AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project

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Geosciences Diversity Project

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This project is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. GEO-0119740 (NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences Program) and DUE-0126032 (NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement - National Dissemination Program). Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.

{NWS Deputy Director John Jones}
NWS Deputy Director John Jones talks to faculty members at the NWS Training Center workshop.

At a Glance:
»The Challenge We Face
»An Invitation to Join the AMS Online Weather Studies Geosciences Diversity/National Dissemination Project
»Accepting Our Invitation
»Diversity Project Goals
»NWSTC Workshop
»NWSTC Workshop Staff
»NWSTC Facilities
»NWSTC Workshop Participant Support and Housing
»AMS Annual Meeting Workshop
»For More Information

{faculty members at weather station}
Faculty workshop participants investigate how weather observations are made.

{Professor William Porter}
Professor William Porter of Elizabeth City State University discusses critical thinking through technology.

{faculty members at weather station}
Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director of the NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction, speaks to a faculty workshop group.

{AMS Annual Meeting poster session}
Poster presentations at AMS Annual Meeting.

{Diversity Project collage}

Including Faculty Enhancement Workshops at the

National Weather Service Training Center
Kansas City, Missouri
15-20 May 2005

and at the

AMS Annual Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
28-31 January 2006

* The Online Weather Studies Diversity Project is for eligible institutions using the complete course package.

* Click here for the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project License Order Form

Jump to...
*The Challenge We Face
*An Invitation to Join the AMS Online Weather Studies Geosciences Diversity/National Dissemination Project
*Accepting Our Invitation
*Diversity Project Goals
*NWSTC Workshop
*NWSTC Workshop Staff
*NWSTC Facilities
*NWSTC Workshop Participant Support and Housing
*AMS Annual Meeting Workshop
*For More Information

The Challenge We Face
Our nation faces a serious challenge in attracting young people to science and science-related careers (including teaching). This is particularly true for members of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology and is especially acute in the number of minority college students majoring in the geosciences.

A formidable obstacle in attracting students to the geosciences has been lack of access, that is, no opportunity to enroll in an introductory geoscience course simply because none is offered at their college or university. To help alleviate this problem, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is making available an introductory weather and climate course, Online Weather Studies, which can be added to an institution's general education offerings. This highly successful course has been conducted at more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. Seventy of these institutions have implemented the course through the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project. The AMS encourages course adoption by more institutions serving large numbers of minority students through support from the National Science Foundation's Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) and Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement-National Dissemination (CCLI-ND) programs.

An Invitation to Join the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project
The AMS, in cooperation with the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), is inviting minority-serving institutions to join the effort to provide student access to learning opportunities in the geosciences by implementing Online Weather Studies. For the purposes of this AMS Diversity Project, eligible colleges and universities include those listed by the U.S. Department of Education as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian (AN/NH) Serving Institutions. Also eligible are other accredited post-secondary institutions that can document a total minority enrollment of at least 30% of the total student population. Minority students are defined as members of African American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Native Pacific Islander groups

To encourage institutional participation, the AMS Diversity Project offers the following:

Attendance of instructor at a one-week course implementation workshop at the National Weather Service Training Center (NWSTC) in Kansas City, MO. The next NWSTC workshop will be held 15-20 May 2005. All travel, room, board, and instructional costs are paid by the Project and the instructor in attendance will receive an additional $375 stipend.
Attendance by course instructor at the subsequent Annual Meeting of the AMS (28-31 January 2006, Atlanta, GA). Registration fee, travel, and lodging costs will be covered by the Project.
Ongoing course implementation assistance by AMS program staff and experienced Online Weather Studies instructors who teach in similar academic environments.
An academic advising/mentoring opportunity facilitated by course instructors for students who demonstrate interest and potential for further studies leading to possible careers in the atmospheric sciences or other geosciences (including teaching).
Reduced course licensing fees of $49 per semester or $79 per year for the first two years of implementation of Online Weather Studies.

Details concerning the Online Weather Studies course are available at: http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/online/info/

Accepting Our Invitation
Post-secondary institutions with at least a 30% minority-student enrollment can accept our invitation by submitting the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project License Order Form (enclosed) signed by an authorized institutional representative, which commits the institution to offering the course for at least one semester. Send the completed License Order Form to us with the license fee or a purchase order.

NWSTC workshop participation is on a first-come, first-served basis as determined by the date-of-receipt of the License Order Form. Until one month before the NWSTC workshop, one-half of the faculty enhancement slots will be reserved for Federally-designated HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs and AN/NH Serving Institutions.

