EarthStorm

Workshop Announcement

The Oklahoma Climatological Survey will be sponsoring a four-day workshop on Meteorology for teachers in grades K-12. Hosted by the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Mesonet, and the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. The EarthStorm Weather Institute brings together meteorologists from the Norman area and educators from Oklahoma.

NOTE: The 2008 Workshop will be held in Norman, OK at the National Weather Center (120 David L. Boren Blvd.).

The purpose of the workshop will be to provide Oklahoma educators with valuable ideas and resources for the teaching of meteorological concepts. This will provide an opportunity to foster connections between educators and scientists with the goal of forming long-term partnerships.

EarthStorm is a free four-day workshop that provides an opportunity for teachers to investigate weather. Each participant will be provided with a variety of hand out materials.

The workshop is limited to 30 Funded participants from Oklahoma. Additioanl participants will be accepted at their own expense as space allows. We will not be able to provided funding for Kansas teachers like in past years.

Format of the Workshop

Our focus for the Institute will be on developing content knowledge of weather, increasing understanding and use of weather products, and provide teachers with access to meteorologist from the National Weather Center in Norman.

Who Should Attend

The EarthStorm Weather Institute is primarily designed for current K-12 teachers and university instructors of meteorology courses for non-meterology majors along with graduate and undergraduate (junior or senior) education majors.

Teachers from other states are eligible to attend but OCS is unable to provide financial support for travel, hotel, or meals.

Topics		Basic Meteorology
		an overview of the vertical structure of the atmosphere, a discussion of seasons, air masses, fronts, and a discussion of commonly used weather maps.

		National Weather Center Agencies
		Oklahoma Climatological Survey and Oklahoma Mesonet Norman National Weather Service Forecast Office Storm Prediction Center National Severe Storms Laboratory OU School of Meteorology

		Advanced Topics
		climate impacts thunderstorms and tornadoes understanding watch/warning products from the National Weather Service case studies of servere weather events

		Software and Web Pages
		a review of the types of products available on the Oklahoma Mesonet and National Weather Service (NWS) Web pages, instructions for downloading and installing the WeatherScope 1.6 software package, hands-on instruction using WeatherScope 1.6 software, instructions on how to interpret weather data, and contact information for additional help.