Climate Studies

Weekly Meetings on Thursdays at 2pm in Wx Station Conference Room and/or Wx Station 


Kyle Imhoff (

Arthur Person (           

Course Description:
This professional elective course is offered each semester and can be enrolled for as much as 3 credits over as many as three semesters. Climate studies involves applied climatology as a student would experience in an operational state climate office. As a result, most of the tasks, which are individualized for each participant, are related to the routine procedures of an active state climate office. Students will have an opportunity to assess the quality of near real-time data (CoCoRaHS), contribute to a monthly e-publication, write a climate tweet, create charts and graphs for a variety of research projects and improve the climate web interface for the public. Occasionally, data requests and special projects will surface allowing an even wider experience.

Course Protocol:
Each student will receive assignments via Canvas every other week. They will be required to complete the short term tasks in a timely manner and to e-mail the instructor weekly updates on the progress of their work. The weekly (required) meetings will illustrate how to complete the assignments.

Grading Criteria  
Both weekly updates and completed assignments will be used to assess the student’s effort. 

Program Objectives
Program Objectives are statements that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates during the first few years after graduation. 

  2. To produce graduates who have a general knowledge of a range of atmospheric phenomena and applications, and have expertise in one or more program sub-disciplines or related interdisciplinary areas

Program Outcomes
Statements that describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the skills, knowledge and behaviors that students acquire in their matriculation through the program. 

  1. Graduates can demonstrate skills for interpreting and applying atmospheric observations
  2. Graduates can demonstrate knowledge of the atmosphere and its evolution
  4. Graduates can demonstrate facility with computer applications to atmospheric problems
  5. Graduates can demonstrate skills for communicating their technical knowledge 

Course Objectives: 

  1. Students can demonstrate knowledge of effective approaches for applying climate and weather data to clients (relate to program objectives 1, 2, and 3

Course Outcomes: 

  1. Students can demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles for applied climatology (relate to program outcomes a, b, and c)
  2. Students can demonstrate the ability to assess near real-time atmospheric data (relate to program outcomes a, b, c, and e)
  3. Students can demonstrate the ability to assemble specific indicators of climate change at a variety of climate/weather stations (relate to program outcomes b and e)
  4. Students can demonstrate knowledge of the role that climatology plays in forensics (relate to program outcomes a, b, c and e)
  5. Students can demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between the atmosphere and the environment (relate to program outcomes c and e.

Academic Integrity


Course Copyright 



Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 





Weather Delays 


Reporting Bias-Motivated Incidents 


Counseling and Psychological Services 


Counseling and Psychological Services at Commonwealth Campuses