Introduction

     I have always had a passion for the weather and studying the earth's atmosphere. As a small child, I vividly remember hot summer evenings when the clouds would suddenly turn dark and the lightning and thunder would light up the sky over my house in New Jersey. It was clear from before the time that I even entered high school that I was meant to study meteorology for the rest of my academic career. I earned my bachelor's degree from Rutgers University where - for my undergraduate thesis - I studied the thermodynamics of the atmosphere just preceding severe thunderstorms. The summer before my senior year, my professor suggested that I attend the first Undergraduate Leadership Workshop to be held at NCAR in Boulder, Colorado. The workshop broadened my interests in the atmospheric sciences and forever changed my career plans.

     During that workshop, I became interested in the science of climate change and the societal impact of global warming. I chose to continue my education at Rutgers and work with a faculty member Dr. Anthony Broccoli who has a well-respected career in modeling and understanding climate change. I am currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Rutgers and my research focuses on the downscaling of global models to analyze climate change at the regional level - particularly along the eastern coast of North America. For the past two years, I have studied model-simulated trends in snowfall and my advisor and I are planning to incorporate our own simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model developed by UCAR.

     When I first heard of this summer camp and an opportunity to travel to Taiwan, I was interested in many aspects of the trip. In the agenda, I saw that several sessions would be devoted to regional climate change and that the trip would be an excellent opportunity to meet other scientists - and students - who share my research interest. Additionally, I was not familiar with GPS radio occultation prior to my travel to Taiwan. I viewed this colloquium as an opportunity to learn first-hand about the COSMIC mission and how the measurements obtained through GPS radio occultation could benefit both my career and the research efforts of my colleagues at Rutgers. Finally, the cultural experience of visiting Eastern Asia was inviting. From the moment that I read the description of the summer camp, I looked forward to traveling across the Pacific to interact with other scientists and students and learning about their rich cultural history. I also could not wait to flood my senses with the beautiful landscapes, new sounds and smells, and tastes of the Chinese cuisine.

Scientific Experience

     The highlight of this colloquium was the impressive list of speakers and the organizations that were represented. It was an honor to hear the research presented by scientists from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), the UK Met Office, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Harvard University, NCAR, Taiwan's National SPace Organization (NSPO), and the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan. These individuals are pioneering what Tom Yunck and Paul Chen refer to as the dawn of a new era in atmospheric remote sensing. I found that Tom's presentation on the history of radio occultation provided the perfect background and context in which the uniqueness of the COSMIC mission could be truly appreciated. Rick Anthes further explained how the advantages of measurements obtained through GPS radio occultation - such as the removal of calibration errors and localized temperature effects - make this method "the most accurate thermometer" that climate scientists have seen.

     I also appreciated the talk given by Stephen Leroy on climate monitoring. Stephen's talk summarized the key accomplishments that have been made and challenges that still face climate researchers. Of particular importance to Stephen's research was the detection of the signal of climate change. He argued that the GPS radio occultation may yield a statistically-significant signal of climate change with only 10-20 years of data. Stephen's talk further motivated me to try to incorporate this data into my research in years to come.

     The poster session was also one the scientific highlights of the event. The poster session format allowed the speakers and students to read about individual research. I had many enlightening conversations with the scientists and I received some valuable suggestions and criticisms that will hopefully improve the quality of my research. I also found that the personal conversation style that the poster session encouraged spawned some interesting social and interdisciplinary conversations with the students from Taiwan. It was a wonderful experience to listen to their views on the environment and global cooperation in the context of atmospheric science and climate change.

     One striking disadvantage of the poster session, however, was the inability to interact with the students with whom I traveled from the United States. During the formal poster session, it was difficult to find a moment to visit the other posters. I found myself having hurried conversations at the end of a coffee break to visit each of the other posters and learn more about what my fellow students from the United States were researching. In this case, I felt that a 5 to 10 minute presentation with figures would have solved this problem.

