.google.com ~just~ after you turn off Main Street onto N. Interstate Drive:

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