Historians and Scientists Discuss Weather Modification at Nov. 6 UAlbany Symposium

Contact: Karl Luntta (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 16, 2003) -- James R. Fleming, professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Colby College, and Duncan Blanchard, UAlbany professor emeritus of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will discuss the history and the practice of weather modification, Nov. 6, 2-4 p.m. in the Standish Room, New Library, on the University's uptown campus.

Fleming will review the history of weather and climate modification by both military and civilian planners from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Blanchard will discuss his first-hand experience as a Project Cirrus research assistant as well as his work at the University at Albany. Project Cirrus, a full-scale cloud seeding project, was developed in 1946 to support research by GE scientists Vincent Schaefer, Bernard Vonnegut, and Irving Langmuir into weather modification and control. Debates raged over the next decades about the appropriateness and dangers of this activity, including its economic as well as military applications. Brian Keough, head of the University's M.E. Grenander Special Collections and Archives, will describe UAlbany�s important archival materials related to weather modification.

This event is free and open to the public. A catered reception will follow. Contact Brian Keough for more information, (518) 437-3931 or [email protected].

Albany�s University Libraries are ranked among the top 100 research libraries in the United States by the Association of Research Libraries. The Libraries serve the University�s community, the citizens of New York State, and scholars and researchers from around the world. For up-to-date information about the University�s Libraries, see the Website.

Established in 1844 and designated a center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University at Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages 17,000 diverse students in eight degree-granting schools and colleges. The University is engaged in a $500 million fundraising campaign, the most ambitious in its history, with the goal of placing it among the nation's top 30 public research universities by the end of the decade. For more information about this nationally ranked University, visit www.albany.edu