Precautions to take before, what to do if outdoors or indoors during, and inspecting for damage after thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Sidebars discuss emergency supplies to keep on hand, calculating distance from thunderstorms, and the Fujita tornado rating scale. (TD)

Information is presented regarding "El Nino," a warm ocean current which has a profound worldwide effect on ocean life and weather patterns. Suggestions are provided for teaching students about the current and other related topics. (CB)

Presents examples of what can be done with CD-ROMs to enhance learning about weather and climate. Topics include hurricanes and tropical storms, climatic studies with CD-ROM archives, and assessment. (JRH)

Provides six easy-to-do teaching activities that demonstrate sand and soil erosion. (HTH)

Presents the rationale and purposes behind the phenomenon known as storm chasing, as well as the contributions that tornado chasers have made to both scientific knowledge and public safety. Provides statistical information on tornado frequencies and locations and contact addresses for storm chasers. (JJK)

Discusses the desirability of teaching latitude and longitude concepts to upper elementary students. Includes a four-lesson unit on the topics. Employs hurricane tracking information available from the National Hurricane Center. Provides a foundation for future lessons on Middle and North American geography. (SG)

Described is how an amateur weather observer measures and records temperature and precipitation at a well-equipped, backyard weather station. Directions for building an instrument shelter and a description of the instruments needed for measuring temperature and precipitation are included. (KR)

Summarizes the recommendations of the Lightning Safety Group (LSG), which was first convened during the 1998 American Meteorological Society Conference. Findings outline appropriate actions under various circumstances when lightning threatens. (WRM)

Describes issues surrounding the general weakness in formal statistics education for both undergraduate and graduate students, and the minimal collaboration between statisticians and atmospheric scientists. Recommends statistics curriculum guidelines for atmospheric science students and ways to improve overall interaction between the disciplines.…

Introduces a science experiment in which students investigate the wind-leaf relationship by using a leaf blower. Assesses damage differences between leaf species under wind stress. (YDS)

The goal of this study was to examine the relations among various meteorological conditions, affective states and behavior in young children. Results from past research have revealed many weather effects on behavior and emotions with adult samples. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence to support this link with children. Thirty-three…

Collecting weather data is a traditional part of a meteorology unit at the middle level. However, making connections between the data and weather conditions can be a challenge. One way to make these connections clearer is to enter the data into a database. This allows students to quickly compare different fields of data and recognize which…

The theme of this symposium was "Opening the Doors to the Future: Education in the Classroom and Beyond." Presentations, both oral and poster, are devoted to both K-12 and university educational issues in meteorological and oceanographic education. Oral presentations include: (1) "The Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric Science-Revision of the 1987…