EXPANDING HORIZONS WITH AN NWS INTERNSHIP COURSE.

RALEIGH (N.C.); NORTH Carolina

This article discusses the participation of meteorology students at North Carolina State University in an experimental internship course during the spring of 2004 that allowed them to gain an operational perspective on meteorology by experiencing the everyday duties of the staff at the collocated National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Raleigh. As the field of atmospheric science continues to advance and diversify, courses of this type can play an increasingly vital role in education and professional development. The hands-on experience should help students decide whether an NWS career is something they might wish to pursue. The course provided experience that will be invaluable when they apply for an entry-level NWS position.