Radiosondes and Radars and School Superintendents—Oh My!: Recognizing the Ramifications of Meteorologically Based Decisions through Experiential In-House Internships

The Valparaiso University Department of Geography and Meteorology offers established, competitive, in-house undergraduate internships ranging from the prediction of adverse weather conditions for schools across northwest Indiana to guiding fellow students in the deployment of radiosondes for both learning and research purposes. The former, entitled the Northwest Indiana Schools Forecasting Internship, originated in 1999, and involves real-world forecasting experience tailored for high-achieving juniors and seniors who have a burgeoning interest in weather prediction. The latter, dubbed the Radiosonde and Meteorology Equipment Internship, evolved from a partnership with MIT/Lincoln Laboratory in the late 2000s to study the capabilities of ‘new’ dual-polarimetric radar for the detection of icing conditions impacting the air bridge between the Midwest and East Coast. Both internships have been maintained annually due to mutually beneficial outcomes for both customers and undergraduates. Involved students are able to gain a new appreciation for the far-reaching impacts of what might, within a general classroom setting, seem like a simplistic, non-influential, and ultimately unimportant and trivial prediction, better preparing them for life after graduation.

Seven school districts comprise Porter County, Indiana, which lies downwind of Lake Michigan and approximately 50 miles southeast of Chicago. Each fall, two, sometimes three, junior or senior undergraduate students submit applications, receive in-person interviews, and are selected to be forecast interns for the remainder of the academic year. As such, the paid interns touch base with superintendents of school districts across the region (which on occasion has expanded to a district outside the county boundaries) exchanging contact information, and learning more about what notifications are desired in the event adverse weather conditions are anticipated. Whereas winter weather, to include snow, ice, and dangerous wind chill values comprise the majority of atmospheric conditions influencing school districts, fog and thunderstorms also provide mesoscale-level challenges. Teamwork, communication, a capacity to distill meteorological data/output, and commitment to early morning/irregular hours are all stressed to interested students; it is expected that successful undergraduate applicants not only bring these traits to the position, but that they are prepared to challenge themselves and each other to improve skill sets over the course of the year. It is emphasized from the interview process forward that understanding how the customer, to include students, parents, teachers, administration, and bus drivers (and undoubtedly others) is uniquely influenced, and possibly inconvenienced, by the student’s forecasts is imperative. This allows the interns to recognize and appreciate the impacts of accurate (and less-than-desirable) predictions.

Multiple undergraduate students are also selected to lead colleagues in the deployment of radiosondes, which has ranged from cutting-edge research missions such as the aforementioned MIT/LL partnership and the recent ICICLE project, where accuracy and timing are critical, to more subdued launches where someone simply wishes to observe a warm layer aloft or investigate the potential for deep moist convection. However, the outcomes of learning to collaborate and organize are still highly beneficial to undergraduate students through this experiential learning scenario. This presentation will provide an overview of these paid internship opportunities, focusing on the entirety of the selection process, both from a faculty/advisor and a student perspective. A general discussion on the desired outcomes for both the student as well as the end user, along with anecdotes on funding, challenges, and case studies will be given.