AGS-FIRP Track 1: Graduate Education in Mountain Meteorology at Storm Peak Laboratory Fall 2022

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide funding for a 3-day field-based research experience at the Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL). SPL is a Community Instruments & Facilities (CIF) site supported by the NSF Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) program. Fifteen University of Utah graduate students in the atmospheric and related sciences will spend three days at Storm Peak Laboratory to conduct student led research projects related to mountain meteorology. The project will also contribute to the development of a globally competitive science, technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) workforce and improved STEM education by providing an educational opportunity that enables students to gain experience and professional skills in environmental instrumentation, field-program design and execution, scientific collaboration, and scientific communication. Students participating in the project will be enrolled in Mountain Meteorology, a graduate- level course covering orographic cyclogenesis, front-mountain interactions, atmospheric rivers in complex terrain, climate change in mountainous regions, valley and basin cold pools, terrain-forced flows, and orographic precipitation. The project will enable integration of field-based research experience into the course curriculum and enable data collection that will be analyzed by the students and presented in a conference style session at the end of the semester. This educational experience will enable students to develop instrumentation and field-research skills to advance knowledge during their graduate research and post-graduate careers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.