Mobile Radar as an Undergraduate Education and Research Tool: The ERAU C-BREESE Field Experience with the Doppler on Wheels

Many STEM disciplines rely on experiential or applied-learning courses, camps, workshops, etc. to recruit and engage students. Field-based experiences are particularly important for those disciplines focused on readily observable Earth features and processes. Studies by Tanamachi et al. (2020), Milrad and Herbster (2017), and Barrett and Woods (2012 all show that undergraduate students gain a deeper understanding of scientific principles through field experiences. Unfortunately, field courses present significant barriers to participation for people who have job or family obligations, financial constraints, and need access to physical, learning, or other accommodations, as well as LGBTQ+ students with concerns about sleeping arrangements. Recent news and articles on field safety in the geosciences have highlighted the dangers facing students of minoritized identities related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, and disability. At-risk individuals report experiencing refused service, slurs and harassment, sexual and other assaults, and having the police called on them. This is leading to discussions in the scientific community and strategies to protect people of marginalized identities in the field.In recent years, the authors have discussed the feasibility of offering a live-streamed storm-chase course. The initial reaction of many colleagues was rather negative. Concerns included the lack of physically experiencing sensible weather, such as in-person views of storms, sounds of the wind and thunder, sharp changes in humidity and temperature, and smells such as petrichor. There was also

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confidence: 99%

Field and Stream: Initial Testing of a Live-Streamed, Storm-Chase Course in Meteorology

Dixon

Durkee

Oglesby

et al. 2022

“…Examples of engaged scholarship include undergraduate student involvement in research and reinforcement of material and concepts learned in core classes during out-of-classroom activities, especially those related to relevant societal issues of interest to the students. Numerous examples of engaged scholarship have been incorporated into the meteorological teaching community, including instruments such as the National Science Foundation educational deployments of the Doppler on Wheels (Richardson et al 2008;Toth et al 2011;Bell et al 2015;Milrad and Herbster 2017;Clark et al 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

Snowflake Selfies: A Low-Cost, High-Impact Approach toward Student Engagement in Scientific Research (with Their Smartphones)

Kumjian

Bowley

Markowski

et al. 2020

Abstract An engaged scholarship project called “Snowflake Selfies” was developed and implemented in an upper-level undergraduate course at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). During the project, students conducted research on snow using low-cost, low-tech instrumentation that may be readily implemented broadly and scaled as needed, particularly at institutions with limited resources. During intensive observing periods (IOPs), students measured snowfall accumulations, snow-to-liquid ratios, and took microscopic photographs of snow using their smartphones. These observations were placed in meteorological context using radar observations and thermodynamic soundings, helping to reinforce concepts from atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud physics, radar, and mesoscale meteorology courses. Students also prepared a term paper and presentation using their datasets/photographs to hone communication skills. Examples from IOPs are presented. The Snowflake Selfies project was well received by undergraduate students as part of the writing-intensive course at Penn State. Responses to survey questions highlight the project’s effectiveness at engaging students and increasing their enthusiasm for the semester-long project. The natural link to social media broadened engagement to the community level. Given the successes at Penn State, we encourage Snowflake Selfies or similar projects to be adapted or implemented at other institutions.

“…The close relationship between researchers, students, and operational forecasters provides valuable experiential learning opportunities while meeting the needs of the researchers and forecasters. Notably, field work has been shown to produce more engaged students (e.g., Kolb 2014;Milrad and Herbster 2017) while enhancing their understanding of scientific principles (e.g., Knapp et al 2006;Elkins and Elkins 2007;Godfrey et al 2011;Barrett and Woods 2012;Hopper et al 2013). This project further offers unique opportunities for real-time operational decisionmaking, as students often decided whether to continue operating during an event; such autonomy is a critical component of successful student involvement in field work (e.g., Rauber et al 2007;Richardson et al 2008;Godfrey et al 2011;Hopper et al 2013;Bell et al 2015;Milrad and Herbster 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

Partnering Research, Education, and Operations via a Cool Season Severe Weather Soundings Program

Sherburn

Parker

Davenport

et al. 2019

Recent research has improved our knowledge and forecasting of high-shear, low-CAPE (HSLC) severe convection, which produces a large fraction of overnight and cool season tornadoes. However, limited near-storm observations have hindered progress in our understanding of HSLC environments and detection of severe potential within them. This article provides an overview of a research project in central North Carolina aimed toward increasing the number of observations in the vicinity of severe and nonsevere HSLC convection. Particularly unique aspects of this project are a) leadership by student volunteers from a university sounding club and b) real-time communication of observations to local National Weather Service Forecast Offices. In addition to an overview of sounding operations and goals, two case examples are provided that support the potential utility of supplemental sounding observations for operational, educational, and research purposes.