Have You Ever Heard of a Weather Conference?

Stay tuned for recorded presentations of interest from the 2023 Annual Meeting, coming soon!

When you think of a conference, what usually comes to mind? For me, networking, lots of mixers, presentations about new and exciting breakthroughs in the field, and fellowship with colleagues. In the weather, water and climate enterprise, conferences are a mix of all of those things plus more.

There are several popular national weather-related conferences in the U.S., but one that I will focus on in this article: the American Meteorological Society (AMS) annual meeting. The AMS has smaller, conferences focused on specific topics throughout the year, but the annual meeting is the time when all smaller conferences and symposiums come together for one large gathering. You can view the full list of upcoming conferences here.

As a nine-year (going on ten in 2023) member myself, I have experienced attending seven in-person annual meetings between 2014-2020 and have learned a lot about what they can offer both professionals and enthusiasts. In general, the AMS annual meeting is chock full of events, presentations, and information. As I prepare to go to the next annual meeting, I want to provide a taste of some opportunities that attendees can explore during the meeting.

The next conference is the AMS 103^rd Annual Meeting from January 8-12, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. Weather enthusiasts are welcome to attend any or all of the conference. It will be a hybrid annual meeting. You can register to attend the conference through January 7, 2023. If you decide to register once the conference already starts, you are limited to virtual attendance only, but that is still an option.

The conference theme is determined by the AMS President to encourage scientists to submit presentations that tie together through the theme. The 103^rd annual meeting theme is Data: Driving Science. Informing Decisions. Enriching Humanity.

Attendees range from earth and atmospheric scientists, professionals, students, authors, educators, researchers, and weather enthusiasts from around the world. You can register for the conference as an AMS member, retired and student members, non-member who is not presenting, as well as presenters that are not members. The registration cost for each of these groups is explained here. 

If at this point of reading, you are thinking about going to the conference, I have great news – you can take a look at the online program to see what interests you now.

Say you’re a student weather enthusiast, well there’s a whole conference devoted to you! The student conference takes place Saturday, January 7 through Sunday, January 8. Or, if you simply want to just explore the science in general, the main conference starts later in the evening on Sunday, January 8 through some networking mixers and continues through Thursday, January 12.

The main presentations begin on Monday, January 9. Presentations range from live oral sessions including a mix of in-person and virtual presentations, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions. There will also be poster presentations. The virtual presentations will take place via Zoom and all presentations will be recorded for the attendees to go back and watch or if they can’t make a specific talk, they can catch the recording later. The recordings will be online 72 hours after the session ends.

Another motivation for attending the annual meeting is the plethora of professional development opportunities. You can participate in short courses to gain and improve skillsets. There are also certifications you can pursue through the AMS and part of the examination process usually takes place during the annual meeting including the oral examination of the Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) certification program. There is opportunity to have your resume reviewed and talk with potential employers in person if you have already applied for a job.

This is most likely to happen during the exhibit hall sessions. The exhibit hall is a highlight of the meeting and stays open for the duration of the meeting. Businesses and organizations promote their work in the field. They have handouts about their organizations and free giveaways. Many exhibitors come to the meeting with the intention of highlighting opportunities for jobs and internships within their organization. A full list of the exhibitors is available to review now.

In addition, the hall sessions are great times for networking with others in general as they walk through the booths. Outside of the exhibitor hall, there are several other Networking events throughout the meeting as the AMS is very serious about providing opportunities for colleagues to build relationships and take time to have robust discussions on the science and job opportunities.

If you are looking to transition into the weather, water, and climate enterprise, or if you are eager to immerse yourself into the field as an enthusiast, I encourage you to explore the in-person and virtual opportunities coming up at the 103^rd annual meeting in January 2023. Stay connected with other conference opportunities throughout the year as well as future annual meetings at ametsoc.org.