The Weather And Society *Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) Program: yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Weather and Society*Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) is a grassroots movement launched in 2005 dedicated to changing the weather enterprise by integrating social science into meteorological research and practice in comprehensive and sustained ways. As of January, 2010, the WAS*IS mission has empowered over 190 practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders around the world to build new relationships and to use new tools and concepts for more effective socio-economic applications and evaluations of weather information and products. By emphasizing the importance of developing a life-long cohort, as well as learning social-science tools and concepts, WAS*ISers address societal impacts in real and sustained ways and are changing the culture from what WAS to what IS the future of integrated weather studies.

This presentation provides a brief background history of WAS*IS, and then highlights some of the most significant ongoing research and capacity building efforts for which WAS*IS is most widely known. The discussion of these ongoing efforts includes evidence of significant elements of culture change that are currently underway. Attention will then turn toward looking at the future of WAS*IS beyond the workshops that have been the core effort to date. Future directions will focus on

(1) developing new ways to most effectively implement the WAS*IS mission to empower relevant stakeholders both nationally and internationally;

(2) creating mechanisms to foster healthy and sustained collaboration between involved WAS*ISers, officials, researchers and others; and

(3) suggesting ways to expand WAS*IS efforts to include a new education and outreach component.

These and other future initiatives will be carried out via a combination of additional more specialized workshops, professional presentations/papers, and enhanced internet venues such as webinars and "on line" forums. The need for sustained funding to support the proposed initiatives and programs will also be stressed.