Course Syllabus
Instructor
Jim Steenburgh
Professor
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
jim.steenburgh@utah.edu
Teaching Assistant
Ashley Evans
Graduate Student
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
evans.ashley@utah.edu
Course Description
Atmos 5120/6120 is an active learning course in which students prepare and present discussions examining the past, present, and future weather.
Learning Objective
At the end of this course, you will be able to effectively use meteorological observations, analyses, and numerical forecasts to describe and forecast the past, present, and future weather at a level appropriate for professional meteorologists.
Credits
1
Co-Requisite
Students must be co-enrolled in Atmos 5110/6110 to receive a credit/no-credit grade.
Meeting Times and Locations
1:00-1:30 T/Th in 711 WBB
The official start time for this class is 12:25. This is to allow presenters time to prepare their weather discussions.
Office Hours
Last year, I had few people visit during scheduled office hours. Thus, I'm going to hold them this semester by appointment. Contact me by e-mail and we can set something up.
Textbook
None.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Discussions involve an in-depth analysis of the past, current, and future weather with the assistance of the Professor and TA. The previous discussion leader first reviews and evaluates the forecast from the previous discussion. Then the discussion leader examines the recent, current, and future weather and forecast scenarios and challenges, providing a quantified forecast of the following for the Salt Lake City International Airport (KSLC):
- Today's Maximum Temperature (˚F, 12–06 UTC)
- Today's Mixed Layer Top (mb, 00 UTC)
- This Afternoon's Cloud Cover (Few, Sct, Bkn, or Ovc; 00 UTC)
- This Afternoon's Probability of Measurable Precipitation (%, 18-00 UTC)
- This Afternoon's 10th/50th/90th Percentile PQPF (Hundredths of an inch, 18-00 UTC)
- This Afternoon's 10th/50th/90th Percentile PQSF (Inches, 18-00 UTC)
- Tonight's Minimum Temperature (˚F, 00-18 UTC)
- Tomorrows Maximum Temperature (˚F, 12-06 UTC)
- Tonights/Tomorrows Probability of Measurable Precipitation (%, 00-00 UTC)
- Tonights/Tomorrows 10th/50th/90th Percentile PQPF (Hundredths of an inch, 00-00 UTC)
- Tonights/Tomorrows 10th/50th/90th Percentile PQSF (Inches, 00-00 UTC)
PQPF and PQSF denote the probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast and probabilistic snowfall forecast, respectively. For each, you will forecast an amount that will be greater than 10% of the possible outcomes (i.e., the 10th percentile), an amount that will be greater than 50% of the possible outcomes (i.e., the 50th percentile), and an amount that will exceed 90% of the possible outcomes (i.e., the 90th percentile). Forecasts and validation data must be entered into the weather discussion spreadsheet Links to an external site.. To be able to edit the spreadsheet, you may need to login to box.utah.edu with your unid, click on your icon/avatar, go to app center, and install Box for Office for Web. Then you should be able to select it to edit the spreadsheet online.
Grading
Credit/no credit based on attendance, participation, and your ability to apply and discuss the processes that may be contributing to recent, current, and future weather events. 15% of your Atmos 5110/6110 grade is based on attendance and participation in the weather discussion. Students are not allowed to miss a discussion they are leading (reschedule if there is a conflict or you are ill) and are allowed to miss no more than 2 weather discussions. Missing 3 will reduce the maximum points that can be achieved for the 5110/6110 grade by 50%. Missing 4 will result in no credit being given for the course.
Expectations and Punctuality
Students are expected to be on time for each discussion. Discussion leaders are expected to conduct an in-depth investigation of the weather the day prior to their discussion, meet with the TA or professor to discuss their discussion plans the day prior to the discussion, and then be prepared to give their discussion on the discussion day.
Preparation
This is an active learning class led by students. Being the discussion leader takes preparation. Nevertheless, you should skip no morning classes to prepare for map discussions. Instead begin to prepare the day before your briefing to get a handle on what you will be talking about (ideally, you should get in the habit of examining the weather on a daily basis even if you are not leading a briefing in the near future) and take advantage of scheduled preparation time between the official start of class (12:25) and the beginning of the discussion (1:00).
