This morning, the good folks in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania heard from Punxsutawney Phil that he did see his shadow. What they don't know is that he used SAS to predict whether his shadow was there or not.

For years, Phil has wandered out into the freezing cold to determine if winter will last another 6 weeks. Not this year, Phil wanted to stay warm.

So, he made use of SAS Forecasting - analyzing his previous shadow encounters with temperature, humidity, snow levels, etc. He was so confident in the result that he hired a stand-in to deliver the news to the humans in the cold. "Well worth it", says Phil, "I am really warm and snuggly at the moment... but please don't let the folks that traveled here know that Albert was the one out there!"

When asked how he learned SAS Forecasting, Phil replied "Why at F2008 of course! The Forecasting Conference was very helpful in learning how others use SAS. I am planning on going again this year since the conference is in June in North Carolina and will be very warm. I like warm." As the SAS Student Programs Manager, I'm excited to announce that F2009 will be supporting students again this year with a Student Poster Competition. Three students will be selected to present a poster at the conference.

PRIZE: Three (3) prizes will be awarded. Each prize will consist of the following:

• Three (3) days lodging in Cary, NC June 1, 2, and 3, 2009 - approximate retail value $450.00.
• Three (3) days meal expenses in Cary, NC June 1, 2 and 3, 2009 – up to $159.00.
• Round trip airfare to Raleigh-Durham International Airport from within the continental United States – approximate retail value $400.00.
• Complimentary conference registration - $995.00.

More information about the conference can be found at the F2009 site. Note that the details and rules about the competition will be posted on Friday, February 6th.

For those of you as enamored with Groundhog Day as I, check out the official Groundhog Day site.