'Representation Matters: Insights, Strategies, and Perspectives from the Inaugural UFS/EPIC Student Ambassador'

Interpreting and visualizing the future for programming and technological advancements is essential for adapting to the ever changing scientific community. The position of Student Ambassador for the Unified Forecast System (UFS) signifies the importance of engaging with a diverse background of users across the Weather Enterprise. Composed of many different sectors, including industry, private sector, and academia, the Weather Enterprise is a crucial component of maintaining community engagement connections and technical support. However, recent research shows that academic participation levels are lower compared to industry or the private sector. In order to promote innovative change, this project will venture and combine two different routes: (1) performing outreach to collect qualitative data from universities and students and (2) evaluating UFS tutorials/training materials to measure their usability in an academic setting. Contacting universities with renowned atmospheric science and/or computer science programs to discover current and future interests regarding programming or Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) will inform scientists from different backgrounds about how they can further adapt to the community’s needs. The research process, findings, and ideas have been presented at the Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop (UIFCW) 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. The innovative information, recommendations, and future steps developed throughout the summer will be compiled into a technical report, a UFS Student Engagement Plan, and an overall final report, all written from an undergraduate student perspective.