33rd NWA ANNUAL MEETING
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND!

Call for Abstracts
The National Weather Association's 33rd Annual Meeting will be held at the Galt House Hotel & Suites, on the waterfront in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, from October 11-16, 2008.

THEME: Utilizing Our Past to Improve Our Future

The Annual Meeting Program Committee Chair is John Gordon, the Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NOAA/NWS Forecast Office, 6201 Theiler Lane, Louisville, KY 40229; annualmeeting@nwas.org; (502) 969-8842.
The Broadcaster Workshop Program Chair is Bryan Karrick, KCCI-TV Meteorologist, 888 Ninth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309; bkarrick@hearst.com. Contact them with your suggestions and/or to volunteer to help with the program.

Professional Development Opportunities will include:

Saturday, October 11: On-site registration will begin, training may be offered by corporate members, exhibits will set up, and the seventh annual golf outing in support of scholarships will occur, weather permitting.

Sunday, October 12: WEATHER BROADCASTER WORKSHOPS will include special presentations, exhibits and hands-on workshops appropriate to continuing education for weathercasters, but open to all interested. The annual TAPE SWAP will be on Sunday evening.

Monday – Thursday, October 13 - 16: ANNUAL MEETING GENERAL SESSIONS will include a mix of formal presentations, poster sessions, training workshops, exhibits and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics relating to OPERATIONAL meteorology, hydrology, weather broadcasting, new research applications, user concerns and the main theme.

Student presentations will be reviewed by the NWA Weather Analysis and Forecasting Committee members and monetary awards will be presented to the best in undergraduate and graduate student categories.

The NWA Annual Awards Luncheon will be on Wednesday, October 15th.

Abstract Submissions: The deadline for submission of abstracts has passed.

If you are unable to submit your abstract via the online form, please contact the NWA office at Tel/Fax: (919) 845-1546 or e-mail: exdir@nwas.org.

Presenters will be notified regarding the disposition of their abstracts by August 15, 2008. Prior to the meeting, an FTP site will be established for authors to upload their audio/visual presentations. This will facilitate a smooth transition from one speaker to the next during the Annual Meeting presentation sessions.

Annual Meeting Hotel Information:

The Galt House, located at 140 N. Fourth St., Louisville, Kentucky 40202, is a full-service hotel and convention center. Located in the heart of a revitalized downtown Louisville, many attractions and restaurants are located within easy walking distance. More hotel information can be viewed at Web site: www.galthouse.com

The hotel offers two types of rooms. “Deluxe Rooms” in the West Tower and “Suites” in the East Tower. The towers are connected by a wide, indoor walkway.

NWA room rates are as follows:
West Tower Rooms - $97 per night
East Tower Suites - $130 per night
For both types of lodging, up to four people may be accommodated for an additional charge of $10 per night per person. This option may be of interest to students.

You may reserve a room either by phone or online. For phone reservations, please call the Galt House reservations at 1-800-843-4258 and request the National Weather Association 2008 group rate. A credit card number will be requested but no charges will be made at the time of the reservation. For online reservations, visit www.galthouse.com, go to “Reservations” and follow the directions for making group reservations. The ID Number to use for this meeting is 829545.

Please reserve your hotel room NO LATER THAN September 10, 2008 to be able to obtain the NWA discount rates.

Additional Plans: Thanks to Betsy Kling, the Seventh Annual Golf Outing to benefit the NWA Scholarship Fund will be held at Shawnee Golf Course in Louisville (10 minutes from the hotel and right on the river) http://www.shawneegolfcourse.com/golf/proto/playshawneegolf/. First tee time will be Noon and the fee will be only $75. Rental clubs will be available for only $5 which may be a nice option for those flying in view of increased charges for baggage.

The preliminary agenda is expected to be published in August in the Newsletter and on the NWA Web site (www.nwas.org). Registration information and forms will be available on the Web site and the Newsletter by June.

Preregistration information and forms are now available at: http://www.nwas.org/meetings/nwa08mtg/prereg.html. Preregister by October 3, 2008 for discount fees.

For more information on exhibits, special accommodations, registration and the overall meeting program, please see the Web site (www.nwas.org) updates or contact the NWA office at Tel/Fax: (919) 845-1546 or e-mail: exdir@nwas.org. See you in Derby City!