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Spring 2006 Departments
Exchange
Prerequisite
Extended Family
Foundation News
Alumni Association
Zip 01003
Books Received
Alumni Photos
Features
Running on Empty
Fill'er Up
It's Electric!
Getting There from Here
Full Steam Ahead
Beyond the Bluster
Cashing in Her Chips
The Art & Science of Diversity
Twins Be Nimble
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Extended Family
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Weather Man
David McLaughlin ’84, ’89G
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AS A BOY, DAVID MCLAUGHLIN enjoyed tinkering with radios and electronic gadgets. As an adult, he’s still a tinkerer at heart, spending his days conducting research with microwave remote-sensing and radar design. McLaughlin, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMass Amherst, is the director of the Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA). CASA is a national-scale research project pursuing a 10-year goal to revolutionize the nation’s weather prediction capabilities.
McLaughlin’s research involves the creation of networks of very small, very low-power radars that can be affixed to rooftops and cellular telephone towers. Such networks would provide unprecedented views of the low-level atmosphere, dramatically improving our ability to understand, forecast, warn, and ultimately respond to tornadoes, flash floods, land-falling hurricanes, and other hazards. He works in collaboration with Raytheon Company, IBM, the National Weather service, and more than a dozen other universities, companies, and government labs.
“You can’t see a whole elephant from any single position,” says McLaughlin, sharing his personal and professional motto. “You need to walk around it and look at it from multiple points of view.” As a student McLaughlin was inspired by his advisor and mentor, the late professor Robert McIntosh, to think big and to communicate his ideas effectively. He credits UMass Amherst with teaching him how to handle the complex world of people and ideas. He offers this piece of advice to current students: “Get out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to challenge things. Ask lots of questions, and express yourself.” |
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In Memoriam
Full Obituaries
Cancer Caregiver
Cancer Caregiver: larger image
Weather Man
Weather Man: larger image
Engineering the Best Defense
Engineering the Best Defense: larger image
Bridge Builder for the Digital Age
Bridge Builder for the Digital Age: larger image
Theater Visionary
Theater Visionary: larger image
River Keeper
River Keeper: larger image
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