This article presents a semester-long, interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL) suitable for secondary and postsecondary students enrolled in a second-semester (i.e., intermediate) meteorology course. This case-study approach builds on the research question "What atmospheric conditions lead to tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds…

The "flipped classroom" pedagogical approach is used for a combined undergraduate and graduate computer programming course in meteorology. Details of how the course was flipped are discussed, as well as how student perceptions of the approach, which were gathered from qualitative feedback collected throughout the semester, evolved.…

Students in introductory college science courses often have a simplified understanding of the scientific method. To introduce students to the complexity of the scientific process and the value of empirical observations, I implemented a semester-long assignment that required introductory-level college science students to build and calibrate weather…

Knowing an individual's geographic affiliation may be useful in evaluating a student's previous knowledge. To test this hypothesis, students in an online master's program were given presurveys to evaluate their previous knowledge in meteorology and geology, as well as geological and meteorological sense-of-place surveys.

This article describes the implementation of high-altitude balloon (HAB) research into a variety of undergraduate atmospheric science classes as a means of increasing active student engagement in real-world, problem-solving events. Because high-altitude balloons are capable of reaching heights of 80,000-100,000 ft (24-30 km), they provide a…

This brief article describes a new global wind-power map that has quantified global wind power and may help planners place turbines in locations that can maximize power from the winds and provide widely available low-cost energy. The researchers report that their study can assist in locating wind farms in regions known for strong and consistent…

The St. Louis Cardinals are scheduled to play their home opener the next day and Megan Riley, a young meteorologist who works for a private weather consulting firm, is responsible for developing the weather forecast. It's looking like she may need to change her prediction from rain to snow. In this interrupted case study, students work in small…

Provides an illustration of the contribution of serendipitous happenings to scientific information and relates this to a consideration of social and technical problems confronting mankind. The author decries an unfortunate tendency in science today: that of discarding observational aspects of field activities which cannot easily be made…

Describes a strategy used in a meteorology course to increase its relevance to students' lives. Involves combining the lecture and laboratory portions of the course and including a Connections section in the lab report in which students comment on the connections they saw between the coursework, the laboratory exercises, and their own experience.…

Describes how 30-gram balloons can be used to obtain cloud heights and determine winds aloft. Plans for constructing a workable theodolite inexpensively from common materials are also included. (HM)

Describes an introductory college science course for nonscience majors concentrating on climatology and meteorology. Student apathy and discontent with science is overcome through a historically relevant presentation of the subjects. Results indicate a significant stimulation of student interest in science. (SL)

Explains that the use of data on CD-ROMs gives undergraduate students an economical way to work with real data on potentially publishable projects. Describes a student project using the data on the World WeatherDisc to find evidence of Indian Summer in Spokane, WA. (PR)

Uses air temperature profiles--a topic taught in beginning meteorology courses--to illustrate the ease of restructuring the teaching/learning environment as a problem-solving mode. Students access real-time information through Accu-Weather's interactive database. Students use the data to answer the question, "What happens to air temperatures…