This session will look at some of the many new facilities that are coming into existence as well as being proposed. Existing facilities are being upgraded or are developing new techniques. The focus of these two sessions will be on the way these new observational capabilities support the space weather enterprise.

The total solar eclipse that will occur on 21 August 2017 will have its path of totality over the continental United States. Talks from this session will highlight early results from observations of the eclipse with an emphasis on space weather impacts. Presentations from citizen science activities related to the solar eclipse are also welcome.

2018 Haurwitz Lecture

This session will look at some of the many new facilities that are coming into existence as well as being proposed. Existing facilities are being upgraded or are developing new techniques. The focus of these two sessions will be on the way these new observational capabilities support the space weather enterprise.

Poster presentations for the space weather conference.

The Robert T. Ryan Symposium will conclude with a cocktail reception welcoming symposium attendees, along with Bob's numerous colleagues and former interns from across the weather enterprise. With a short program hosted by symposium co-chair and AMS Fellow Veronica Johnson of WJLA in Washington, D.C., this casual event will honor Bob for his distinguished career, achievements, and contributions to the American Meteorological Society.

This session is focused on progress being made in moving forward with research that enables better space weather forecasts and improves communication of these results.

We solicit papers on key science challenges, including prediction of solar flares, determining the geoeffectiveness of space weather storms, and understanding and predicting ionospheric variability.

This session will look at some of the many new facilities that are coming into existence as well as being proposed. Existing facilities are being upgraded or are developing new techniques. The focus of these two sessions will be on the way these new observational capabilities support the space weather enterprise.

We encourage all attendees to take the opportunity to grab a snack and coffee and spend this extended afternoon break networking with colleagues and viewing the hundreds of posters on display in the poster hall. Poster displays are grouped by conference and change each day.

We solicit papers on key science challenges, including prediction of solar flares, determining the geoeffectiveness of space weather storms, and understanding and predicting ionospheric variability.

This session focuses on the many ways that space weather can impact communication.

Similar to terrestrial weather, Space Weather causes a wide variety of issues that can affect our daily lives. As our reliance on technology advances, the effects of space weather go beyond the common knowledge of the aurora that transforms our skies to less well-known things like radio communications disruptions and the heightened radiation dose airline passengers receive during space weather events. Even some of the ubiquitous GPS errors on today’s smartphones can be attributed to space weather. From minor issues to historic catastrophes, space weather effects are all around us, all at once intimidating and awe inspiring. With the introduction of space tourism, we find our society beginning to leave the rim of our world and venturing out into a vast universe beyond. Within a few years, there are going to be commercial rocket flights and stratospheric balloons that will take ordinary people closer to the edge of space than ever before. However, the public largely has no idea what space weather means. Although NASA and other science agencies have done much to create an open data policy to increase public awareness, a huge disconnect still exists between the scientists who study space weather and those in the public who benefit from forecasting. As terrestrial meteorology was in the 1960s, so we find ourselves in a similar state for space weather now. Forecast data exists, but it is mostly geared towards specialized audiences, with very little avenue for dissemination to the public. It is a critical time. New modes of communicating space weather to a very eager public are becoming available. Some of these critical paths may be through broadcast and social media, and having actionable forecasts immediately accessible to the public could make all the difference. This is the paradigm shift that we must strive for—that space weather is real, relevant, and knowable. The proposed session will combine the expertise of space scientists, meteorologists, and broadcasters to stimulate an interdisciplinary discussion during this pivotal time in both the history of the AMS and in the communication of space weather. During the session the following questions will be discussed:  Who benefits from space weather forecasting and communication? What are the biggest challenges to successfully communicating and engaging the public? Where do key opportunities lie that facilitate collaboration and inspire unique platforms for engagement? How can we best engage and educate members of the AMS, AGU, and broadcast community in the art of communicating space weather?

We encourage all attendees to take the opportunity to grab a snack and coffee and spend this extended afternoon break networking with colleagues and viewing the hundreds of posters on display in the poster hall. Poster displays are grouped by conference and change each day.