16th Presidential Forum: Serving Society in Times of Crisis: Past, Present, and Future, 11 January 2016, New Orleans, Louisiana

Authors & Presenters

Please note that abstract fees are only refundable if your abstract is rejected for presentation and Any abstracts withdrawn after acceptance must still be paid in full.

Important Dates

Check/Change Abstract Title and Author Listing Deadline: 2 November 2015
Oral Presentation Upload Deadline (before meeting): 4 January 2016
Supplementary Information Upload Deadline 11 February 2015

Call for Papers

The theme for the 2016 AMS Annual Meeting, “Earth System Science in Service to Society”, weaves the many parts of AMS into a common core. Emphasizing the academic and research strength of AMS, the theme also connects that research to the benefits that society gains from our science. AMS merges the physical, chemical, and biological study of the Earth with human-centered “domains of action”: (1) Observing, (2) Analysis and research leading to understanding, (3) Modeling and prediction, and (4) Social sciences – how people deal with Earth. “Service to Society” explicitly evokes the integrated and complementary government and commercial enterprise that the AMS has done so much to foster over the last decade. The 2016 meeting integrates AMS’ proud, nearly 100-year history of making a positive difference in the lives of our citizens by continually communicating the advances of its science research to the public and policy makers.

This year’s Presidential Forum reflects upon the American Meteorological Society (AMS) annual meeting theme, "Earth System Science in Service to Society" that provides participants a better understanding of living through extreme events. Our society continues to experience the effects of more and more extreme events like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and drought, some as a result of our changing climate and others as a result of our expanding population. The AMS needs to continue to address lessons learned, and more importantly, identify what future actions it will take to help mitigate the impact of these devastating life-changing events. To highlight this, we’ve invited an outstanding panel of speakers – Admiral Thad Allen, United States Coast Guard (ret), Executive Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton; Max Mayfield, Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Hurricane Center (ret); Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Dr. Shirley Laska, Professor Emerita, and founding past Director of the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology, University of New Orleans. Moderator Maureen McCann, News 13 Orlando, will lead a discussion of the panelists' personal experiences during Hurricane Katrina and Deepwater Horizon. The panel will also address AMS’s current activities that encompass research and forecasting of events and inspire our members to embrace a renewed sense of purpose as they direct our Society in the coming years.

In addition to the Monday Presidential Forum, other related activities to this year’s theme include a Presidential Town Hall on Wednesday – “Demystifying Careers in the Atmospheric Sciences;” a one-day Special Symposium on Hurricane Katrina: Progress in Leveraging Science, Enhancing Response, and Improving Resilience; Core Science Talks; and a series of international sessions and joint themed sessions crossing many conferences and symposia.

Program Chair(s)

For additional information, please contact Mary Cairns.