Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society
University of Oklahoma
Minutes for General Meeting
September 13th, 2011
This meeting was held at the National Weather Center, in Room 1313. This meeting opened
with a majority of members approving a revised OUSCAMS Constitution. Following that, there
were several announcements. Pat Hyland reminded everyone again about the upcoming visits to
Norman Public Schools to pursue funding for a weather museum in Norman. Addison Alford
reminded everyone that OUSCAMS polos will be available for purchase. Kaitlyn Smolernoff,
Student Volunteer Coordinator for the National Weather Festival, encouraged everyone to
volunteer for that event, which will occur on October 29th. Lauren Duhon reminded everyone
that there are openings for those who wish to work on the OUSCAMS web and media
committee. Finally, Emily Thompson reminded everyone to email her if they participate in other
School of Meteorology organizations and want incentive points for participating in those
organizations.
Following these announcements, Dr. Petra Klein took the stage to speak about study abroad
opportunities. She is the coordinator of the School of Meteorology European Exchange
Program. According to her, there are many reasons to study abroad, including broadening your
horizons, learning foreign languages, making friends, travelling, learning about weather in other
parts of the world, studying the global issues of atmospheric sciences, networking, and learning
to live and working in a culturally diverse environment. OU Meteorology offers three study
abroad programs: one each in Reading, England; Hamburg, Germany; and Monash, Australia.
All of the programs match up with courses taught at OU, allowing study abroad students to
graduate on time. All study abroad programs take place during the Spring Semester of a
student’s Junior Year. All study abroad students enroll in 12 INTL hours and remain OU
students, and therefore pay OU tuition.
Dr. Klein then talked in detail about the program at Reading, England. Reading is a large town
located 40 miles west of London with an excellent public transportation system then allows
students to visit London pretty much whenever they want. The University of Reading has an
excellent meteorology program and a beautiful campus. The campus is 300 acres, and is located
close to the Reading town centre. Teaching at Reading is divided into three 10-week terms, and
students take classes in Spring and Summer terms. Most study abroad students stay in the
residence halls while at Reading. The School of Meteorology Reading Coordinator is Dr. Pete
Lamb. Recent OU Students at Reading include Nathalie Daab, Stacey Hitchcock, and Nathan
New. Current Reading Students at OU are Chelsey Cooper, Thomas Crabtree, Rebecca
Emerton, David Flack, William Hall, Anne Hickey, and William Manslaka.
Dr. Klein then talked in detail about the program at Monash, Australia. The University of
Monash is ranked in the top 50 universities in the world. It has Australia’s largest campus, and
has a strong focus on international exchange with the student body being 30% international
students. Meteorology courses at Monash are part of the Mathematical Sciences department,
with METR courses also offered in the Geography and Environmental Sciences department.
Classes at Monash start around March 1st, which is known as the Fall Semester there since
Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. Study abroad students need to be at Monash two weeks
before classes start. The School of Meteorology Coordinator for Monash is Dr. Fred Carr.
Lindsay Maudlin was the last OU student to study abroad at Monash, and there are currently no
Monash students at OU.
Dr. Klein then talked in detail about the program at Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg is Germany’s
second largest city. It is a harbor city, and has a great public transportation network. The
University of Hamburg is an urban campus located in walking distance to the city centre. It is
Germany’s fifth largest university and one of the European centers for Atmospheric Research.
The Max-Lank Institute for Meteorology, which is a major research center, is located on campus.
Classes at Hamburg typically start around April 1st and go until July 15th. Classes are typically
taught in Germany, but prospective students shouldn’t be scared by that, as the School of
Meteorology has funds available to support intensive language courses that students will take at a
top language school from January-March prior to classes starting at Hamburg. In addition, once
classes start, English-speaking tutors will be available. Finally, students from other European
countries will be in the same boat. The School of Meteorology Coordinator for Hamburg is Dr.
Klein herself. Recent OU students at Hamburg include Genna Langum and Natalye Lahart.
Current Hamburg students at OU are Friedrich Richter, Jobst Muesse, Thilo Janssen, and Tobias
Becker.
Finally, Dr. Klein talked about the study abroad application process. Prospective students must
have a 3.0 GPA and must have passed the Intro to Meteorology sequence with grades of a B or
better. In addition, prospective students must contact the faculty liaison of their chosen program
and send this person an email before September 23rd. Prospective students must attach their OU
transcript, a brief statement of why they want to go, and two personal references. Students must
then complete a questionnaire, get two letters of recommendation from OU faculty members or
instructors, and also must have a scan of their passport photo page.
After Dr. Klein left the stage, all OU students who went to Reading, Monash, or Hamburg last
spring made a personal presentation of their experiences at those schools. In addition, the
Reading and Hamburg students who are currently at OU made their own presentations about
their schools. The meeting was then adjourned.