Doppler Radar for Education And Mesoscale Studies :: DREAMS

Principal Investigator :: Dr. Brian A. Colle
Where :: Stony Brook University, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
When :: 17 June - 8 July 2013
Facility :: Doppler on Wheels (DOW)

The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, located in Long Island, New York, is requesting a 3-week Doppler on Wheels (DOW) deployment from 17 June – 8 July 2013 for the Doppler Radar for Education And Mesoscale Studies (DREAMS) project. This opportunity will further the education of meteorology students at SoMAS by providing hands-on experience with the latest radar technology, as well as expose K-12 students and the general public to the latest atmospheric research, potentially inspiring future scientists.

There are ~600 undergraduate and over 200 graduate students enrolled at SoMAS, with 50 (25) of these students in the B.S. (M.S./Ph.D) atmospheric science program. SoMAS is ~30 km from the Upton, National Weather Service (NWS) office. There are typically 3-4 Stony Brook students that intern at the Upton, NWS each semester. Stony Brook also has an active collaboration with the NWS through a NOAA Collaborative Science and Technology project on regional weather and ensemble forecasting. 

The primary objectives of this project include:

1. Advance the students’ knowledge of radar fundamentals, applications, and technology through the collection and processing of data from a research radar
2. Advance the students’ education of local mesoscale phenomena (i.e. sea breezes, convection) through the analysis of data collected during the project
3. Provide students with an opportunity to participate in a field project, including hands-on use of research equipment, mesoscale forecasting, development of deployment procedures, and the collection of data.
4. Improve students’ ability to develop research projects given the available data collected from the project
5. Expose a broader community, including K-12 students and their teachers, to current research initiatives at CSWR as well as leading scientific technology

Read the complete DREAMS Facility Request.

Topographical map of Long Island with proposed deployment locations for the DOW marked with an open circle-X. The location of Stony Brook University, the Upton (NYC) National Weather Service Office, and JFK airport is marked by black dots.

DREAMS in the News

Stony Brook University Hosts NSF Funded Storm Chasing Project
General University News
26 June 2013

DREAMS Final Report

The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, located on Long Island, New York, completed a 3-week Doppler on Wheels (DOW) deployment from 17 June – 8 July 2013 for the Doppler Radar for Education And Mesoscale Studies (DREAMS) project. This experiment allowed students ranging from high school to graduate school to (1) gain experience operating a weather radar, (2) interpret Doppler radar data for various convective storm and sea breeze situations, (3) synthesize various datasets to make daily forecasts and nowcasts, (4) launch weather balloons in support of DREAMS, as well as (5) expose K-12 students and the general public to the latest atmospheric research, potentially inspiring future scientists.

>> Read the complete DREAMS Final Report