     The visits to the National SPace Organization (NSPO) in Hsin-Chu and the observatory at the Central Weather Bureau in Hua-Lien were also great experiences. After a week of learning about the COSMIC satellites and GPS radio occultation, I felt exceptionally honored to be able to visit NSPO and watch the satellites being tested. It was a special moment to watch all the hard work by many individuals coming to life in the test facility. It is amazing to think that in several months, those satellites will be circling the earth and sending us information that will help us advance the human understanding of our atmosphere and climate.

Cultural Experience

     Visiting Taiwan was a cultural experience that I will never forget. From the time we landed, I was continually surprised by both the striking similarities and differences between cultures. I remember calling my mother when I first arrived at the hotel and told her that I was watching the Yankees game and that there was a 7-Eleven around the corner from our hotel. In many respects, the word to describe my visit to Taiwan was "comfortable." The Taiwan students spoke English very well and their hospitality and genuine friendliness made my visit and stay in Taiwan a wonderful experience. We had a lot of fun together - especially singing karaoke!

     More interesting to me than the similarities were the differences. I enjoyed trying all foods (even if they weren't exactly what I was used to) and learning how to say the different names of dishes. I was brave and tried almost everything - except the "stinky tofu"! I admire how food and culture are so intimately connected in Asia. It is apparent that there is a rich history and tradition in the foods that people eat - a connection that isn't nearly as strong in the United States. I have also learned that Chinese food here in the United States is somewhat different, and that I feel lucky to say that I have tasted "real" Chinese cuisine.

     Our visit to the National Palace Museum was one of the most enlightening cultural experiences of the trip. Within the walls of the museum, the history of the Chinese people and culture is captured in artifacts that are thousands of years old. The delicate intricacy of the carvings and sculptures astounded me. With the students from Taiwan there to guide me, I learned much about Chinese religious and cultural beliefs expressed in the beautiful artwork.

     I had the opportunity to take some of this beauty home with me when we visited the flower and jade market in downtown Taipei. The parking garage that was used during the week by commuters became a festive street fair where there were many people shopping for flowers and - of course - hand-carved pieces of jade. It was fun asking the artists about their work and the symbolism behind the different animals, patterns, and pieces of jewelry that they designed. I bought several things for myself and also as gifts for my family and friends back at home. I could not have done it, however, without the help of Vincent - a Taiwanese student who served as my translator.

     At the end of the week, we visited Taroko National Park and saw the beautiful cliffs and gorges. It was only there that I appreciated how special the island of Taiwan really is. While geographically small, the island has a wealth of natural resources and varied landscapes that add to the charm and beauty of the country. Our morning train ride through the mountains was breathtaking. Seeing the marble lining the walls of the gorge was unbelievable. Even the moderate earthquake we felt in the middle of the night added to the natural beauty of the island and fostered my appreciation for world in which we live.

Concluding Remarks

     The summer camp experience was one that I will never forget. My travel to Taiwan was an incredible event - both scientifically and culturally. I learned a great deal about the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC mission and how GPS radio occultation might help me in my research on regional climate change problems in the years to come. I also had the opportunity to learn about the culture in Taiwan, enjoy the food, and get to know fellow students in Taiwan with whom I share similar interests.

     Trips like this one offer an invaluable asset to young scientists. Quite often, students do not have the opportunity to travel abroad and are not familiar with different cultures and customs. In this age of improved communication, the science community is becoming a "global community" in which our interactions with researchers in different countries will increase. Recognizing various cultures, scientific practices, and even a few simple words in another language creates a thread upon which we can weave a complex pattern of relationships to help us achieve a common goal - understanding the world in which we live.

     I would like to thank the sponsors of this trip for offering me this wonderful opportunity. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have gained and also for the friends that I have made - on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and around the world. I look forward to the launch of the COSMIC satellites, using the data that is available in my future research endeavors, sharing my new knowledge with my colleagues at Rutgers University, and collaborating with the scientists that I have met on this trip. I hope that more students in the future have the opportunity to share in the same experiences.