Q: As a witness of ERAD's birth, how did it start? Who are the parents?

DM: ERAD was started by a few European visionaries who identified the need for a European conference series dedicated to weather radar in one way or another. I was not actively involved in this process, so I do not know the fine details. However, there was a strong desire for such a European forum, which emerged from COST 75 and its final seminar in Locarno, CH, in 1998. Peter Meischner (DLR, retired) is generally recognized as one of the prominent parents, and he chaired the first Programme Committee. The PC of the first ERAD can be considered the "founding fathers".

Q: What was the big challenge during your ERAD?

DM: My biggest challenge, besides organizing ERAD with no budget of my own, was trying to establish ERAD as the stable conference series it was intended to be. Up until 2004, there had been only two previous ERADs, where the first had been general in nature and the second was more of a  workshop in nature. There was therefore considerable uncertainty about whether ERAD as a concept would succeed or fail. Fortunately it succeeded, largely due to the critical mass brought to it from COST 717, which used ERAD 2004 to host its final seminar, and through actively soliciting and achieving cooperation with the AMS Committee on Radar Meteorology, thereby making ERAD accessible to the rest of the world and vice versa.

Q: What has ERAD special, different to other conferences?

DM: ERAD is a wonderful example of a true community-based bottom-up forum, able to accommodate different interests, but also adapting to different needs. Each ERAD can have a distinctly different flavour. ERAD does not submit itself to hierarchy. ERAD is a free spirit.

Q: We know you are a "networking" person, from OPERA. What is BALTRAD?

DM: BALTRAD is a regionally-funded European project designed to provide an advanced weather radar network for the Baltic Sea Region. It is a three-year ICT project involving eight Partners in seven counties. The budget is generous, the amount of work is great, and the level of ambition is high. BALTRAD will deliver freely-available, community-developed software which we hope will spread "organically" throughout Europe, enabling the advanced networking of weather radar data in a harmonized way. A harmonized set of production algorithms will also be included, and we encourage the community to contribute their algorithms too. An important outcome is the ability to provide end users with high-quality radar-based information which will facilitate their daily decision-making activities.

Q: What do you think should be the "motto" of ERAD 2010?
DM: Bringing together European radar communities.

Q: What the big challenges now for radar sciences?
DM: From my perspective, the biggest challenge is not necessarily scientific but instead logistical and communicative. There is lots of top-quality R&D being performed, but Europe continues to suffer from lack of "pull-through", ie. enabling R&D results to serve society. At the core of this problem is the lack of a continental weather radar network producing quality information. We are on the verge of such a breakthrough now, and developments over the next couple of years in this direction will be very exciting.

Q: what is your hobby? and if you can share with us few words about it.

DM: This may sound crazy, but my blood pressure drops when I spend time untangling fishing nets following a successful haul. I also have a classic Swedish wooden motorboat from the early 1930's, in need of vast amounts of care, but fully-functional and my pride and joy in the archipelago of the Swedish east coast.

Q: Thank you Daniel Michelson ! (23 of March 2009, the World Meteorology Day)

Q: as a professor, what do you think are the challenges in teaching radar, as a very complex and extended domain?
FM: To make system technology and atmospheric physics interrelated through electromagnetic theory.

Q:  Do you think radar has an increased attraction for students in Europe now?

FM: I believe so even though meteorology is still less known than other applcaitions (SAR, MTI, Traffic control).

Q: do you feel that the best students are going now to Physiscs or Sciences or to other domain?
FM: ICT is seen as an opportunity to find a job, but I feel that a Science curriculum may give the same chances.

Q: what is the favorite topic for students in learning radar?
FM: Hydrometeor scattering and microphysics.

Q: are women more present in radar science now?
FM: They are increasing, but still less than men.

Thank you Frank, (28 of March 2009 - World day of Earth)

Q:. In the history of ERAD, the one in Barcelona was a special edition. Looking back to ERAD 2006, what do you think that was the greatest achievement of it? What had different to other editions?
DST: ERAD2006 was the first time in which the conference attendance was over 300 people, so the first time in which ERAD was reaching the same level of participation that our elder sister, the AMS Radar Conference (particularly the participation of US scientists was remarkably high). However we succeeded in keeping the "familiar" atmosphere characterizing the previous ERAD editions, what has been the main ERAD flavor from the very beginning.
To me the most important achievements were to consolidate the Training Radar Course associated to the conference, to start the initiative of the ERAD Award to the Best Student Contribution, and to explore the idea of the Workshops around selected topics to promote interaction and discussion in a more relax and friendly way that the traditional formal oral sessions.

Q:. Looking back to all ERADs, what do you think that defines "ERAD" as a special and individual community among other conferences?
DST: ERAD is not a meeting of a Society or organisation. Essentially is the expression of a community that join their forces every two years to share their advancements. This is in some sense a fragility, but also a terrific force since the meeting is a success, and will be a success, because is thought to serve this community.
Up to now, one of the "ERAD" major differences in comparison with other conferences is the spirit of making possible the interaction and experience exchange between scientific and operational people in a balanced and comfortable way. For me this is a must that have been present from its origins and it represents a major ingredient for its success.

Q:. What do you think is the most important challenge of radar science now?
DST: The association of a well established error structure to radar based QPE and QPF. It's a complex subject but advancements are being done, and this will open new approaches to use radar in hydrological studies but also to better assimilate them into NWP models and to enhance their support to provide global precipitation estimates using satellites and space-borne radars.

Q:. What are your thoughts for ERAD 2010 ?
DST: I will be very happy if ERAD2010 confirm the level of attendance, approaching the conference to the Eastern Europe scientists and practitioners, but without reducing the high quality of the oral presentations of the last editions.
This will require a strict selection of the oral presentations (under 30% of the total) and to find ways to promote the participation through posters (70% of presentations)  and discussions.
If the Training Course can also be promoted (as it is planed), given the magnificent place in which it will be held, I'm sure it will be anew an exciting and successful edition.

Q:. Who are you besides the radar person we know?  
DST:Essentially I'm the father of Anna and Dani ;-). And a passionate person that enjoys understanding life as a journey towards the best of ourselves.

Thank you Daniel, 15 May 2009