Latest News

The AMTA Board of Directors extends a special thanks to the Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) at the University of Oklahoma for its outstanding Silver Sponsorship and continued support of AMTA 2024 and 2025. We also recognize Prof. Jorge Salazar for his exceptional leadership as Technical Chair and the ARRC students for their high-quality contributions that elevated the technical program

Congratulations to OU/ARRC student Luis Felipe Moncada and his team for earning second place in the Student Day Competition at AMTA 2025! An amazing achievement that reflects your hard work, creativity, and dedication. Well done to the entire team for an outstanding performance!

Congratulations to Alexis Oblitas (ARRC/OU) for receiving the 47th Annual Symposium of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA 2024). Alexis also received TICRA award at AMTA 2025. Your dedication and professionalism truly made a difference — thank you for representing OU and ARRC with excellence!

Congratulations to Johan Oblitas (ARRC/OU) for receiving the AMTA Board of Directors Award for her outstanding volunteer contributions at the 47th Annual Symposium of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA 2025). Your dedication and professionalism truly made a difference — thank you for representing OU and the ARRC with excellence!

Dr. Pierre Kirstetter (ARRC/SoM/CEES) has been elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The AMS Fellowship is one of the highest honors in the atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences or their applications, awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the field. AMS Fellows represent not more than two-tenths of 1 percent of all AMS Members. This prestigious distinction recognizes Pierre’s contributions to hydrometeorology, ground-based and spaceborne weather radar science and applications, remote sensing hydrology, and natural hazards. Precipitation and hydrometeorological hazards have become increasingly important disciplines as we encounter more frequent and severe extreme weather events. Advancing hydrological and meteorological science is crucial for safeguarding human lives and the structures that support them. Congratulations!

Dr. Daniel Watters (ARRC) has been appointed as Associate Editor for the Journal of Hydrometeorology (JHM), a publication of the American Meteorological Society. JHM publishes research on modeling, observing, and forecasting processes pertaining to water and energy fluxes and storage, including interactions with the boundary layer and lower atmosphere. The journal also covers processes related to precipitation, radiation, and other meteorological inputs. In his capacity as Associate Editor, Daniel will support the journal by utilizing his expertise to review manuscripts submitted to JHM and providing specialized assistance to Editors. Congratulations Daniel!

We're proud to share that The University of Oklahoma's Advanced Radar Research Center has secured a $19.9 million award from the National Science Foundation's Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 program that will fund the development of two groundbreaking KaRVIR systems (Dual-Doppler 3D Mobile Ka-band Rapid-Scanning Volume Imaging Radars for Earth System Science).

Learn more about the project: Link

A message from the Student Affairs Committee:

Hello Everyone,

I am pleased to introduce the new Student Affairs Committee (SAC) members for Fall 2025 -- Spring 2026.

Our goal is to serve the ARRC student community by fostering a collaborative research environment and strengthening connections among students, faculty, engineers and staffs. We are here to listen to your ideas, represent your concerns, and provide support whenever needed.

ARRC is a truly special place where students in meteorology and engineering come together from diverse backgrounds and research interests. With the support of dedicated faculty, engineers, and staffs, we have unique opportunities to grow not only as researchers but also as a community. We hope to highlight and build upon this unique environment so that every student can thrive in their own way.

We look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year.

Best regards,

Yoon.

The Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) proudly celebrated its 20th Anniversary on August 16, 2025, marking two decades of innovation, collaboration, and impact in radar science and engineering. Faculty, students, alumni, and partners gathered for a special gala in Norman, highlighted by keynote remarks from Dr. Robert Palmer, founding director of the ARRC and current Dean of the OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. Distinguished guests, including Dr. Dušan Zrnic—now a senior research scientist at the ARRC following nearly five decades at NOAA/NSSL—joined in commemorating the center's achievements and its role as the nation’s largest academic radar program. Attendees also enjoyed seeing ARRC's Horus and RaXPol radars deployed outside the venue, a fitting showcase of the center’s unique capabilities. It was a memorable evening to celebrate the success of the lab, and to look forward with excitement to many more decades of groundbreaking radar research.

Congratulations to PhD student Jonah Pehl, who earned 3rd place in the Student Oral Presentation competition at the 41st AMS Radar Conference in Toronto. Jonah's talk looked at phased-array radars (PARs), the leading candidate to replace today's rotating NEXRAD network—and asked a simple, high-impact question: how do we keep their polarimetric measurements calibrated? He showed that even small pointing differences between the PAR's H and V beams can bias polarimetric weather measurements, and he outlined practical guardrails to keep the data accurate and consistent for forecasters. Jonah, advised by Dr. David Schvartzman, is now validating these findings on Horus, OU's fully digital polarimetric PAR—helping pave the way for reliable PAR observations.