Hands-on Interdisciplinary Laboratory Program: An Approach to Strengthen the Weather Radar Curriculum

工程-电气(55)这个项目正在产生一个独特的、跨学科的计划，培训未来的工程师和气象学家，掌握获取原始雷达数据并将其转换为对天气现象有意义的解释所需的全套能力。该项目的核心是开发一套四门本科课程，由气象学和电气与计算机工程专业提供。这些课程是根据科罗拉多州立大学一个全国知名的雷达项目改编的材料。他们正在提供实验室实践经验，掌握组织实时天气数据、改进和准备展示数据以及解释其气象和科学意义所需的专门知识和技能。通过这项计划，在校学生可以访问最近建造的国家天气雷达测试床(NWRT)的天气数据。此外，PI正在建立一个网站，全国各地的学生将通过该网站访问这些最先进的雷达数据。为了激励和留住本科生，PIS计划使用一个由不同的本科生同行教师组成的小组来协助实验室实验。PI校园内的一位学习和课程开发专家正在设计一项评估计划。研究人员计划与俄克拉荷马州气候调查(OCS)合作，通过OCS地球风暴推广计划，直接将项目材料改编和分发给K-12学生和教师。

Engineering - Electrical (55)This project is generating a unique, interdisciplinary program for training future engineers and meteorologists in the full set of competencies needed to take raw radar data and transform it into meaningful interpretations of weather phenomena. The heart of the project is the development of a set of four undergraduate courses, offered by the Meteorology and the Electrical & Computer Engineering Programs. These courses are based on material adapted from a nationlly known radar program at Colorado State University. They are providing hands-on laboratory experiences in the special knowledge and skills necessary for organizing real-time weather data, improving and preparing that data for display, and interpreting its meteorological and scientific significance. Through this program, on-campus students have access to weather data from the recently constructed National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT). Moreover the PIs are establishing a website through which students across the nation will have access to this state-of-the-art radar data. In order to motivate and retain undergraduates, the PIs plan to use a small, diverse team of undergraduate peer teachers to assist with the laboratory experiments. An expert in learning and course development on the PI's campus is devising an assessment plan. The investigators plan to partner with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS) to adapt and distribute project materials directly to K-12 students and teachers via the OCS Earth-Storm outreach program.