June 27, 2008

Allan Hancock College has joined forces with the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to teach an innovative meteorology course that studies weather as it happens. The course will rely heavily on the use of the latest weather data, maps, forecasts and satellite and radar imagery delivered via the Internet. Introduction to Meteorology (GEOG 110), will be offered in fall 2008 first as a traditional classroom course using the online content, and subsequently as both a traditional classroom and Internet-only course. The online component of the course, Online Weather Studies, was developed by the AMS with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The class, offered beginning Aug. 26 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:35 p.m. on the Santa Maria campus, is a great opportunity for farmers, ranchers, private pilots, boaters, outdoor enthusiasts and others to be better informed about the weather, what to expect, and why.

Allan Hancock College instructor Stephen Arnold participated in a one-week faculty workshop at the National Weather Service Training Center in Kansas City as part of the course implementation effort. Lectures were delivered by some of the nation's top meteorologists, including John Jones, Deputy Director of NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS); Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director of the NOAA/NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction; Dr. Joseph Schaefer, Director of the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center; and Eric Blake, Hurricane Specialist at the NWS Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center. (Such weather phenomena as water spouts, pictured above, will be explored in this new AHC class.)

Online Weather Studies is partially delivered over the Internet into the college lab. Students learn hands-on by completing two laboratory investigations each week based on current weather.

With more than 20 years of experience in various meteorological applications, Arnold is very excited about teaching the new course. “We receive a daily weather summary from a state climatologist each morning, and the lab is designed to work with current weather data each week,” he said.

Field trips to a National Weather Service forecast office, the Vandenberg Air Force Base weather squadron and KSBY Channel 6 are planned.

For more information, contact Arnold at (805) 922-6966 ext. 2174 or at sarnold@hancockcollege.edu.

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