Improving the Use of Computer Data Analysis Skills in Undergraduate Meteorology

大气科学(41)这个项目的重点是通过获取和使用最新的计算设施，利用实时大气数据，在气象学课程的所有各级纳入科学调查。增强的计算设施正在支持获取实时气象数据和预报，并允许学生将这些数据可视化，操作具有研究质量的天气模型以了解大气过程，并培养他们未来在大气科学中取得成功所需的编程技能。该项目正在调查科学探究如何提高学生在入门水平上对基本大气过程的理解，以及改进的数据分析和计算机编程能力如何有助于提高气象学专业学生的技能和就业能力。之前的许多研究表明，科学探究是培养未来科学家和学生科学家的重要组成部分。这个项目通过研究如何将探究纳入气象学课程来提高不同能力的学生的技能，从而增加了这一工作的主体。作为气象学入门实验室的一部分，非专业学生将接触到一种改进的基于调查的方法。气象学专业的学生正在获得必要的计算机技能，以获取、分析和可视化地球科学中典型的大型数据集。专业学生在课堂和研究环境中操作自己的预测模型也获得了经验。更广泛的影响。使用这些设施完成活动的学生正在加深他们对如何可视化和解释大气数据的理解。对于非专业学生来说，在培养具有科学素养的民众变得越来越重要的时候，这种探究性活动与公民科学家的教育非常相关。这些活动还有助于培养更多精通研究的毕业生，他们拥有在劳动力和研究生研究项目中具有竞争力所需的技能。这一努力的成果正在与教育界分享，以帮助改善整个地球科学教育。

Atmospheric Sciences (41)This project focuses on the incorporation of scientific inquiry at all levels of the meteorology curriculum using real-time atmospheric data through the acquisition and use of updated computing facilities. Enhanced computing facilities are supporting the acquisition of real-time meteorological data and forecasts, and allowing students to visualize these data, operate research-quality weather models to understand atmospheric processes, and develop programming skills needed for their future success in the atmospheric sciences. The project is investigating how scientific inquiry improves students' comprehension of basic atmospheric processes at the introductory level, and how improved data analysis and computer programming capabilities contributes to increasing the skills and employability of students majoring in meteorology.Intellectual Merit. Many previous studies have shown scientific inquiry to be a vital part of training future scientists and student scientists. This program is adding to that body of work by studying how incorporating inquiry into the meteorology curriculum can lead to improving the skills of students of varying abilities. Non-majors are being exposed to an improved inquiry-based approach as part of their introductory meteorology lab. Meteorology majors are gaining the vital computer skills necessary to obtain, analyze and visualize the large datasets typical of the earth sciences. Majors also are gaining experience operating their own forecasting models in classroom and research settings. Broader Impacts. Students completing activities using these facilities are enhancing their understanding of how to visualize and interpret atmospheric data. For non-majors, these kinds of inquiry-based activities are extremely relevant to the education of citizen-scientists at a time when it is becoming ever more important to develop a science-literate populace. These activities are also helping develop more research-savvy graduates, armed with skills necessary to be competitive in the workforce and in graduate research programs. The results of this effort are being shared with the education community in an effort to help improve earth science education as a whole.