STORM-CHASING SCIENTIST TALKS TORNADOES
Posted on November 29, 2010
Dr. Karen Kosiba is a postdoctoral scientist at the Center
for Severe Weather Research (CSWR) in Boulder, Colo. She will discuss VORTEX2 — the Verification of Rotation in
Tornadoes Experiment 2 — at 11 a.m. Dec.
9 in Eberly Hall, Room 110, on the campus in California, Pa. Her talk is part of the ongoing Meteorology/Earth Sciences
Colloquia series at Cal U. The second phase of VORTEX 2 ran from May 1 through June 15,
2010. More than 100 scientists conducted field experiments on severe weather
outbreaks across the Great Plains to answer basic questions about tornadoes,
such as how, when and why they form; how they can be predicted more accurately;
and why some are stronger and longer-lasting than other twisters. Kosiba operated a Doppler on Wheels unit and coordinated
CSWR teams during the VORTEX 2 project, which received $10 million in funding
from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. The Weather Channel also reported on the project earlier this
year. The original VORTEX, in the mid-1990s, inspired the film Twister. Admission to Kosiba’s talk
is free, and the public may attend. Parking is available in the Vulcan Garage,
off Third Street near the campus entrance.
