The NSSL has recently formed a new organizational entity, the Field Observing Facilities and Services (FOFS) group. A purpose of the NSSL/FOFS is to provide a sustainable observational facility of ground-based mesoscale observing systems that is accessible to the mesoscale research community. An FOFS Advisory Panel has been created for the purpose of reviewing community proposals to use FOFS facilities and to make recommendations to the FOFS Chief, Dr. Dave Rust. Several FOFS observing facilities are presently being reconstructed with funds obtained in the aftermath of the 3 July 2001 "balloon barn" fire. Check here or the FOFS web page for updates on our progress.

The membership of the FOFS Advisory Panel as of 5 February 2001 is as follows:

 Rodger Brown
 Chuck Doswell
 Kenneth Howard
 David Jorgensen
 Erik Rasmussen
 Brad Smull
 Louis Wicker
 Conrad Ziegler (Chair)
 Sandra Allen (Secretary)
 Donald Burgess (Ex Officio)
 Dave Rust (FOFS Head)

An immediate and urgent goal is to prepare for NSSL and collaborators to use FOFS facilities in the IHOP field experiment which is at an advanced planning stage and will be conducted during May-June 2002. Following successful completion of fire recovery efforts, current plans call for information to be posted on the NSSL web page regarding FOFS facility access and scheduling.