Renaissance Computing Institute

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Economic Development

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EPIC

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NC-FIRST for Teachers

Renaissance Bistro

RENCI Weather Web

VHA Interdisciplinary Education

Faculty Fellows

High Performance Computing

Humanities, Arts & Social Science

Visualization & Collaborative Environments

Completed Projects

RENCI Weather Web

Overview
The RENCI Weather Web program uses research and operational grade weather stations to enable North Carolina educators to teach required meteorology and atmospheric science classes. RENCI provides the weather stations, along with the MCNC’s North Carolina Research Education Network (NCREN), throughout the state in underserved areas that lack the stations needed to provide good quality climate-related data. The weather data retrieved from the stations are used by teachers and their students in the classroom, and provide information to RENCI disaster response researchers, state climatologists, emergency responders, agricultural managers, and citizens.

In collaboration with the State Climate Office of North Carolina and NCREN, RENCI organizes the Weather Web competition each year and sends out a challenge to the schools in the targeted counties to develop curricula that would use a weather station and the data it produces. The area students are also asked to participate in an essay competition by researching and writing a composition about the local benefits of weather stations. Proposals and essays are evaluated on whether they make good use of weather station data in teaching concepts of meteorology and involve as many students, teachers and/or members of the community as possible. Originality and creativity of the proposals are also considered. After the recipients are chosen, the State Climate Office finds suitable locations for the weather stations, and provides installation and maintenance.

Eligibility
Middle and High School science teachers in NC counties that currently lack research and operational grade weather stations are eligible.

2008 Weather Web Program Winners
Yancey, Alexander, Hyde counties
Lesson plans
Read news release

Application Process
Another call for proposals will be issued in 2009. Please check this website for an announcement.
View 2008 Call for Proposals.

Questions
For questions, please contact Jennifer Shelton project manager, at . Please include “RENCI Weather Web” in the subject line of your email.

Funding
State of North Carolina

Collaborators
Ryan Boyles, director, State Climate Office of North Carolina
Lina Battestilli, scientist, MCNC’s North Carolina Research Education Network
Tim Poe, Sr., collaborative technologist, MCNC’s North Carolina Research Education Network

Partners
State Climate Office of North Carolina
MCNC’s North Carolina Research Education Network (NCREN)

RENCI Team
Jennifer Shelton, project leader
Jessica Proud

Links
www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu
NC counties could win weather stations through RENCI Weather Web project
Three NC counties win weather stations through RENCI competition