Dedication: The Mission Goals of the MESO Association are respectfully dedicated to the memory of Mr. David L. Burch, astronomer, philanthropist, father, husband, dear friend, dreamer of dreams, and patron saint of MESO.
What Is MESO?... An informative overview (PDF document)
The MESO Association is organized for the purpose of singly or collectively assisting any community or community agency with the work of public safety, severe weather warning, disaster preparedness, severe weather awareness, and public education in the above areas. Assistance will be provided in whatever capacity possible through the use of combined or individual skills and/or resources.
Basic intent is to operate a Research Vehicle with electronic sensing, weather, and communications gear to allow confirmation of severe weather events, improved warning lead time, and data input accuracy to NWS and Local Agencies; and to implement and improve a public education program focused on severe weather safety and disaster preparedness.
Warning system improvements will be accomplished by constant innovative experimentation with new concepts, technology, and application methods.
The goal is a combination of educational, civic, scientific, and research purposes that as a whole shall be considered as research applied to civic and educational ends for the purpose of assisting with the work of warning, severe weather education, and disaster preparedness.
PROJECTS
Education Outreach. Some of our members visit schools to teach students about severe weather, safety, and preparedness. In addition to this, MESO has built a portable sturdy weather station for use by science classes around the country... with a goal of a class using it for approximately two weeks, gathering data, making/verifying forecasts, and learning about our atmosphere. Another method we use to educate the public is topical articles (see the Articles section of the webpage). These are written for the interested/uninformed layperson and cover subjects such as tornado safety, hurricanes, and Nor'easters... all are available in the LIBRARY.
Disaster Relief. MESO prides itself in assisting those in need, in whatever way possible; whether it be cash donations to individual families, assistance to relief agencies, or spreading the news of a natural disaster either by spoken word, written word, or photographs so that others can respond to the needs of the victims. ECHO is capable of providing medical supplies, a shelter, and phone access to disaster victims.
Innovative Technology. MESO had a prototype mobile laboratory for studying severe weather and provided deployed spotters and chasers with near-real-time data about the storm and its environment. ECHO is our second-generation mobile lab and contains updated technology in addition to serving as a disaster relief and/or media center when on call. We also own and operate OZ, a basic reproduction of the "turtlecam"... this low-profile device houses a small high-quality digital video camera and can be mounted securely to the ground. When placed in the path of an oncoming storm (tornado?) unique footage can be acquired. McWAR, ECHO, and OZ can all be found in the GALLERY.
Part of MESO's Educational Program: Nancy Bose (left) and John Griswold (right) teaching grade school students about severe weather safety.
