NORMAN—The University of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies celebrates 40 years of innovative severe weather research on Nov. 15 at the National Weather Center. CIMMS, which began at the former engineering laboratory building 40 years ago, is the largest research organization at OU with nearly 200 employees and $19 million in research funding.

“CIMMS has promoted collaborative research between NOAA and OU scientists for the last 40 years on issues designed to help produce better forecasts and warnings to ultimately protect lives, property and enhance economic viability,” said CIMMS Director Greg McFarquhar.

CIMMS allows OU students research opportunities with federal partners through a cooperative agreement between the university and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that began in 1978. CIMMS created a precedent as one of the first meteorology focused research groups at the university.

CIMMS continues to look toward the future of understanding the societal and socioeconomic impacts of high impact weather systems, and always seeks to translate the results of its research into operational products. CIMMS is based at the National Weather Center but the organization has researchers in Missouri, Tennessee and Colorado.

“Over the next several years we intend to continue improving our knowledge of weather systems and processes by concentrating on a range of topics from weather radar research and tool development to high impact weather and the use of probabilistic forecasts to better represent uncertainties in forecasts,” McFarquhar said.

Join CIMMS beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 for presentations on its history, current research and future plans for the institute. Presentations are followed by a reception at 4:15 p.m. at the National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd., Norman.

For more information about the cooperative institute and its research, visit cimms.ou.edu or contact Emily Summars at esummars@ou.edu or (405) 250-8348.