Computer and Networking Resources
If you have concerns about the networking and software resources available to you to do this or access the class online, the Marriott Library has Windows and Mac laptops available for checkout and can provide a mobile hotspot. Information is available at https://lib.utah.edu/services/knowledge-commons/checkout-equipment-faq.phpLinks to an external site.. If you still need assistance, please contact us. It is essential that you contact us at the beginning of the semester to make these arrangements.
How to Succeed in this Class
By far, the most important thing to do for this class is to regularly examine the weather, prepare in the days leading up to your discussion, and to have a good game plan. For advice on how to prepare for and deliver a weather discussion, see our Words of Wisdom and Weather Discussion Template pages.
Our Pledge
We have designed this course to provide the best learning experience possible and pledge to provide the assistance you need to succeed. We are available to meet with you whenever you have questions or want help.
Our Expectations
University policies and online expectations are described in depth below and apply to this class. We expect you to prepare for your discussions by taking an in-depth dive into the weather and meeting with the instructor/TA the day prior and day of your discussion. Respectfully contribute to discussions you are not leading by asking questions and providing insightful comments.
Your Well Being
Please feel welcome to reach out to Jim or Dallas with issues regarding your coursework and education. For helpful resources for managing your personal wellness and counseling options see the Wellness at the U tab below.
Academic Advisors
Academic advisors are educators and problem solvers who advocate for students as they navigate their personal journeys through higher education and attain their academic goals. Through inclusion and connection, academic advisors open doors to new opportunities for self-awareness and growth, empowering students to define their roles as citizens within local and global communities.
The Undergraduate Advisor for Atmospheric Sciences is Jeremy Thompson. You can contact him at https://atmos.utah.edu/undergraduate/academics/academic-advising.phpLinks to an external site..
Americans with Disabilities Act
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations for the class, please see the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) information below and make arrangements for accommodations.
Adjustments
This syllabus is meant to serve as an outline and guide for our course. Please note that I may modify it with reasonable notice to you. I may also modify the course schedule to accommodate the needs of our class. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on Canvas under Announcements.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Tue Aug 22, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader Jim Steenburgh | 1pm |
| Thu Aug 24, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader Ashley Evans | 1pm |
| Tue Aug 29, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Jim Steenburgh | 1pm |
| Thu Aug 31, 2023 | Calendar Event CANCELLED: Go UTES! | 1pm |
| Tue Sep 5, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Maddie Banks and Lexy Miller | 1pm |
| Thu Sep 7, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Marco Zannetti and Halley Schwarzhoff | 1pm |
| Tue Sep 12, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Joshua Grover and Sam Milliner | 1pm |
| Thu Sep 14, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Misha Galant and Owen Hoffman | 1pm |
| Tue Sep 19, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Sam Schoenfeld and Kian Huang | 1pm |
| Thu Sep 21, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Michael Pye and James Mineau | 1pm |
| Tue Sep 26, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leaders: Michael Tibolla and Maddie Banks | 1pm |
| Thu Sep 28, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Lexy Miller and Marco Zannetti | 1pm |
| Tue Oct 3, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Halley Schwarzhoff and Joshua Grover | 1pm |
| Thu Oct 5, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Sam Milliner and Michael Pye | 1pm |
| Tue Oct 17, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Owen Hoffman and Sam Schoenfeld | 1pm |
| Thu Oct 19, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Kian Huang and Misha Gallant | 1pm |
| Tue Oct 24, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: James Mineau and Michael Tibolla | 1pm |
| Thu Oct 26, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Maddie Banks | 1pm |
| Tue Oct 31, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Misha Galant | 1pm |
| Thu Nov 2, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Joshua Grover | 1pm |
| Tue Nov 7, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Owen Hoffman | 1pm |
| Thu Nov 9, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Jim Steenburgh or Ashley Evans | 1pm |
| Tue Nov 14, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Kian Huang | 1pm |
| Thu Nov 16, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Lexy Miller | 1pm |
| Tue Nov 21, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Sam Milliner | 1pm |
| Tue Nov 28, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Sam Schoenfeld | 1pm |
| Thu Nov 30, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Halle Schwarzhoff | 1pm |
| Tue Dec 5, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Michael Tibolla | 1pm |
| Thu Dec 7, 2023 | Calendar Event Discussion Leader: Marco Zannetti | 1pm |
| Assignment Roll Call Attendance |