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Students predict weather
Bob Weisman, an SCSU Earth and Atmospheric Sciences professor, has been facilitating a weather forecasting game here at SCSU since 1988.
Weisman borrowed this forecasting game from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who had been playing the game since the 1960's.
Previously, the game was only available to meteorology students, but interest from the student body brought forth an opportunity for all to play.
"No matter where you are, be it the grocery store or a movie theater, there is always someone who says he could do a better job figuring out the weather than those guys on TV," Weisman said. "This is a chance for them to prove it."
Derek Smith, a second-year sports medicine major, reinforced Weisman's point.
"It's a cool idea because usually the weather guys are wrong," Smith said.
Participants in the game are asked to predict weather for tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night and the next day. Students will need to pick out high and low temperatures, possible amounts of precipitation, snowfall and probability of rain.
With the help of satellite images and previous weather patterns, meteorologists try to figure out what the weather will be like, however, there is always room for change within the patterns.
Weisman hopes the game will help people realize that predicting the weather isn't as easy as it looks. The game is a fun way for students outside the major to learn more about everyday weather conditions.
Michelle Makie, a first year mass communications major, likes the idea of predicting the weather.
"I think it might be a lot of fun to see if we can do it better than the professionals," Makie said.
In the past, Weisman has treated students within the major to dinner if they can make a more accurate prediction than he can. The offer for a free dinner stands to all participants who contribute guesses more than 60 percent of the year.
The main incentive for meteorology students to play the game is skill testing.
"In meteorology, we haven't figured out everything in the science," Weisman said.
With room for human error, Weisman added that students need to see the art form in forecasting, learn their problem areas and gauge their skill level.
The best way to know how much you have learned in meteorology is to apply your skills to the process of forecasting.
The game is only played on days when school is in session.
For more about the weather, Weisman hosts daily discussions on his home page and invites people to come sit though his class Mondays and Fridays from 11:15 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. in the Math & Science building, room 21.
On the Internet
For a complete set of rules go to http://web.stcloudstate.edu/raweisman/courses/forecastgame/fcstrules.html
For prediction help go to http://web/raweisman/weather.html
To sign up to make your own predictions, go to http://www1.stcloudstate.edu/forecast/default.asp
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