Contact: Sammy McDavid
El Nino won't be the cause of the 1998 Mississippi Water Resources Conference, but it will be the first item of business on next month's program.
The recurring rain-laden weather phenomenon will be the keynote address topic as some 125 representatives of government, academia and business gather April 7 and 8 at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond.
The Mississippi State University-based Water Resources Research Institute annually sponsors the conference in cooperation with the Mississippi Office of the U.S. Geological Survey and the state's Office of Land and Water.
"El Nino: The Child, the Myth, the Legend (Perception, Press and Reality)" will be the title of a presentation by MSU geosciences department faculty members Charles L. Wax and Douglas W. Gamble. Their remarks will come at the 8:30 a.m. opening session on the 7th.
In addition to heading the department, Wax is the state climatologist. Gamble is an assistant professor of geography.
MSU's geosciences department offers a bachelor's degree program in broadcast meteorology, a highly specialized major currently enrolling some 300 majors. In February, the department announced a new program that will enable U.S. military personnel to complete a degree in operational meteorology no matter where they are stationed.
Following the El Nino session, the conference will feature a series of concurrent sessions. Each session highlights topical issues related to surface and ground waters, rivers, the impact of pesticides and toxins, and advances in satellite-borne global positioning/remote sensing research.
State Department of Health and Office of Pollution Control employees attending the conference may be eligible for continuing education credits.
The Eagle Ridge Center, a part of Hinds Community College, is located approximately 10 miles west of Jackson on state Highway 18.
For additional information on this year's conference agenda, telephone Jean Daniel at (601) 325-7356.