For over a decade, professionals working at the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Science (AOSS) building at the University of Wisconsin in Madison have turned to Chief Meteorologist Gary Cannalte at WISC-TV3, a local Madison TV station, to collaborate on successful weather and climate education programs for southern Wisconsin.

In the 1990s, this collaboration resulted in the development of an extremely successful model for the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Project DataStreme. This model involved holding an initial meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a mid-term meeting at the Sullivan National Weather Service (NWS) office, and a final meeting at the WISC-TV3 weather studio. This prototype schedule of meeting at a University, a NWS office and TV weather station was subsequently adapted by DataStreme Local Implementation Teams nation-wide.

Two additional collaborations ensued at the onset of the 21st century. First WISC-TV3 began hosting tours for students attending the Summer Workshop in Atmospheric, Earth, and Space Sciences conducted by the UW-Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS). Around the same time, the WISC-TV3 production crew began to develop a television program called “Storms of the Future” that featured scientists and professors from UW-Madison presenting their research and insights on regional climate change. Originally aired during prime time, this program is now included annually in the student workshop agenda.

By working together to train teachers, educate students and produce informative programs on climate change for the general public, WISC-TV3 and UW-Madison's outreach efforts are significantly greater than what either organization could accomplish individually.