5,000 people attend AMS WeatherFest in Atlanta

Daphne Thompson (NSSL/CIMMS) speaks with a visitor about NSSL.

Over 5,000 people of all ages crowded through the American Meteorological Society’s “WeatherFest” at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta on January 17, 2010.  WeatherFest is an interactive four-hour science and weather fair designed to inspire children and youth to pursue a career in the sciences.

NSSL’s booth, staffed by Daphne Thompson (NSSL/CIMMS) and Susan Cobb (NSSL/CIMMS), featured video from VORTEX2 (the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment-2), VORTEX2 bookmarks, a tornado in a bottle, and handouts on coloring books and NSSL’s research.  The action was non-stop as people of all ages asked questions about NSSL’s research and our relationship with the movie “Twister.”  The “tornado in a bottle” provided a springboard for questions about how tornadoes form and tornado safety with children.  Questions about careers in meteorology were common, and closet weather fanatics enjoyed sharing their passion for the weather.

This was the ninth year of WeatherFest, and the fifth year NSSL has sponsored a booth.

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