NSCC Music Presentation For 2008 (20 Years Chasing Until 2007)

	The organizers and veteran chasers of the 2008 National Storm Chaser Convention (NSCC) open with a speech to kick off the agenda during the morning of Saturday (February 16, 2008). This is the 10th annual event and had nearly 300 attendees. In this picture, Dave Hoadley (left), a person chasing storms longer than anyone else alive, compliments storm chaser Roger Hill (middle), and scientist / engineer Tim Samaras (right) on a job well done.
	The vendor area was set up in a large conference room adjacent to the main ballroom where the convention took place due to the sheer volume of the turnout. In this picture, the vendor booths are set up with food and hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar in the background.
	Here is my vendor booth setup at the 2008 convention. I sold several DVD's, including the new "20-years of chasing", but focused more on the fine-art photography and offered 8x10" prints of weather and landscapes as well.
	The first TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle), built by Sean Casey, was on display to the rear of the hotel (Radisson Suites in Aurora, CO). This vehicle is designed to get close as possible to a tornado (or even inside one) and shoot IMAX footage through the "turret" in the top of the vehicle. There is actually a second version of a new TIV that was being developed at the time (this is the first one)!
	In this picture, and to the left, Sean Casey (leftmost) and Jush Wurman, president of CSWR, (right of Sean) talk about their collaberations in storm research. Sean and Josh are about as diverse in thoughts and attitudes as you can get when out in the field, but their combined skills and equipment makes it all worth while. Sean chases (in the TIV) for footage and excitement, while Josh is in it strictly for the science (rides alongside / at a distance from Sean in a Doppler On Wheels, or DOW vehicle).
	Here is a picture of the "scout vehicle" and the tornado probes (small weather stations) used during operations as Sean Casey and Josh Wurman work severe weather in the field. These are the same ones you probably have seen on the Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" series that ran in late 2007.
	This is one of the DOW (Doppler On Wheels) trucks also on display drawing a crowd behind the hotel at the 2008 storm chaser convention. These things are mobile weather radars, and this one is still under construction (the dish and gimbal is installed, but not the equipment / electronics inside the cab).
	Here is a picture of myself standing in the passenger side hatch of the TIV. This vehicle is by no means "pretty" ... It is designed to be heavy, and withstand airbone missiles and debris near and around the tornadoes core-flow region - The most intense area of meteorological violence on earth. The windows are thick plexiglass and the body is 1/4 inch steel plate.
	Here is Verne Carlson (KB0ZCQ) with a few remote-controlled aircraft (RC) he outfitted with some instrumentation and camera to fly in and around a tornado. The planes are electric powered (battery) and can transmit a mile or two via a YAGI type antenna and video receiver. Verne is a great guy and his whole family chases, including his two sons, Eric and Michael.
	Dave Hoadley did a few great presentations in the 2008 convention. Here he is showing how chasing was done way back in the day, using only surface observations - Nicely done with the overhead projector too! Dave also gave a fantastic speech about history in the Great Plains.
	Here is one of many illustrations presented to those attending the convention. This one was about supercell and mesocyclone evolution (cyclic storms) by Jon Davies.
	Much attention was given to the Greensburg, Kansas tornado that struck and demolished the town on May 4, 2008. There is still much mystery and awe at the thunderstorm that produced such a violent tornado. It was rated EF-5 and destroyed all of Greensburg and killed 11 people, then the parent storm continued cycling on as it moved northeast, producing more violent tornadoes over open country for hours. The Greensburg tornado was nearly 2 miles wide! In this picture, a great radar, timeline, and diagram collaboration was done on this event by Howard Bluestien.
	Saturday night (February 16) was time for all to show video at the convention. The first pick was my video, a mix-down of the "20-Years of Chasing" DVD with techno music back-track which everyone loved. Here is Tim Samaras making sure all the audio and video equipment is working for the show. We thank everyone for such a fantastic job at making this the best convention yet!

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