Second Workshop to Promote Educating the Next Generation of Atmospheric Scientists for Industry Needs

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Weather, water, and climate impact nearly every sector of the economy and nearly every citizen of the United States. Atmospheric scientists, including meteorologists, in the private sector regularly advise clients in other sectors such as transportation, energy, agriculture, retail, insurance, financial services, recreation, communication, health, and government on risks or opportunities shaped by weather events, water availability, and climate variability and change. The evolving private sector landscape in the atmospheric sciences has exposed existing gaps between the education and preparation of the atmospheric science workforce and the skillsets needed for successful private sector employment. A 2019 NSF-sponsored workshop titled “Mind the Gap'' articulated and identified solutions to these gaps. As a follow-up of the 2019 workshop, this project plans a collaboration between the atmospheric science academic and private sectors to develop pedogeological materials to address several of the academic gaps via a series of virtual and in-person meetings and workshops. The outputs of the conference will include a set of modules, tools, and datasets aimed at preparing the next generation of atmospheric scientists with the skillsets and knowledge of the private sector and industry needs. The products developed will introduce students to atmospheric science data and methodologies applied in a variety of sectors including, energy, agriculture, transportation, finance, and risk management. The conference design will enable gathering of the diverse set of academic educators, students, and private sector professionals for the development of these free ready to adapt materials for existing atmospheric science curriculum. The network of professionals established through this conference will work with higher education institutions encourage implementation of the new materials and support them with documentation and training for educators. The goals of the pre-conference, conference, and post-conference activities are: a) Categorize curriculum gaps and the associated weak skills that lead to the lack of preparation for students pursuing careers in the private sector; b) Discuss these gaps to identify appropriate courses and creative pedogeological solutions to close the gaps; c) Create datasets of industry-relevant cases for use in the classroom, applicable across various private sectors; d) Create pedogeological materials with learning outcomes that include new skillsets and methodologies valuable in private sector employment for implementations in identified atmospheric science/meteorological courses; e) Develop a sustainable framework for collaborative projects or data sharing between private sector and academic community; f) Promote the usage of and engage the academic community on the development and benefits of the new pedological materials in the classroom. The benefits of this conference are intended for the entire atmospheric science higher education community and have the potential to impact the future workforce broadly.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.