UND to host North Dakota State Science and Engineering Fair April 3-4, with special guest Greg Gust

David L. Dodds

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

3-30-2014

Campus Unit

College of Engineering & Mines

Abstract

The University of North Dakota is set to host the 64th Annual North Dakota State Science and Engineering Fair (NDSSEF), with special guest Greg Gust, primary spokesman for NOAA's National Weather Service, on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4.

More than 200 middle and high school students and their families are expected to attend. Student projects will be available for viewing by the public from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 4 from in the UND Student Memorial Union Ballroom.

The fair will bring together more than 100 judges and teachers from across the state who are involved in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Students who placed as top competitors in regional science fairs will come to Grand Forks to compete at the state level. UND also is slated to host the 2015 State Science Fair.

About Greg Gust:

Gregory J. Gust

Warning Coordination Meteorologist

National Weather Service

4797 Technology Circle Grand Forks, N.D. 58203

gregory.gust@noaa.gov

The National Weather Service (Grand Forks, North Dakota Office) is the district meteorological center responsible for issuing climate, weather, and water forecasts, advisories, and warnings for the Red River Valley and the adjacent 35 counties of eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. The Weather Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce, was established in 1890 as the U.S. Weather Bureau and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mr. Gust is a primary spokesman for NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) to emergency management officials, government leaders, media outlets, and local communities at large. As a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the Weather Service, Mr. Gust directs the activities of various weather emergency teams within and without the office. He ensures that all weather reports and bulletins which emanate from the office are as accurate and informative as possible. He further ensures that these products are effectively disseminated to the affected communities and that they are properly acted upon.

Professional Development: Mr. Gust began his public life as a teacher. He received a commission in the United States Air Force in 1984 and served as a Staff Weather Officer in various locations world-wide, prior to joining the National Weather Service in 1992. Since 1992, Greg has been an integral part of the NWS's modernization efforts, serving as a Science and Operations Officer across remote north- western portions of the United States, and earning the 1999 NWS Modernization Award. As a NOAA Facilitator, Greg used his leadership and communications skills during team building exercises with NOAA workgroups in offices and shipboard across the nation and our coastal waters, earning the 2003 DOC Bronze Medal for Superior Federal Service. He has led NOAA teams at International Stakeholder Forums, Data Requirements Workshops, and various Emergency Management Seminars.

Hands-on activities:

In addition to presenting their projects for judging, students compete for invitations to advance their project to the International Science and Engineering Fair as well as for prizes, cash awards and scholarship opportunities.

During this year's fair, the competing students will visit various departments on campus to complete a variety of hands-on science and engineering activities with UND students and faculty.

"Giving these students a hands-on exercise---working next to current students of engineering and the sciences---will help them connect science learning to the real-world experiences of university students seeking these careers," said Laura Munski, executive director of the Dakota Science Center, one of the partners in this year's fair.

The Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau is co-sponsor for the Science Fair.

The UND College of Engineering & Mines spearheaded the planning of the event, along with many other UND departments, faculty and staff; members of the Grand Forks community also contributed their time and resources to help make the event possible.

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