The Student Operational ADRAD Project (SOAP) at Texas A&M University offers students hands-on experience outside the traditional classroom in establishing a long-term storm climatology in Southeast Texas. In the spring of 2006, graduate students and a faculty advisor trained five upper-level undergraduate group leaders (one for each weekday) to guide 21 undergraduates in producing a precipitation forecast, archiving daily weather observations, and operating the S-band radar (ADRAD) located on the roof of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences building when precipitation was in the region. Students operating the radar chose appropriate scan strategies, monitored data collection, and explored the various structures of precipitating systems that occur in the region using Sigmet's Interactive Radar Information System (IRIS).

Five students led 25 undergraduates in the spring of 2007 in performing regular SOAP tasks along with classifying over three years of storms in Southeast Texas based on large-scale forcing and convective organization using web-based archives. By investigating a wide variety of precipitating systems, students gained valuable synoptic expertise while providing useful results towards the broader NSF CAREER project's research goal to understand how storms interact with the large-scale circulation in the subtropics. Both the structure of SOAP and an individual's apprehensiveness with technology caused students to perform some activities more than others. Anonymous evaluations given at the end of the semester correlated student interest and confidence with experience in performing particular tasks (especially operating the radar and analyzing data for the radar climatology). This finding suggests that student ambivalence (or even frustration) towards learning can be overcome through guided exposure to advanced concepts and technology by their peers and mentors.

In collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, SOAP is exploring mechanisms for overcoming these learning barriers by developing interactive educational software to assist in the acquisition of radar skills and advanced concepts. In addition, the program plans to incorporate the use of a mobile C-band radar (SMART-R), local sounding launches, and satellite data over the next three years. The addition of educational software and more diverse observational platforms will enable students to understand further the intricacies of field studies, data collection, and the research process. By enhancing the learning experience of undergraduates through directed observational research and interaction with faculty and graduate students, undergraduates are motivated to excel in the atmospheric sciences and are better prepared for the workforce or education at the graduate level, which half (three females and four males) of SOAP's 14 graduating seniors have pursued.