EXPANDING HORIZONS WITH AN NWS INTERNSHIP COURSE

Abstract

M eteorology students at North Carolina State University (NCSU) participated in an experimental internship course during the spring of 2004 that allowed them to gain an operational perspective on meteorology by experiencing the everyday duties of the staff at the collocated National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offi ce (WFO) in Raleigh. Th e course was designed to meet several goals, which included allowing students to contribute to operational forecasting, gain profi ciency with routine NWS duties and soft ware tools, and sample the broad array of work performed by the NWS. Students also were exposed to operational meteorology and NWS careers and received assistance in pursuing such a career. During the semester, fi ve senior undergraduate and fi ve graduate students enrolled in the course. Th ey attended NWS training sessions, “shadowed” NWS staff , performed routine NWS duties, and assisted NWS staff during high-impact weather events. Overall, the students and NWS staff were decidedly positive about the course, which was again off ered during the spring of 2005. As the fi eld of atmospheric science continues to advance and diversify, courses of this type can play an increasingly vital role in education and professional development. In describing the new course, we hope to encourage others who may be contemplating a similar program, especially since many WFOs are located on college campuses, an arrangement that makes this type of experience feasible. Th e internship course was a natural extension of the 17 consecutive years of NOAA-funded collaboration between NCSU and the Raleigh WFO, which moved to the NCSU campus in 1994. Th e course was designed for students interested in an NWS career. Th e hands-on experience should help students decide whether an NWS career is something they might wish to pursue. Secondly, the course provided experience that will be invaluable when they apply for an entry-level NWS position. Students were selected for the course by the evaluation of a written statement of interest by NWS personnel and an interview with the NWS science operations offi cer and other NWS staff . Th e course required students to work at least 16 hours alongside NWS personnel performing routine shift duties and to maintain a journal documenting their experiences. Students initially observed NWS personnel during their shift s and gained experience with manual analysis of surface and upper-air maps, composing the state weather summary, and gathering and disseminating climate and hydrological data. With time, students became independently profi cient with these duties. In addition, the students traveled to NWS equipment sites and attended special sessions for hands-on experience with the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), seasonal familiarization with severe and winter weather forecast problems, offi ce safety, and applying for NWS jobs.