AGS-FIRP Track 1: Purdue Radar Education (PurRadE): Integrating RaXPol into a Severe Storms Field Work Course

About This Grant

This award is for the deployment of a mobile weather radar as part of the Purdue University “Students Of Purdue Observing Tornadic Thunderstorms for Research (SPOTTR)” summer course. Students apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world conditions during a field experience in the U.S. Great Plains to observe severe weather. The mobile radar significantly enhances this training by providing hands-on experiences with advanced observational technology. The project helps build a skilled workforce that supports improved weather forecasting and hazard preparedness. The University of Oklahoma Rapid-scan X-Band Polarimetric mobile radar (RaXPol) will be deployed first at Purdue University for orientation, training, and calibration exercises to introduce students to this advanced weather radar. Data collected during the deployment will be used for research projects and culminate in student presentations and publications. 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.