AGS-FIRP Track 1: The 2023 University of Nebraska DOW (Doppler on Wheels) Education and Outreach (UNDEO-2023) Project

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide funding for an educational deployment of the Doppler on Wheels (DOW) mobile radar which is part of the Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) suite of instruments supported by the Facilities for Atmospheric Research & Education (FARE) program. The project aims to aims to provide undergraduate and graduate students in the University of Nebraska’s Radar Meteorology course an opportunity to use a research radar to collect data for small student-driven research projects; improve scientific literacy of students in a large-enrollment general-education meteorology course; and exhibit the DOW facility to local K-12 students. The project will enable integration of field-based research experience into the course curriculum and advance student understanding of weather radar theory and application. 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 radar meteorology, field-program design and execution, scientific data collection and analysis, and scientific communication. 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.