Interview of the month: Catalan Meteorological Society

Interview with the President of the Catalan Meteorological Society (ACAM), Jordi Mazon:

EMS LC: If you wanted to describe your society/organisation in one sentence, what would you say?

ACAM: ACAM is an academic society that brings together amateurs as well as professionals in meteorology.

EMS LC: What are the objectives of your organisation?

ACAM: To promote and disseminate the study and knowledge of meteorology and climatology of the Mediterranean, especially the western Mediterranean.

EMS LC: When was your organisation founded?

ACAM: In 1994.

EMS LC: Could you explain the structure of your membership?

ACAM: President, vice president, treasurer, secretary and six other members (vocals). On the other hand, there is the editorial board of the Journal Tethys, as well as the advisory board of the association, made up of 6 members.

EMS LC: What are your organisation’s recent achievements?

ACAM: Last November we organised the XXIII meeting “jornades de meteorologia Eduard Fontserè”, in Barcelona, including the presentation of the International Award on meteorology and climatology Eduard Fontserè 2017, which promotes and disseminates the knowledge of meteorology and climatology in the Mediterranean basin. The goal of this award is to promote significant research and knowledge about Mediterranean meteorology and climatology.

Last February we were co-organisers of the 6th International Conference on Meteorology and Climatology of the Mediterranean & Challenges in Meteorology (Zagreb), together with the Croatian Meteorological Society.

EMS LC: Where do you see the greatest challenges?

ACAM: Greatest challenges:

  • To increase the number of members including students (degree, postgraduate, Ph.D. students, …) and members of the general public. To offer new, original and attractive products.
  • To increase the number of papers published in our journal (Journal of the Mediterranea Meteorology and climatology, Tethys). Tethys is now indexed on Scopus and Thomson-Reuters Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), among other sites. It is a challenge to include Tethys in JCI.
  • To organise the annual meeting of Ph.D. students from all of the Catalan universities that run atmospheric science programmes. This meeting is a forum for discussion, knowledge sharing and interaction between Ph.D. students.

EMS LC: Which activities are you planning in the coming months?

ACAM: During the coming 6 months, we are planning a weekend workshop on clouds (from a physical, observational and experimental point of view) next spring and a seminar on the recent climate change law approved by the Parliament of Catalonia in 2017 (but suspended by the Spanish government).

EMS LC: Are you collaborating with other EMS Members?

ACAM: We are collaborating with AME (the Spanish Meteorological Society). In 2017 we collaborated with the Croatian Meteorological Society on the 6th International Meeting on Mediterranean Meteorology and climatology in Zagreb, last February. Moreover, the EMS Annual Meeting in 2021 will take place in Barcelona.

EMS LC: What do you expect from the EMS? What do you expect from the EMS LC? In what ways can it help you to develop your activities?

ACAM: The EMS is formed by the different societies and meteorology associations of the countries of Europe. Being part of the EMS means being part of a common project on the knowledge and dissemination of meteorology throughout the continent. Being part of the EMS allows us to share what we do in our region with the other European societies, to be able to establish collaborations with other associations and weather societies, and perhaps to work on common projects in the future. And vice-versa.

EMS LC: What have been your most successful events in the last 3 years?

ACAM: During the last 3 years our society has focused on organising the 5th and 6th International meetings on meteorology and climatology (Istanbul in 2015, Zagreb in 2017), and the traditional annual meeting “jornades de meteorologia Eduard Fontserè”, during the last weekend of November. These have been the most relevant events during the past three years.

EMS LC: What changes do you believe your society/organisation needs to make in the next 3 years?

ACAM: I am the president since May 2017, and I have planned new activities and projects. To do that, first we need a stable and motivated committee/board. I think that the new board (in office since May 2017) is ready and motivated to work on the new challenges of our organisation.

The second change needed is to find new finance sources, and to consolidate some of the current sources of finance.


Share

Kommentare sind geschlossen.