NWS meteorologists demonstrating AWIPS II

Thanks to a 2015 Unidata Community Equipment Award grant, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Atmospheric Science Program has been able to acquire a dedicated AWIPS II Environmental Data EXchange (EDEX) server and three Common AWIPS Visualization Environment (CAVE) workstations. The machines were deployed in our Atmospheric Science computer lab in mid-August 2015, just prior to the start of the 2015-16 academic year. Over the past year, our program has seen maximum benefit from these resources in two areas: strengthening our partnership with the Milwaukee/Sullivan, Wisconsin National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (MKX) and as a tool to enhance student development outside of a formal classroom setting.

Earlier this year, the Unidata Users Committee asked members of the Unidata community to participate in a survey regarding their use of scientific software packages, software training, and community services, and to favor us with their insights into possible future directions for the program. You can read an overview of the survey results in 2016 Community Survey Results.

While Unidata's governing committees and the Unidata Program Center staff will continue to analyze the survey comments in the process of crafting Unidata's next Strategic Plan, individual Program Center development groups are also using the survey as input into their own development plans. This series of articles provides responses from different development groups to comments or concerns raised by the survey. Under review in this article: Python activities at Unidata.

Earlier this year, the Unidata Users Committee asked members of the Unidata community to participate in a survey regarding their use of scientific software packages, software training, and community services, and to favor us with their insights into possible future directions for the program. The survey ran through early February, and collected responses from 261 individuals from 25 countries. Both the Users Committee and the Unidata Program Center staff thank those who completed the survey for taking the time to participate and for providing such thoughtful feedback.

The survey comprised 107 questions on a variety of topics (although the survey was structured to allow respondents to skip over sections in which they had little interest or expertise). Read on for a summary and access to the full survey results.

Several members of the Unidata Program Center staff will be attending the 2016 European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly. The meeting takes place 17-22 April 2016 in Vienna, Austria.

Read on for a schedule listing sessions at which Unidata staff will be presenting or attending.

Larissa Gordon joined the Unidata Program Center as a summer communication intern on March 14th, 2016. Larissa has just completed her Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in Evolutionary Biology; she also earned minors in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and Creative Writing, Fiction Studies.

Her primary interest in her undergraduate career was the interaction between biota and climate, specifically in a marine environment.

Do you know someone in the Unidata community who has been actively involved and helpful to you and other Unidata members? Perhaps this is someone who volunteers to assist others, contributes software, or makes suggestions that are generally useful for the community.

The Unidata Users Committee invites you to submit nominations for the Russell L. DeSouza Award for Outstanding Community Service. This Community Service Award honors individuals whose energy, expertise, and active involvement enable the Unidata Program to better serve the geosciences. Honorees personify Unidata's ideal of a community that shares ideas, data, and software through computing and networking technologies.

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) invites you to participate in a webinar to learn about the 2016 National Water Center (NWC) Summer Institute. The Summer Institute will take place at the University of Alabama and NOAA's National Water Center from June 6 - July 20, 2016; it is a seven week period of intense collaboration at the NWC that is open to incoming and current students, as well as, post-docs.

The webinar, held on March 2nd at 4pm EST and hosted by David Maidment of the University of Texas, will provide an overview of the program and the corresponding opportunities for students as well as answer any questions.

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) is soliciting applications from students who wish to participate in the 2016 National Water Center (NWC) Summer Institute under the auspices of the NWC's Innovator's Program. The Summer Institute will take place at the University of Alabama and NOAA's National Water Center from June 6 - July 20, 2016. The Summer Institute will be led by faculty theme leads and daily oversight will be provided by post-doctoral fellow course coordinators. Following the Summer Institute, students will be selected and invited to attend the CUAHSI Biennial Meeting July 25-27, 2016 to present their work during a special session.

Spend the summer in beautiful Boulder, Colorado

Do you use Unidata software packages? Do you love to write code? The Unidata Summer Internship program is looking for you!

The application deadline for the 2016 Unidata Summer Internship has been extended until 22 February 2016.