PSUDROPS Community Outreach Program Successful!

This past Saturday I volunteered my time to do some outreach in the State College community. This consisted of helping to educate the public on weather radar and instruments such, like the DOW (Doppler on Wheels) and the tornado pod. Instruments like this need to be talked about more. Without these we would not be able to see how severe storms develop, work, and how they move. They are extremely important to the Meteorology community. These are the instruments that gather weather data that help save lives!

The operator's Chair.

Dr. Richardson (Mesoscale Meteorology Professor)
in the Coordinator's Chair.

Myself and the Tornado Pod.

From 10am-3pm, I explained to members of the community the importance of such instruments in the Meteorological community. It was very exciting to see many parents encouraging their young children to learn more about the science behind weather. The day was very busy and we had 150-200 people come through, visit the DOW, and learn about the tornado pod. To see the excitement on the faces of the children who stopped by was truly inspiring.

Dr. Kumjian being interview by Jill (Meteo student)
 for a quick feature that she is working on for the Meteo dept.

I have one especially memorable moment from the event that I would like to share. I met this little boy who couldn't be more than 5 or 6 years old. His mother approached me and told me that he was afraid of thunderstorms and always looked at radar as storms were approaching to make sure that he was safe. This reminds me of my younger self; I was the exact same way. This is the exact way I became interested in the weather and then went on to pursue a Meterology degree at Penn State. To share this personal experience with this child was such a feel good experience. I was able to explain to him how thunderstorms worked and told him how interesting and cool they really were. I felt so satisfied having this experience and being able to relate on a personal level. Maybe one day in the child's future he will remember the conversation we had and he will go on to do great things in the Meteorology community!

All-in-all the day was very successful and I felt that the Meteorology department here at Penn State received a lot positive publicity. It was a lot of fun to be able to teach young and old about the cool things we do here in the department, and about how cool this science really is. I was interviewed quickly by a classmate on how I felt about the DOW visit and that was exciting as well! This has been a fantastic week so far!

Members of the community gathering around the tornado pod
learning about it uses.

Meteorology students (including myself) posing with the tornado pod.