Improving Student Knowledge of Meteorological Observations Through the Use of Hands-On Equipment and Computer Programming Instruction

Many students in the field of meteorology take in-situ observations of atmospheric and hydrologic variables for granted. Understanding the complexities and intricacies of how those observations are collected as well as the challenges associated with obtaining quality observations are a critical aspect as those observations are further utilized in forecasting, public safety, research, and other applications. This presentation will discuss the large-scale changes that occurred since 2020 in the instrumentation course at the University of Oklahoma. The course implemented a hand-on approach where students build, wire, and program their own weather stations from the ground up. They then learn via computer programming how to handle raw observations from weather stations and convert that data into quality assured data for use in other applications. Through this comprehensive approach, students learn in more detail how quality observations are collected, limitations to such measurements, and when best to question data from other sources.