Bowling Green, Ky. - The Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University will host its first Climate Services Symposium on Monday, May 16.

Presentations will address climate services, environmental monitoring systems, and drought. A half-day workshop on drought monitoring will be held on May 17. The symposium and workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza in Bowling Green.

"We are excited to offer a forum in which both users and providers of climate services will be able to share experiences and learn about developments in the provision of climate services," said Dr. Stuart Foster, state climatologist for Kentucky. "Further, such exchange of information and ideas will surely contribute to the development of enhanced services that better meet the diverse needs of Kentuckians."

Featured speakers include Dr. Michael Hayes of the National Drought Mitigation Center; Dr. David Legates from the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware; and Dr. Michael Palecki with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

"The symposium provides an opportunity for our center to strengthen ties with users and providers of climate services around the state," Dr. Foster said. "It also provides an opportunity for our students to present results of their work and interact with scientists and professionals from the fields of meteorology and climatology."

Graduate students Christina Henry and Shawn Simpson and senior Ashley Littell will make presentations on climate information along with faculty members Foster, Glenn Conner, Kevin Cary and Rezaul Mahmood.

Other speakers include Michael McLane and Britt Westergard of the National Weather Service and Bob Carson of Mammoth Cave National Park.

The symposium is open to anyone with an interest in weather and climate, such as teachers, farmers and government officials, Dr. Foster said. Registration is $20. If you'd like to attend, contact Dr. Foster at (270) 745-5983 or by e-mail at stuart.foster@wku.edu.

In conjunction with the symposium, the Kentucky Climate Center will unveil a redesigned website (http://kyclim.wku.edu/).

"One of the goals of the Kentucky Climate Center is to help users interpret today's weather events by placing them in a historical context," Dr. Foster said. "Our new website will include a wider variety of current and historical information and will allow users to explore information about Kentucky's climate through interactive maps and graphs."

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Stuart Foster at (270) 745-5983.