SCIENCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY MODEL EXTREME SPACE WEATHER EVENTS MAGNETOSPHERE-IONOSPHERE-THERMOSPHERE (MIT) SIMULATORS NEED TO ACCURATELY MODEL HIGH LATITUDE CONDUCTIVITIES. THIS REQUIRES INCORPORATING EFFECTS FROM SMALL-SCALE BUT INTENSE PHYSICAL PROCESSES SUCH AS PRECIPITATION AND IONOSPHERIC TURBULENCE. DURING STORMS AND SUPER-STORMS PRECIPITATION DRAMATICALLY INCREASES THE IONOSPHERIC E-LAYER PLASMA DENSITY AND HENCE THE CONDUCTIVITIES. ALSO THE MAGNETOSPHERE FORCES ENORMOUS CURRENTS THROUGH THE IONOSPHERE SUCH THAT IT BECOMES TURBULENT CAUSING MAJOR CHANGES IN THE CONDUCTIVITIES. THESE EFFECTS ALSO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE TOTAL ENERGY AND MOMENTUM TRANSFERRED TO THE IONOSPHERE AND THERMOSPHERE. RESEARCHERS HAVE SHOWN THAT WHILE SIMULATIONS ACCURATELY MODEL CHANGES IN THE MIT SYSTEM DURING TYPICAL DAY-TO DAY VARIATIONS AND MODERATE EVENTS THEY CANNOT ACCURATELY MODEL THE STRUCTURE OF THE MIT DURING SEVERE STORMS. TO DO THIS RESEARCHERS WILL NEED TO UPGRADE THE CONDUCTANCE MODELS IN THESE SIMULATORS MOST NOTABLY THE PRECIPITATION AND IONOSPHERIC TURBULENCE MODELS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR EXTREME EVENTS WHEN PRECIPITATION AND TURBULENCE WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE.