We are in the fourth quarter, but this is not a basketball game with a finite ending. It’s the fourth quarter of the calendar year, and as soon as it ends, we are right back into the first quarter of a new year. AMS is already looking ahead to the first quarter and beyond of 2027, into the 2030s, as we get ready to kick off a recently completed strategic plan to guide us for years to come.
Glancing in the rearview mirror to the most recent quarter, we’ve maintained our game. AMS launched a new certification program, known as CCSP. That stands for Certified Climate Science Professional. Like our other certifications, it will attest to the educational background and work experience of the individual and their ability to understand, interpret, and communicate the subject. In this case, the subject is climate information. Also climate-related, AMS, along with the American Geophysical Union (AGU), published the first paper in our joint U.S. Climate Collection. That is a home for assessment-related research focused on climate change in the United States. This research will be made available to inform future climate assessments in the U.S.
There are a couple of items on your to-do list. The first task is voting in AMS elections for Council and President Elect. If you haven’t done so already, the deadline to vote is November 11. Remember that November 3 is national midterm elections. Your second task is to exercise your right to vote. In doing so, consider the status of the weather, water, and climate enterprise and the policy challenges we face, impacting federal funding foundations and the educational and research pipeline.
Did you book a hotel yet for the 107th Annual Meeting in Denver in January? We’ve gotten a healthy number of abstracts, so I’m anticipating strong turnout. Having seen the abstracts, there will be something for everyone, and there will certainly be rounds of applause for the multitude of award winners and honorees. Registration for the meeting will open in late October.
