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South Alabama hosts 18th annual SeCAPS Conference

By: Caleb Seaver, Contributing Writer
Photos by Caleb Seaver

On March 29-30, the University of South Alabama Meteorology Department hosted the 18th annual Southeastern Coast Atmospheric Processes Symposium (SeCAPS), where speakers presented research, shared advice, and exchanged ideas with other professional meteorologists and students.

SeCAPS is a student-run weather conference welcoming both professional meteorologists and students. The first conference took place in 2014, and it was created as a way for students to present research, to meet with and learn from professional meteorologists, and to be a part of planning and organizing a professional conference. This year, the conference was held in the Student Center ballroom with two sessions on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a mixer on Saturday evening. 

The conference’s theme for this year, “Cosmic Unity: Aligning as One,” was centered around space weather, as well as the need for unification for meteorologists amid government cutbacks. 

A group of people posing for a photo AI-generated content may be incorrect.
The SeCaps Planning Committee is comprised of South Alabama meteorology students. The 2025 Committee is above. (L to R: Jessie Lawley, Jackson Quinn, Isabella Rosello, Haley Floden, Hannah Fink, Caleb Seaver, Kelan Croft, Dr. Jake Wiley, Michael Efurd, and Katherine Krontiras)

The first day of the conference covered a wide array of topics, ranging from how tornado warnings can be improved to how damage surveys are conducted following major weather events. It also featured a tour of the South Alabama AtmosCenter (Broadcast Weather Studio) and a weather balloon launch.

The second day featured a keynote speech by NASA’s Tony Rice on why meteorologists should care about space events and share information on auroras, meteor showers, eclipses, and other space events. Alan Sealls, who was recently elected as the American Meteorological Society president, spoke on new technologies, such as AI, and the impact these might have on weather forecasters.

A person giving a presentation to a group of people AI-generated content may be incorrect.
Tony Rice, data scientist and volunteer in the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Solar System Ambassador Program, was one of the many speakers.

“The conference felt really smooth, everything went really well and I got to hear some very good talks,” said Kevin Lamberson, meteorologist at NWS Midland, TX.

“What an honor to present at SeCAPS this morning about the transformation of the National Weather Service,” said NWS Operating Program Manager Brian Lamarre. “It was a great Saturday…SeCAPS is such an awesome conference.”

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