Hobart and William Smith Colleges

8 November 2007 Laird, summer researchers speak at conference

Assistant Professor of Geoscience Neil Laird and two students from the 2007 HWS summer research program presented at the second annual Lake-Effect Conference in October at State University College at Oswego.

Laird discussed work that has recently been submitted for publication which examines the climatology of lake-effect snow storms over Lake Champlain.

Gena Renninger and Colin Zarzycki, who attend Penn State and Cornell, respectively, presented preliminary findings from a study of weather conditions associated with rapid-change Great Lakes ice cover events during a 30-year period. They and Jared Desrochers 07 were funded through Laird's current National Science Foundation grants. Renninger and Zarzycki came to HWS during the summer of 2007 specifically to work with Lairds research group. Desrochers was not able to attend the conference because he is pursuing graduate studies in atmospheric sciences at Indiana University.

Laird, a member of the HWS faculty since 2004, holds a bachelor's from SUNY-Oswego and his master's and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.