Facilities

In the University of Wisconsin system, the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences is the academic home for teaching and research activities in these fields. From two professors in 1948 the Department of Meteorology has grown and evolved into the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences with 16 faculty members. It shares the 15-story Atmospheric Oceanic and Space Sciences Building, at 1225 West Dayton Street, with the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC). Most of the work in SSEC is on the earth's atmosphere or the atmosphere of other planets, with a strong component in instrument development. Also located within the building is the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, a joint effort among the University, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Finally, the building houses the Center for Climatic Research which is part of the University's Institute for Environmental Studies.

In the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences we have access to up-to-the-minute weather data. Assorted instruments provide continuous observations of local weather. An excellent radar display unit is available that can show images from most NWS radars. Current film loops of weather satellite images from around the world are created in SSEC and shown on TV monitors throughout the building and campus. The map room contains products from NWS including current analyses and forecasts from various computer and statistical models. For classroom purposes the department has an array of personal computers and a powerful central computer for analyzing and displaying current weather and for working on class projects. Most individual professors also have extensive computing capabilities and laboratory facilities for their research. There is ready access from computers in the department to computers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, other supercomputers in universities, and government research laboratories around the country. Reference libraries are found within the building, in adjacent Weeks Hall, in the nearby Engineering Library, and in Science Hall.

Among the University of Wisconsin - Madison's approximately 40,000 students, there are usually between 40 and 60 students taking courses in our degree program. These students usually know each other well. There are several social gatherings per year such as the traditional Solstice Party. Many take the opportunity to participate in various activities in the department such as the strong local student chapter of the American Meteorological Society.