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BAMOS July 2021
President ’ s report
Angela Maharaj
I hope you are all well and COVID safe . Despite the rollercoaster of lockdowns and easing restrictions , AMOS has been working hard to ensure that we continue to meet our commitments and deliver events of interest to our membership . We have been working in a ‘ new normal ’ mode , ensuring that the events that we organise are virtual , hybrid or flexible enough to deal with last minute changes .
Since my last column , we have already enjoyed a number of fantastic events : the ' WMO State of the Climate 2020 ' briefing by Blair Trewin — which was a members-only event , the ' Sensing in the City ' plenary and closed workshop and , by some stroke of luck , we were even able to have a real-life social event in NSW to present Professor Matthew England with his 2020 Morton Medal ( see the pic on page 8 — Ed ). By the time this BAMOS edition lands in your inbox we will likely have already held the ' Probabilistic Weather Forecasting for the Energy Industry ' workshop .
Many more events are being planned , with the big-ticket item being our partnership on the 13th International Conference on Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography ( ICSHMO ) in Christchurch , New Zealand Aotearoa , from 8 – 12 February 2022 . This will be a hybrid event . Abstracts are due 19 September , so please check the session line-up on the
conference website . If your organisation is interested in sponsoring the event , please contact AMOS .
I am also pleased to report that at the last national council meeting , we approved the inaugural AMOS Public Funds Management Committee whose membership consists of Tess Parker ( AMOS Treasurer ), Steven Phipps ( AMOS Secretary ), Trevor McDougall AO ( AMOS Fellow ), Mary Voice ( AMOS Fellow and Past President ), David Holmes ( National Council member ), Geeta Sully ( external professional – risk advisor Westpac Group ) and Jeanette Dargaville ( AMOS Executive Officer – ex officio ). This committee is an important part of ensuring good governance within AMOS . My sincere thanks to everyone on the committee for volunteering their time to the Society .
I would also like to welcome our new AMOS NSW committee : Nina Ridder ( Chair ), Gordon Nurse ( Secretary ), Andrew Sayers ( Treasurer ) and Anthony Kiem . The new committee started with a bang at the Morton Medal social event . A big thank you also to the outgoing committee for their efforts in the past few years .
I believe organisations work best when people have the agency to contribute but can also step away before the role becomes about themselves . AMOS ’ vision statement is " To advance the scientific understanding of the atmosphere , oceans and climate system , and their socioeconomic and ecological impacts , and promote applications of this understanding for the benefit of all Australians ”. AMOS is a successful society because there is a constant flow of engaged members stepping in and out of various roles . Everyone contributes to meeting that vision statement and actioning our organisational values . But we can always do better , and you may be the person who knows how to make that happen . If you have not had an active role in AMOS before , I strongly encourage you to contribute in a regional chapter or national role . The Executive , National Council and Regional chapter members are all available for a chat , and we are always looking at succession planning in the form of new nominations for the next AGM to fill the roles of outgoing office bearers and committee members .
Back to medals . A reminder that nominations are now open for the Priestley Medal , the Zillman Medal , the Christopher Taylor Award , and the AMOS Science Outreach Award . Only AMOS members can nominate someone for an AMOS award but the person being nominated need not be a member . I encourage you to consider diverse , well-deserving members of your science community for these awards . Nominations close 1 September 2021 . Check out the AMOS website for each award criteria and submission requirements .
And , if you are not a member , check out our wide range of membership options which are outlined on the page opposite .