This paper will provide a review of the development and implement of the senior elective Atmospheric Science, a college-level course that presents the principles of atmospheric science with a focus on weather forecasting and climatology. Using real-time weather data as the basis of their study, students investigate, using an inquiry-based approach, a variety of meteorology topics, including atmospheric structure, air pressure, atmospheric moisture and stability, precipitation and cloud formation, circulation systems and severe weather. Sample activities will be reviewed, including corresponding goals and objectives for each activity, implementation strategies and accompanying assessment rubrics. Furthermore, to support their learning, students have access to a wide variety of websites and weather sites on the course website, which includes teacher- and student-produced video tutorials, podcasts and Powerpoints. Using the understanding and knowledge gained in class as well as related forecasting skills and techniques, students write and produce weekend weather video forecasts and podcasts for New York City (as well as for our sister schools in Los Angeles and London) that are available on the school's web site as well as through a subscription on iTunes. Students also apply the forecasting skills learned in class to a weekly forecasting contest, where they forecast temperature and precipitation for New York City and other U.S. cities.

This paper will also discuss a variety of interdisciplinary projects completed by students. These include “It's All About Connections”, a project completed by students in AP Statistics and Meteorology where students analyze the climatological record for evidence of global warming in cities in both the United States and Canada. Students seek to answer the following questions using appropriate statistical techniques: Has the average annual temperature increased over time? What information about potential global warming doest his record truly hold? Students learn the basics of climatological analysis as well as more advanced statistical applications in analyzing the data. As a concluding activity, students present the results of their research at a class forum and poster presentation attended by faculty, students and administration.

The goals and objectives of this interdisciplinary project is further extended through the students' participation in the Challenge 20/20, a global education initiative sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), in which Marymount students work collaboratively with an a school in Italy to investigate the root causes of global warming and climate change, and the possible effect on urban areas, developing countries. Their goal: to effectively define the problem, research solutions to that problem, and then map out steps of an implementation plan to mitigate the impact of global warming climate change in the next twenty years. Students further researched the possible political, economic and environmental impact of global warming and climate change, representing these influences (along with proposed solutions) through a series of Flash animations and communicated local action statements to the Marymount community through weekly environmental podcasts. The use of global communications media such as videoconferencing, web logs, online journals and e-mail exchanges will be reviewed as will additional opportunities for collaborative projects in meteorology for the global classroom will also be discussed.

Moreover, the paper will review the activities of the school's local chapter of the American Meteorological Society. The chapter serves both a service and educational role by providing the aforementioned weekend weather forecasts as well as severe weather alerts for the school community and working with students in our middle and lower school as “meteorology mentors.” The chapter's membership includes students in the senior elective, Atmospheric Science. The Chapter also hosts a bi-annual meteorology forum, featuring a guest speaker on a local or national weather issue.

Finally, evidence will be offered as to the effectiveness of this course in promoting scientific literacy for girls and young women as well as in providing appropriate and engaging educational opportunities for these students so that they will possess the necessary skills to address the challenges of social, technological and economic globalization in