Important information :

Class related information will be posted here during the summer.

You can download the class syllabus here. Requirements for long-distance students can be found here.

Jamie's movie on her meteorological station's (MS02) experience can be found here.

Lectures will be held in the morning 9-11 am, and they will be recorded.
Practical work will be held in the afternoon (experiments, data, clouds, presentations, role acting).
Topics: atmosphere, global circulation, extreme weather, clouds, weather forecasts, numerical models, data, WMO, climate...
Grading will be based on work in the afternoon, presentations, and role acting participation.


Course Description:

The Science of Weather class gives a basic overview of atmospheric processes, weather forecasts, and climate. It then expands on those basics by introducing current topics such as: extreme events (hurricanes, tornados, floods, droughts) and their impact on our society, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the numerical models in its network, the way the data gets collected and sent using special codes (SYNOP/SHIP) within the WMO, field projects (special way of collecting data), climate change, etc.

The mornings consist of lessons, while the afternoons are used to do experiments that the teachers can repeat in their classrooms (low cost experiments), demonstrations, simulations, learning how to tell clouds apart, learning how to see from data that there will be clouds (emagrams), working with data, learning the codes SYNOP/SHIP and discussing climate change. An added value to the class is that through the lessons and afternoon practical work, the students will be able to connect the basics, conventionally taught from meteorological books, with current research.

An added value to the class is that through the lessons and afternoon practical work, the students will be able to connect the basics, conventionally taught from meteorological books, with current research. For example, they will be working with the data from the recent NASA field project CPEX that took place in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2017 just prior to the hurricanes Harvey and Irma. They will be able to see the forecast materials that we used during the field campaign and get a real sense of how projects like that work. Furthermore, they will get to be the very first teachers to hear about the new field project OTREC that will take place in the Eastern Pacific in the summer of 2019, a project that is being led by their professor.

In fall 2018 a project called "Science of Weather in Schools" will start. Through this project the Climate and Water Consortium will place easily portable mini weather stations that it has developed around NM schools The stations will come as hands-on kits that the kids will have to put together themselves. The students will also have the opportunity to analyze the data from the field projects where we fly into storms. The students in the Climate and Weather class will also have the opportunity to put together such an instrument and use its data throughout the course. My hope is that the Climate and Water Consortium will be able to provide most, if not all teachers, from the Weather and Climate class with the mini weather stations to use with their students.

Getting Help -

There are several resources to get help when you have difficulty with problems or concepts covered in class. I encourage you to work with other students but always share the workload fairly and do not blindly copy answers of other students. I am also happy to answer any questions you might have either during class time or during my office hours. Feel free to email me to ask questions at any time as well. There are help sessions held by the TAs and the Office for Student Learning is going to provide some tutoring help. Do take advantage of these resources.

Disability Services -

New Mexico Tech is committed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Required and reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals can be requested. Individuals are invited to make their needs known to the Office of Counseling and Disability Services (OCDS) as soon as possible. Please call (575) 835-6619 to schedule an appointment.

Counseling Services -

New Mexico Tech offers mental health and substance abuse counseling through the Office of Counseling and Disability Services (OCDS). The confidential services by licensed professionals are free of charge. Please call (575) 835-6619 to schedule an appointment.

Academic Honesty -

You are responsible for knowing, understanding, and following New Mexico Tech's Academic Honesty Policy for undergraduate students, found starting on page 68 of the NMT Undergraduate Catalog.
Link to New Mexico Tech's Academic Honesty Policy
Campus Police and the Emergency Notification System !! Include campus police phone number (575-835-5435) at the top of your contact list in case of emergencies. If you have not done so yet, please register for the Emergency Notification System at this link: Link to register