Monday, September 16, 1985/The Battalion/Page 3
State and Local
[Prof: Ifs one of the best
A&M radar facility is unique
By TRENT LEOPOLD
Senior Stall Writer
I Texas A&M students and other
■razes Valley residents are fortu-
late to have one of the best weather
ladar facilities in the world at their
lervice on the A&M campus, says
|)r. James Scoggins, head of the De-
iarttnent of Meteorology.
I “To my knowledge, we have the
Inly radar anywhere in the world
lithadual frequency system,” Scog
gins says. “The radar is capable of
Knding two beams of varying
iavelengths into the atmosphere si-
Bmltaneoiisly.
The large dish on the top of the
Jl&M Building is the antenna f or the
stem which sends out and receives
le beams.
I “The large dish sends out a 10-
lentimeter wavelength while one of
lie smaller dishes sends inn a 3-cen-
Imeter wavelength,” he says. “The
_lher small dish is actually a dummy
Bhich helps keep the antenna balan-
led."
I The 10-centimeter f requency de-
|cts the larger particles in a storm,
Ich as hail, while the 3-centimeter
tiequency reveals the smaller parti-
Hes, Scoggins says.
! d
Scoggins says the radar can detect
numerous particles associated with a
thunderstorm such as hail, rain
drops and even tornadoes.
“While our system cannot detect
wind intensity in a particular storm,
we can see an image (on the radar
screen) produced by a tornado
known as a hook echo,” he says. “We
can also determine the height of a
storm by sending the beams in a ver-
tical direction.”
The weather radar has been
moved several times since it has been
at A&M.
“Before being moved to the pre
sent O&M Building, it was located at
Goodwin Hall while the antenna was
on top of Bizzell Hall,” Scoggins
says. “Now the antenna and radar
unit are all housed in the present
O&M Building.”
The 10-centimeter radar was built
here and began operating in 1956,
while the 3-centimeter system began
operating in 1957. The 3-centimeter
system was obtained from the Air
Force.
Jake Gangelose is responsible for
maintaining the radar and helped
build the 10-centimeter system.
Gangelose says the radar is
equipped with a device enabling the
operator to tape what is being seen
on the radar screen.
“When Alicia hit the coast, we
taped the storm,” he says. “Now
when students want to study hurri
canes, all we have to do is plug in the
tape and study.”
While meteorology students use
the radar to study various weather
phenomena, five meteorologists are
assigned to keep people in the Bra
zos Valley aware of upcoming severe
weather.
Scoggins says Brazos Valley resi
dents have the best severe weather
warning system available anywhere
in the United States.
“In addition to having the best ra
dar in the world, we also have a
trained staff which is on call at all
times to inform the public about ap
proaching severe weather,” Scoggins
says. “We can be 100 percent accu
rate about forecasting severe
weather, because when we can see it
on the radar screen we know where
it is and we can watch all of its
movements.
“The radar is capable of scanning
for about 400 miles, although we
rarely look at any storms over 200
miles from here since they would
have to be very large for us to see
them,” he says.
^iost items? MSC Lost and Found
11 night be the place to find them
By CRAIG RENFRO
i themsek
Report
er
Ever wonder wh«
it
haj
pened to
le motionji
lat book you losw
t)
r w
liat about
Klustrieslu
ie calculator that y
Oil
thr
rught was
• .
one forever.' T here
's a
go
>d chance
vision andt
lat these items and
m;
my
more can
|uiremenis
e found at the Me
m
rria
1 Student
enter Lost and lou
nd
The Lost and Fou
nd
is
ocaled at
le MSC guest-room
m
ain
desk and
with one raj
Jerk-cashing wind*
w
on
the first
'a rahnor til
loorof the MSC. Li
ISt
spi
ing more
11 1 {lllllc ..J
ch and evn
Ian 2.900 items,
IK
h ;
is books.
Ickoacks, wallets and
jew
elry were
rest thing!
nought to the Lost i
IK
nd
Fo
and, says
lyce McNeill, Lost a
round coor-
Knator.
■ The MSC also
re
cei\
es items
> at night.lV
ed guardia
s, protect®
xpressiontf
ought in 1
rom the shuttle bus
routes, the intramural complex and
from other buildings on campus,
McNeill says.
Approximately 70 percent of the
items are reclaimed, she says.
“The biggest problem is that peo
ple don’t bring the items back right
away, and the student who lost it
gives up on ever Finding it,” McNeill
says.
Another problem is that many
students do not know that a lost and
found exists and that their items
could be there, she says.
“If we find a number or an ad
dress we get in touch with the stu
dent,” McNeill says.
To claim a lost item the student
must accurately describe it, she says.
If the description fits the item, the
item may be reclaimed.
The policy, as required by law, is
to keep the items for at least six
months before disposing of them,
McNeill says. Accurate daily ledgers
are kept to record each item brought
to the MSG, and monthly inventory
checks are taken and posted in the
MSC Student Programs Office, she
says.
As for the unclaimed items, the
MSC Lost and Found committee
auctions them off in October and
April. Proceeds from the auction go
to Student Programs for annual
Christmas party expenses and deco
rations, she says.
“An overwhelming amount of
items are brought in each semester,”
McNeill says. “If students were just
more aware of our service, maybe
they could find what they lost.”
$12. 00
for the Twelveth
Man
First Meeting for Aggie Club Sept 17
Rudder 401 7 p.m.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR
STUDENT ATHLETES
Benefits:
•Certificate of Membership
•Club Decal
•Aggie Club Pin
•Press Guides
•Bus Charter Option to Out-of-Town Athletic
Contests
•Seniority for Football Tickets in the Aggie
Club
Look in The Battalion for upcoming meetings on football Road-
trips or come by the office on the North End of Kyle Field.
r journalise
Page Mwj
rence
I card
reshmen
i
>r
[•Alitor
Editor
or
/s Editors
itor
0
Jerry Oslin
, Jan Perry
n Williams
liter Smilli I
Grabein I
■tea Adair, I
nali Oates
1 Cassavov
inara Bell,
Cassavov,
Doug Hall,
nmy Kirk,
t Leopold,
une Pang,
n Pearson I
Rohsner, I
neth Sury I
like Lane, I
i J homas I
le Brown, j
Pallmeyer
eg Bailey, j
nk Hada, j
1 Sanchez
^ newsp^i
. A&M anil
chose of. the
essarilr nf
tors, fueultf
uspaper f° r
pny clM ses
f-Mif due-
r ]oliday and
?>.75pe
Jlycar.
•rse-
Att-
McDonald
lotion, O
-:W6. Ad-
(X 77W-5-
★Freshmen and Sophomore photos for 1986
Aggieland Yearbook will be taken at the Year
book Associates studio September 16-20 and
23-27.
★The studio is located at 401-03 West Univer
sity (above campus Photo Center at North-
gate).