Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--For the second consecutive year, a Mississippi State meteorology team is No. 1 in North America.
Representing the university's geosciences department, the 10-person student and faculty group finished first among more than 1,600 representatives of 75 universities, colleges and research organizations at a recent national weather forecasting competition.
The WxChallenge, involving participants from the United States and Canada, is a non-profit event begun in 2006 at the University of Oklahoma. (For more, visit http://wxchallenge.com/.)
"Winning back-to-back championships means a great deal for the geosciences department," said Doug Gillham, geosciences' distance learning programs director.
Gillham said MSU team members "made substantial time commitments and sacrifices to win," adding that "without the foundation that our students receive in general education and departmental major courses, this championship would not have been possible." (For more on the academic programs, visit www.msstate.edu/dept/geosciences/atmo.htm.)
Competitors worked to predict high and low temperatures, maximum sustained wind speed and total precipitation at select locations across the country. The challenge spanned 20 combined weeks during the fall and spring, with the top 64 teams gathering for a final three-week tournament.
Scoring is based on degrees of accuracy between the forecasts and verified meteorological measurements for each city, with trophies awarded in four categories: freshman/sophomore, junior/senior, master's/doctoral, and faculty/staff.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Mr. Gillham at 662-325-9646 or dmg3@msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.