SSEC In the News - April 1998

Soundings -- A Newsletter for SSEC Employees

Space Science and Engineering Center. April 1998.

In the News Part II On the 'Net In Print Outreach	On the Air Signs of the Apocalypse? Southcentral Wisconsin viewers of WISC, TV Channel 3, called the station to report brown (around Madison) and red (Janesville and Beloit) rain. Reporter Toya Washington called SSEC for the reason. Senior scientist Dave Martin explained that sands of varying colors can be scooped up in far-reaching, fast-moving storms and deposited in rainwater in amounts large enough to change the color.
For More Information Eclipse Movie	Randall White of WMTV, Madison's NBC affiliate, interviewed Sanjay Limaye February 26 about that day's solar eclipse. Madison could barely see the eclipse (it could be seen best in the Caribbean) but SSEC did archive satellite images and produced a striking movie showing the moon's shadow moving across the Earth.
	Not Much, You?
Whad'Ya Know?	Liam Gumley, a CIMSS researcher from Western Australia, appeared on Michael Feldman's Saturday morning radio show, Whad'Ya Know?, on February 28. Ostensibly playing the Whad'Ya Know quiz, Liam turned the opportunity into some publicity for SSEC. Those familiar with the show know that Michael uses his guests, including quiz participants, as foils for his estimable personal wit. However, this time, he met his match. Liam used his ten minutes of fame to educate the National Public Radio audience about SSEC's position as a major R&D center at UW-Madison, his role as researcher, and the importance of satellite data. SSEC's public relations specialist wishes she could take some credit for Liam's appearance but, instead, congratulates Liam on a job well done.
	On the 'Net
For More Information NSF Geosciences Unidata Community	The National Science Foundation Geosciences Server displays and links to SSEC's global montage and sea surface temperature images. The Integrated Earth Information Web site provides a directory of information supplied by universities and research institutions that use Unidata's Internet Data Distribution network. Servers in the Unidata Community lists a number of sources of SSEC Web information. The list includes CIMSS as an excellent source for sounder data.
Tracking El Niño Virtual Weather Station	PBS links to SSEC's global montage in NOVA's latest on-line adventure, "Tracking El Niño." NOVA's El Niño reporter gives a complete and easy-to-understand story of the weather phenomenon. The global montage is used in the Virtual Weather Station portion of the report, under El Niño Now.
	In Print
For More Information EarthKam In the News	Madison Skies (March 1998), the newsletter for the Madison School District's Planetarium, gives the local angle to EarthKAM. This project allows students to remotely control a camera on the Space Shuttle. During the January mission, STS-89, students at Spring Harbor and Velma Hamilton middle schools viewed forest fires burning in the Amazon region of South America. Rosalyn Pertzborn and Sanjay Limaye, of SSEC's Outreach office, wrote "Digital Windows on the World--Madison Kids View the Earth." They emphasized the unique world view that the project gave students and emphasized SSEC support. Madison students obtained forty images of the 400 taken during STS-89.
	Teaching and Outreach
For More Information Red Rover Rover and the College Access Program	Sanjay Limaye and Rose Pertzborn delivered a miniature Mars Rover to the Children's Hospital Open House on March 15. Linda Drummond, from the UW Hospital and Clinics, reports it has been a big hit. The Red Rover project, complete with Internet links, will be set up in the Pediatric Classroom. This rover is like those that premiered in last summer's College Access Program, sponsored by SSEC at Lincoln Elementary School.
Antarctic Projects Home Page	Lynn Allen, a teacher at Little Sprouts preschool, corresponded with Matthew Lazzara, SSEC's peripatetic Antarctica visitor, on behalf of her students. When her unit on Antarctica was over, she shared the results with Matthew: "We have just finished our unit on the Polar Regions. We ended with Polar/Penguin Days, making polar cookies and playing games like polar bear fishing and slide like a penguin." Matthew and others who work with Professor Chuck Stearns in his polar research regularly correspond with students about their work.
Direct comments, questions, and information about other SSEC media appearances to Terri Gregory, SSEC's Public Information Specialist. For information about past media appearances, visit SSEC In the News page. [In the News Part I, Earth Observing System]