Introduction

     My name is Henry Winterbottom. I am a graduate student of Xiaolei Zou in the department of Meteorology at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. As a first year graduate student, I became familiar with the Global Positioning System Radio Occultation (GPS RO) technique while I contributed to the development of a cloud classification algorithm based upon the GPS RO data retrievals. Throughout my research process, I learned much while concurrently developing several questions regarding the data. Having sought the guidance of several very helpful people at UCAR, I was still quite curious as to why things were done a certain way.

     During late January, 2005, Dr. Zou informed me that she would be traveling to Taiwan to participate in a series of colloquia regarding the GPS RO technique. At the time, I had no idea how much it would be geared to the students. Aware of the questions I had developed and some of the problems they were causing the project, she asked if I would be interested in applying for the opportunity to take part. I soon contact Dr. Bill Kuo who referred me to Ms. Kim Prinzi Kimbro to commence the application process. I had now become very excited since I realized I could possibly have the opportunity to present my questions to the experts in the field and even arrive at a better understanding of how to approach the various aspects of the problems which are the consequences of such a cutting edge technique. Overall, I viewed the summer camp as an opportunity to do the following:

• Experience an entirely new culture - since this would be my first time leaving North America
• Submit my questions to pioneers and experts involved in the GPS RO technique and the data gathered
• Learn something I had not previously known, understood, and/or overlooked
• Meet a cordial group of students who generally share the same interests in Meteorology and its sub-related fields

     As a whole, I feel that the trip fulfilled all the points I laid out and often went above and beyond in some aspects, especially with regards to the interaction with the colloquia speakers.

Scientific Experience

     The scientific experience, from my point of view, was certainly the highlight of the summer camp. As I stated, my experience with the GPS RO data had spawned many personal questions and ideas. A meeting almost entirely geared toward the GPS RO technique and its associated benefits was a perfect forum for me to both absorb the knowledge being provided and to express my personal questions and concerns involving the data.

     The first day of the colloquium provided an excellent introduction to both the history of the GPS RO technique and the current status of the COSMIC project. Topics ranging from the future of the COSMIC project to the needed improvements in the data retrieval algorithms were discussed. Since many of my questions prior to the trip regarded the data retrieval methods, I was most interested in those topics. The seminars given by Drs. Martin Lohmann and Stig Syndergaard were especially useful. They, as well as the other speakers, addressed my questions both clearly and concisely and shared their in depth knowledge in an attempt to resolve my personal confusion and misunderstandings.

     Day 2 of the summer camp was, personally, even more exciting. Given my graduate research involves data assimilation techniques, I was especially eager to attend the seminars given by the leaders in the field who are using the current GPS RO data for their assimilation experiments. The seminars that impressed me most during day 2 were given by Drs. Xiaolei Zou, Sean Healy, and Stig Syndergaard. As with day 1, all the seminars were well thought out and the ideas clearly conveyed.

     The student poster session on day 2 I thought was the most important portion of the summer camp with respect to the students. Both the Taiwanese and American students were given the opportunity to present a unique piece of research. Whether each student.s respective research dealt with GPS ROs or not, I think each gained very useful insight from the scientists present. I especially enjoyed the conversations I had with, again, Drs. Sean Healy, Scott Budzein, and Stephen Leroy. All three spent a great deal of time discussing certain aspects and posing different questions regarding my topic entitled Applying GPS ROs to Cloud Characteristic Determinations. Both the constructive criticism and insights I received were excellent. They allowed me to comprehend things I had not yet considered and also allowed me to view the problem from different vantage points. As mentioned, I felt this was the most important portion of the trip. I feel that the interaction I had with the participating scientists here will ultimately lead to me becoming a better scientist. My most sincere thanks are directed to the scientists who took the time to review each student.s individual work and offer up questions and comments. This was by far the best part of the learning experience.

     COSMIC Summer Camp day 3 was geared toward the assimilation of RO data into climate studies. This was very interesting to me for most of my research in meteorology involves direct forecasting rather than the broader picture which is covered under the heading of climate. Having had conversations early in the week with Dr. Stephen Leroy, I was very interested to attend the seminar regarding his research. Other talks which were also important to me were Dr. Chris Rocken.s discussion of the COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center (CDAAC) web user interface and Dr. Ruby Leung.s talk regarding regional climate modeling via the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Having been involved mainly with data via the NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), I was eager to learn of the advantages the WRF model might provide when trying to assimilate the RO data.

