Recently, a new course "Applications in Climatology" was added as an elective to the Meteorology Program at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The initial justification for the adding the course was that many NIU graduates were having a difficult time finding jobs in meteorology, especially since the completion of the NWS modernization. Furthermore, NIU's meteorology faculty realized that because an extremely competitive job market existed it may be important to broaden the critical thinking and technical skills of the students either through existing or new courses.
Previous research has described the experiences climatologists have had with weather-sensitive managers in agribusiness, utilities, and water resources. These studies indicated that many decisions in these sectors could be improved if the right kind of weather/climate information could be made available in a timely and usable form. Also, many decision makers stressed to those interviewing them that they would consider using enhanced information if those developing it could aid them in incorporating it into their decision models.
In an effort to bridge the information gap between those with weather/climate information and those who could potentially use it, an applied research course was developed where student teams and faculty work directly with decision makers on economic and environmental issues. Through this interactive course, students and faculty benefit because they learn how, when, and where weather/climate information can be used to aid in decisions. Further, this practical experience helps students realize great potential exists for integrating enhanced weather/climate information into a broad spectrum of decisions