It may have started out as a vacation to visit with friends and do some ministry/mission work, but PhD student Jared Lee has capitalized on a recent trip to Australia to also share his PhD research results and collaborate with fellow scientists.  Jared recently presented a seminar titled "Down-selection of Numerical Weather Prediction Ensemble Configurations," at three different organizations in Australia--Monash University (August 6, 2010), University of Melbourne (August 11, 2010), and the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre (August 12, 2010).  

Jared networked and used some prior connections to make sure the the trip was a productive one.  Certainly a semester studying abroad at Monash University in 2004 and conversations with Todd Lane, University of Melbourne, when he visited Penn State in December 2009 to give a seminar, were enough to get the ball rolling.  In addition, Todd Lane put Jared in touch with some folks at the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, which added another excellent opportunity for collaboration.  After the lectures, Jared is traveling to Western Australia to visit fellow Penn State Meteorology alumnus, Bob Tarr, who recently moved to Australia from the State College area to take a job as a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology in Perth.