Diversity Project Goals
The NWSTC workshop will prepare faculty members who have little or no prior teaching experience or formal training in the atmospheric sciences to teach Online Weather Studies by exploring the latest technologies for sensing, analyzing, and forecasting weather, examining teaching strategies that promote critical thinking, and reviewing an array of classroom and laboratory applications. Each course instructor will be provided with all necessary course materials to teach Online Weather Studies and will demonstrate:

The ability to interpret and analyze weather information acquired through direct and remote sensing of the environment.
An understanding of the properties and life cycle of the principal weather systems, especially those responsible for hazardous conditions.
The design of student investigations that promote critical thinking skills through technology.
Their offering of Online Weather Studies at their institution.

Subsequent to the NWSTC workshop, participants will:

Become part of an interactive network to share best-practice ideas in science content and teaching strategies related to their offering of Online Weather Studies.
Participate in a mentoring program that networks students with professional meteorologists and provides opportunities for internships, summer research, and career counseling.
Be encouraged to present a paper or poster at the Education Symposium at the AMS Annual Meeting.

NWSTC Workshop
The intensive week-long workshop will be held at the NWSTC in Kansas City, MO and include lectures, tutorials, seminars, hands-on laboratory exercises, and a field trip. National Weather Service and other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, and experienced weather educators will present a variety of topics dealing with sensing, analyzing, and forecasting weather as well as meeting the challenges of teaching meteorology.

Topics include:

Radar and Satellite Imagery Interpretation
Severe Weather Systems
Probing the Upper Atmosphere
Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
The Latest on Global Climate Change
Online Learning Pedagogy
Critical Thinking Through Technology
Getting the Most Out of Online Weather Studies

Formal workshop activity will take place at the NWSTC from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will be several evening activities.

NWSTC Workshop Staff
Workshop Faculty:

Ira W. Geer, Director, AMS Education Program, Washington, DC.

Robert S. Weinbeck, Associate Director, AMS Education Program (Associate Professor, Department of the Earth Sciences, State University of New York, College at Brockport, NY).

Joseph M. Moran, Associate Director, AMS Education Program (Professor Emeritus, College of Environmental Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, WI).

Elizabeth W. Mills, Meteorologist, AMS Education Program, Washington, DC.

James A. Brey, Professor, Department of Geography/Geology, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, Menasha, WI.

Jasper L. Harris, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC.

William A. Porter, Professor, Department of Geological, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, NC.

Topic Presenters:

John E. Jones, Jr., Deputy Director, National Weather Service, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD.

Louis W. Uccellini, Director, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Weather Service, Washington, DC.

Max Mayfield, Director, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Miami, FL.

Joseph T. Schaefer, Director, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service, Norman, OK.

Roderick A. Scofield, Senoir Scientist, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, Washington, DC.

NWSTC Facilities
The NWSTC is one of the best-equipped facilities of its type in the world. It features NWS computer workstations, satellite and radar display systems, state-of-the art laboratories and classrooms, and a professional staff of instructors and support personnel. The NWSTC is co-located with the NWS Aviation Weather Center, which is responsible for commercial and private aviation weather forecasting for the nation. The NWS Forecast Office in Topeka, Kansas will be the site of the field trip.

NWSTC Workshop Participant Support and Housing
NWSTC Workshop participants will receive:

Stipend of $375.
Single hotel room for 5 nights at no cost.
Meal allowance.
Air travel (or equivalent for land travel) for one round trip between home and Kansas City, MO.
All instructional and laboratory supplies.

Participants are expected to stay in hotel accommodations arranged by the American Meteorological Society, which are adjacent to the NWSTC. The workshop is intensive and will require evening meetings and informal interaction amongst participants is an integral component of the workshop. Also, participants are encouraged to attend without families if their presence is likely to detract from full participation.

AMS Annual Meeting Workshop
Participating faculty members at eligible institutions for the AMS Diversity Project who implemented Online Weather Studies at their institutions during the prior year will be invited to the 2006 AMS Annual Meeting to present a poster or paper describing their experiences with Online Weather Studies, attend a one-day workshop focusing on diversity issues related to the course, and attend the Meeting's extensive scientific sessions and exhibits.

AMS Annual Meeting registration, travel, hotel accommodations, and certain meals will be provided by the AMS Diversity Project.

For More Information
Please direct all communications concerning the program to:

Elizabeth W. Mills
Online Weather Studies Diversity Project
American Meteorological Society
1120 G Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 1-800-824-0405
E-mail: onlinewx@dc.ametsoc.org

In selecting faculty participants and otherwise administering the workshop, the American Meteorological Society will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, and status as a Vietnam Era or disabled veteran.

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Copyright © 2005 by the American Meteorological Society. The American Meteorological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Federal Tax-Exempt Identification No. 04-2103657.
e-mail us at: onlinewx@dc.ametsoc.org