     Day 4, the final day of the formal talks regarding the GPS RO technique, dealt generally with a topic of which I had no prior formal knowledge. The GPS RO technique also provides high resolution measurements of the ionosphere. This was very interesting since I had previously assumed that the GPS RO technique applied solely to weather forecasting and research. Another aspect of the summer camp which made the talks even more interesting on this day was that the night before, Taipei was shaken by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. Some research regarding the ionosphere has led scientists to think that regions of seismic activity can be both located and even predicted using the data measurements from the ionosphere. This was exciting to hear, for being from the east coast of the United States, I had never experienced a truly sensible earthquake. The talks on this day were supplemented with a brief excursion to the seismic activity portion of the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) where we were given the opportunity to quickly learn about the seismic activity in this portion of the Pacific Ocean and East Asia. The scientists on duty graciously took the time to briefly share with us their knowledge and make each of us . especially myself, aware of a world outside of meteorology.

     The final days of the Science Summer Camp allowed us to take part in a tutorial type lecture regarding the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model as well as a visit to the National SPace Organization (NSPO) in Hsin-Chu, where we viewed the test facility and witnessed, first hand, the construction of satellites which will soon be part of the COSMIC fleet. For me, the most interesting portion of the remaining days of the colloquium was the WRF model discussion. Dale Barker and Shu-Hua Chen provided very clear outlines of the strengths of their product and, I feel, made it very appealing to the students. More specifically, they made it very interesting in light of my current research. I am currently following through on their seminars and have begun experiments using the WRF model for tropical cyclone forecasting.

Cultural Experience

     As this was my first trip to a foreign land, the experience was certainly very exciting. From the moment we arrived in Taipei, both the Taiwanese students and the professors were very helpful, courteous, and eager to both learn from us and as well as teach us. This was the theme throughout the entire science summer camp. Other than the obvious cultural differences, I was unable to find any true characteristic differences between the host students and the visiting American students. I presume this is because many of the students are at the same point in their academic careers. Both our goals and desires to contribute to various aspects of the field are very similar. After a number of days, I had actually forgotten that I was 10,000 miles from my home.

     My personal interaction with the Taiwanese students was incredible. What made it even more pleasant was the fact that my fiancée accompanied me on the trip abroad. Since she was not technically there for the colloquia, the students informed her of the regions of worthwhile sight seeing . and of course, shopping. Knowing how Elizabeth and I currently live 1000 miles apart, they made the summer camp nightlife seem almost like a vacation by inviting us to try the various ethnic specialties such as the food, the karaoke, and the night markets. Again, the hospitality of the students allowed me to forget that I was thousands of miles from Tallahassee, Florida.

     Also, interactions with the scientists were common on this trip. Either during the morning bus ride to the CWB, lunch, the return ride to the hotel, dinner, or the nights in Taipei, the scientists were always excited to share what they were experiencing as well as excited to learn what we had been doing outside of the colloquia. Personally, I enjoyed conversations with Sean Healy, Stephen Leroy, Jeans Wickert, Scott Budzein, Martin Lohmann, and Stig Syndergaard among others.

     My interaction with the scholars on the trip, I feel will benefit my future research the most. Already, I feel I can formulate problems differently and I have been able to approach research aspects from a different standpoint. This is undoubtedly a result of the opportunities to interact with the seminar participants and observe how they conduct their research. The learning experience, from this aspect, was priceless.

Concluding Remarks

     As I have stated throughout, the COSMIC Science Summer Camp presented an excellent opportunity for me. To reiterate, I thoroughly enjoyed the commadery developed between the American and Taiwanese students, the personal experiences and interactions with the seminar speakers, the organization via Dr. Bill Kuo and Kim Prinzi-Kimbro, the hospitality of the city of Taipei, and the relationships I thus have developed for the future.

     The only suggestions I have for an improvement for the overall summer camp experience would be to perhaps extend the length of stay by a few more days. Granted we were able to visit several regions of Taiwan, the events were often short-lived and subject to a rush. I feel an extension of the summer camp by 2 or 3 days would allow for the foreign students to experience more of the culture and aspects of what Taiwan has to offer its visitors.

     Overall, this was an extraordinary experience. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity provided to me my Dr. Bill Kuo and Kim Prinzi-Kimbro as well as the rest of the UCAR/COSMIC family. I am also grateful for the hospitality shown by the Taiwanese students and their willingness to provide us with a most enjoyable experience. I sincerely hope I can contribute to both UCAR and the COSMIC project in the future and would certainly enjoy another opportunity to visit Taiwan and further sustain my fascination and enjoyment of their culture.