SPEAKERS: Henry D. Jacoby: Professor of Management, MIT Sloan. Ronald G. Prinn: TEPCO Professor of Atmospheric Science, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. John B. Heywood: Sun Jae Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Karen R. Polenske: Professor of Regional Political Economy and Planning, Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Amy Smith: Senior Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering; 2004 MacArthur Fellow. Leon R.

As the costs of Hurricane Katrina continue to spiral higher -- to date, $125 billion in damages and 1,200 deaths - there's keen interest in perfecting the science of hurricane forecasting. The insurance industry in particular has a big stake in learning where and how the next big one is likely to hit. The problem is that traditional methods of statistical analysis, relying on previous landfalling storms, only go so far in generating useful risk assessments. “We have a bad time predicting in real time when and where hurricanes will develop,” says Emanuel.