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The Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) at ARRC hosted Dr. Joel Dunsmore on April 7th for his first Distinguished Microwave Lecture. His presentation was titled "Modern Methods for Component Measurements using Vector Network Analyzers (VNAs) for 6G Test." The talk touched upon the important and unique features of modern VNAs for precision testing and measurement, especially at higher frequencies.

Dr. Dunsmore is a Keysight R&D Fellow working at the Santa Rosa Site. He received his Ph.D. from Leeds University in 2004. He was a principal contributor to the PNA family of network analyzers, with recent work in non-linear tests, including differential devices and mixer measurements, as well as modulated and spectrum measurements. He has received 36 patents and authored the Handbook of Microwave Component Measurements, 2nd Edition (John Wiley, 2020). He also has a YouTube Channel, @DrJoelVNA.

Thank you, Dr. Dunsmore, for the talk!

The ARRC hosted Dr. Armin Doerry on April 3rd, who presented a seminar as part of the ARRC Distinguished Radar Lecture Series. Dr. Doerry is a distinguished member of technical staff in the ISR Mission Engineering Department of Sandia National Laboratories and a research professor at the University of New Mexico Center for High-Technology Materials. His seminar was titled "Airborne Radar for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance." Dr. Doerry also presented a short course on synthetic aperture radar imaging to ARRC students, faculty, and engineers.

Thank you to Dr. Doerry for your sharing your experience and expertise with us!

1st Row: Edward Szpindor (Treasurer), Dave Pinnell (Chief Financial Officer), Tony Sanchez (Secretary), Michelle Lepage (President), Mike Francis (Senior Advisor), Patrick Pelland (Meeting Coordinator), Jorge L. Salazar-Cerreno (Technical Coordinator), & Justin Dobbins (Host)

2nd Row: C.J. Reddy (Social Media Coordinator), Amedeo Capozzoli (European Liaison), Jeffrey Fordham (Past President), Daniel Aloi (Vice President) & Lawrence Mandeville (Historian)

Dr. Jorge Salazar-Cerreno has been elected as the Technical Coordinator for the 2025 Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA) Symposium. In addition to this prestigious role, he will also serve on the AMTA Board of Directors, contributing his extensive expertise in microwave antennas, phased-array systems, and radar technologies to the organization's mission.

Rosalind Agasti (ECE/ARRC) received the 2025 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) / ProOuest Distinguished Master's Thesis Award in the category of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering.

Nominated by the OU Graduate College, Rosalind's thesis, "Frequency-agile Filtering Antennas for S-band and X-band Applications", documents the design and implementation of novel reconfigurable and highly integrated RF and microwave devices for next-generation communication systems.

Rosalind is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at OU. She is advised by Drs. Jessica Ruyle and Hjalti Sigmarsson.

Emma Miller, a graduate student in the OU School of Meteorology and with the Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC), won the 1st Place Student Oral Presentation Award at the Symposium on Radar Research to Operations during the 2025 AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

Her award-winning presentation, "Advancing the Detection and Classification of Wildfire Smoke Using NEXRAD", introduced modifications to the National Weather Service's hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA) to better identify wildfire smoke, which is currently misclassified as biological scatter. Her work leverages statistical analysis and machine learning techniques to refine smoke classification, providing a more effective way to track smoke plumes in real time. These advancements aim to improve situational awareness for forecasters and emergency responders dealing with wildfires.

Emma graduated from Purdue University in 2023 with degrees in Atmospheric Science and Planetary Sciences. She is currently studying radar observations of wildfire smoke and plans to continue at OU for her PhD, where she will focus on polarimetric observations of wildfires using passive radar to further improve detection and tracking of fire-generated plumes. She is advised by Dr. David Schvartzman.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Halloween Costume Contest this year! We saw some truly amazing, spooky, and creative costumes across both students and staff. After careful consideration, our judges are excited to announce the winners!

Student Winners:
Best Overall: Cody Kieu for a standout costume that truly captured the Halloween spirit!
Most Creative: Parker Cary for their unique and imaginative costume design!

Faculty & Staff Winners:
Best Overall: Bob Palmer for bringing an unforgettable character to life!
Most Creative: Daniel Royer for showing an impressive level of creativity and originality!

Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to everyone who dressed up and made this Halloween extra special. We cannot wait to see what you all come up with next year!

The 2024 Weathernews Scholarship has been awarded to Aimee Matland-Dixon, PhD student in the School of Meteorology and the ARRC. Aimee’s work was highlighted during the 13th Workshop on WNI/OU Collaboration held October 30 in the Radar Innovations Lab.

The $5,000 award, established in 2017 to enhance advanced research and development of radar technology, is presented annually to an outstanding ARRC student studying weather radar, observations of the atmosphere, data analysis, and implementation.

Pictured with Aimee are Shogo Kaneko, researcher, Masaya Yamamoto, CTO, and Daisuke Abe, Executive Director, all from Weathernews, Berrien Moore, Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, and Bob Palmer, Executive Director of the ARRC.

The ARRC put on a festive light display during the 2024 OU Homecoming parade on Friday night