Weather in the West will offer a unique perspective to observing, questioning, and thinking about weather. Weather in the West will consist of a group of weather-related exhibits at the Utah Science Center, which will be Utah's first major science center and plans to open in 2006 in downtown Salt Lake City. The goal of Weather in the West is to inspire visitors to creatively observe and to be curious about how weather works, with a focus on the unique weather of the western United States. This poster will describe the current three-stage plans and aspirations of our project.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, "All knowledge is based on perspective." One of the greatest difficulties in getting people to make sense of their physical world is connecting the theoretical and largely 2-D classroom world to the real visual 3-D world they experience when they venture or look outside. In order to help bridge this gap, Weather in the West will feature an exhibit called "Weather Travel", where visitors will experience weather in various locations throughout the world. This experience will be largely based on webcam visualization. Another exhibit hinges on the fact that Utah is the second driest and fourth fastest growing state. This exhibit, called "Water Hog", will detail people's consumption versus annual precipitation (supply) and therefore raise awareness and thereby promote water conservation. In addition to these two exhibits, we will share other ideas, and we ask for your creative contributions to enhance Weather in the West.