Transcript Certificate of Achievement in Weather Forecasting

Certificate of
Achievement in Weather
Forecasting
Department of Meteorology
Penn State University
Four Online Courses
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Meteo 101: Understanding Weather Forecasting
Meteo 241: Tropical Weather Forecasting
Meteo 361: Mesoscale Weather Forecasting
Meteo 410: Advanced Topics in Weather Forecasting
First Graduating Class, Fall 2006
… This sense of community was reinforced as each
graduate received their certificate and expressed their
sincere gratitude to their peers and teachers for their
support, encouragement and dedication to the program. It
was this event, more than anything I have done recently,
that reminded me why I have chosen a career in adult
education.
Ken Udas, Director of Penn State World Campus
WxChallenge Cumulative Standings
Fall Semester, 2006
Meteo 410 Forecaster
National Rank
(1258 Forecasters)
PSU Rank
(86)
Olympic Skier
27
2
Business Consultant
37
4
Legal Administrator
58
6
Weather Solutions Expert
80
8
Farmer
97
11
Communications Major
100
12
NWS Intern
325
20
Nurse
348
23
Vehicles for Online Learning
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Dynamic, interactive course materials
Conceptual rigor encourages critical thinking
Sprinkling of mathematics (“buffet approach”)
E-Portfolios
Discussion forums
Discussion Forums
Anticyclonic Tornado in a Cyclonic Supercell
(Debra, Meteo 361 Student) - 4/25/2006 04:55 PM
The tornado that touched down yesterday in El Reno,
Oklahoma, just to the west of OKC, was anticyclonic,
yet it was not in a left-moving cell - the cell was
cyclonic. Dr. Greg Forbes on TWC explained that the
tornado formed on the eastern side of the inflow,
rather than the western side, which caused the rotation
to turn the opposite way than it normally
would. Would you please elaborate?
Professional Mentors
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The utility of our discussion forums gives us a
better opportunity to bridge the gap between
the Department of Meteorology and
professional mentors. In Meteo 361, we have …
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Steve Corfidi, Lead Forecaster at SPC
Jon Racy, Mesoscale/Outlook Forecaster at SPC
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Steve Corfidi’s Response
re: Anticyclonic Tornado in a Cyclonic Supercell
STEPHEN CORFIDI - 4/26/2006 10:15 AM
Debra, Mark and Phil,
The flanking line is a known area for anticyclonic, nonmesoscyclonic tornadoes. Such circulations appear to
result when anticyclonic vertical vorticity on the
southern edge of the mesoscylone's rear flank
downdraft is stretched by a fortuitously-positioned
updraft (cumulus tower) on the flanking line. See the
diagram from Klemp and Rotunno 1983.
NHC’s Stacy Stewart favorably reviewed a
student’s E-Portfolio on Katrina and invited
him to the National Hurricane Center
How to Enroll
Check out the World Campus Web site:
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/Weat
herForecastingCertificate.shtml