Implementing Scenario-based COMET Training for Careers in the Weather, Water and Climate Industry in the Classroom

According to Forbes.com, “the meteorology profession has changed drastically over the past decade. There are now more than 10,000 meteorologists working in the U.S. today because the interest and desire to understand weather is becoming increasingly important, not only to consumers, but also businesses that are making critical decisions based on the information provided by meteorologists” (2020). With the explosive growth of the weather and climate industry, the job market for meteorologists is projected to continue to grow rapidly, with much of the growth occurring in the private sector.

Over the past 5-10 years, students and faculty from multiple atmospheric science programs have expressed that there is a lack of awareness regarding existing private sector career opportunities and the requisite skill sets to pursue those careers. To address this systematic lack of awareness concerning the pathway to private sector employment, the AMS Mind the Gap Committee was created.

The 2022 Mind the Gap Workshop (NSF Award #2146763) recommended that the COMET Program, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), and the private sector work together to develop tangible private sector careers and skill-building materials and tools for meteorology educators. Under an NSF EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) (NSF Award #2237520), co-investigators created a two-phase approach to developing relevant education materials.

Phase 1 focused on potential private career sectors and the “power skills” necessary to be successful in these roles. A COMET lesson was created using video interviews from a variety of different private sector professionals across multiple sectors to highlight their field and provide input on how students could develop their skills for employment in these fields. We will present lesson feedback and discuss future topic areas.

The second phase focuses on creating upper-level classroom exercises in which students will assume the role of private sector professionals in the energy and transportation sectors. The historic cold air outbreak in 2021 from Texas will serve as the event that students will explore. Students will analyze real industry case event data and use power skills to explain impacts and make appropriate decisions with colleagues and/or stakeholders. We will present phase 2 progress updates, feedback of classroom exercises, and discuss ways this resource can be integrated into the classroom.

All materials will be implemented on the well-known MetEd website, freely available to all universities and the public at large, and connected to over 1,000 hours of complementary geoscience education resources.