As a means of providing direct student meteorological training a summer program entitled "The Excitement of Meteorology for Young Scholars" was offered to high school students over two summers on the Jackson State University (JSU) campus. The program was administered by the atmospheric science faculty of the JSU Meteorology Program in the Department of Physics, Atmospheric Sciences, and General Science and included support from a student counselor and a peer counselor. Administrative support for the program was provided by the Mississippi Science Partnership (MSP) program office. The summer program was commuter-oriented with students arriving and departing each weekday for training and activities in atmospheric science. It provided an opportunity to learn, study, and research the field of meteorology, and its relation to the sciences. Through instructional sessions, laboratories, field trips, and peer contact students were exposed to the concepts of atmospheric motion, the development of storms, and the practical application of meteorology during a one month period. This training was continued through various follow-up activities that the students completed at their home high school during the following academic year and provided a means of dissemination to a larger student audience through peer contact. The broader perspectives of the program included preparation for college, what it “takes” for a science degree, and how to participate professionally in the scientific community.
Thirty participants successfully completed the summer program (over two years) and presented their group research projects on the last day to an audience which included their families and relatives. Each group member presented an individual report and provided a physical demonstration during a group presentation which was videotaped. The program was subjectively evaluated through survey questionnaires, program results, follow-up activities, and dissemination response. Questionnaires completed by the participants were used to directly measure the success of the instructional sessions, laboratory experiences, field trips and guest speakers, and other aspects of the program. The program evaluation was also based on the caliber of student projects and several questionnaires to clearly identify program strengths and weaknesses. An initial questionnaire (given the first day) provided information on each student's level of preparation for the program and identified individual characteristics and abilities important to group dynamics. A questionnaire given on the last day was used to evaluate what students learned and whether student interest in meteorology, or in their overall perception of science, had changed. Some questions focused on pre- and mis-conceptions of science and the student’s own evaluation of self-preparedness to study science (or meteorology). Basic meteorological and science skills were tested according to responses to a “before and after” set of questions which the participants answered on their first and last day, and through subjective evaluation of student reports, presentations, and journal entries.