Good day, veteran and aspiring aviation weather enthusiasts.
Between the upcoming Fall 2026 FPAW Meeting now less than seven weeks away, and all the stuff that goes with preparing for it, and the recently concluded election of new FPAW Steering Committee (SC) senior members effective October 1, 2026, and all the stuff that goes into conducting it and communicating the results, we nearly overlooked one more significant item on our FPAW to-do list: we are in the process of electing a student member to the FPAW SC for a one-year term, also effective October 1, 2026. And this won't be just any student member: this will be THE charter student member of the FPAW SC, the first ever, something the elected candidate will be able to proudly include on their resume for the rest of their ever lovin' days.
Over a month ago, after the first of the student member application packets came in, we wondered for a while if we were going to end up with one student candidate for one slot. Those fears were allayed shortly after, and now they've been completely obliterated, as we look to have at least five excellent students vying for the one open position.
We have glanced at some of the documents in the application packets provided by each student candidate and all we can say is this: OMG, there are some absolutely dynamite candidates in the list, which will undoubtedly make the selection process a very interesting one, indeed.
And now for a reminder. For the upcoming student member opening on the FPAW SC, complete application packets, consisting of 1) an expression of interest, including, if desired, a statement on why they should be selected, 2) a C/V or resume, and 3) a faculty letter of recommendation, must be received by us, the two FPAW Co-Chairs, via email (mfronzak@mitre.org and nathan.polderman@united.com) no later than close of business (1700E) this coming Friday, 9-11-26, which is just less than 52 hours from now.
We will announce the results of the voting to the FPAW community as soon as the results are in and the candidates have been individually advised of them.
Matt Fronzak and Nathan Polderman
FPAW Co-Chairs