NIWeek Keynote Speakers: Where Are They Now?

[Laura Arnold]

If you attended NIWeek last year, you definitely remember the thrilling guest keynote from Tim Samaras, acclaimed severe-storms researcher and star of the Discovery Channel show “Storm Chasers.” Samaras showed clips of tornadoes he's tracked and explained how his team uses NI LabVIEW software, NI CompactDAQ, and NI DIAdem to collect and analyze data from tornadoes across the country.

For those who missed it, he and his team predict where a tornado will land, then drop several probes in its path to measure humidity, temperature, wind speed, direction, and static pressure. The data he gathers not only provides insight into how and why twisters form, but saves lives by predicting their future path.

Since giving the 2011 NIWeek keynote, Tim’s kept very busy. Although the 2012 tornado season is just now starting, Tim and his team have already tracked a number of large storms. Check out the below video of a giant tornado that the TWISTEX team recently captured in Kansas.

We’ll be announcing the 2012 NIWeek guest keynote speaker soon, so register now and stay tuned!