The Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology Summer Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in research in the Earth and atmospheric physics this summer. Students are matched with a researcher to work on various projects related to hydrology, vegetation & ecosystem monitoring, tropical precipitation & storm systems, volcanic hazards & climate impacts, coastal processes & sea level rises, global climate analysis and modeling, remote sensing of the Earth & planetary atmospheres, space geodesy, and geophysics.

The research will be performed on the UMBC campus in Baltimore or at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Students receive a stipend of $4000, plus local housing and travel expenses.

More information and an application form can be found at http://jcet.umbc.edu/2008/09/jcet-summer-program-2009.html.

The annual departmental picnic will be held on the grassy knoll behind the physics building at 12noon on Wednesday May 14th (reading day).

• the SPS are responsible for bringing burgers, hot dogs and grilling stuff,
  
• the PGSA are responsible for chips, sodas and glasses
  
• the Faculty are responsible for desserts etc.