AUSTAR for Schools > Events > Climate & Weather Month 2008

The Weather Channel

AUSTAR For Schools Climate & Weather Month July 2008

schools activity

The new AUSTAR for schools program offers regional schools and communities a way to engage with AUSTAR personalities in local situations.

The AUSTAR for schools program is all about our dedication to regional Australia. Kids are our future and AUSTAR for schools is our way of giving back to regional Australians and providing a service that children can benefit from.

This month AUSTAR and The Weather Channel will be bringing The Weather Channel’s Senior Meteorologist to schools in Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst. Richard “Dick” Whitaker will present “Australia’s Natural Disasters”, taking a look at some of the major droughts, floods, thunderstorms and tropical cyclones that have affected Australia and will highlight the impact severe weather can have on our country. His presentation will involve students in a number of different interactive weather experiments and give them the opportunity to present the weather in front of a blue screen, just like a professional weather presenter!

As a special bonus in Dubbo a Weather Channel skydiver will also land on a target on the school oval symbolising water droplets falling into dams. This activity aims to give students an insight into dam levels, water restrictions, rainfall deficiencies and rainfall outlook.

AUSTAR for schools will present each school visited with a $2000 grant upon completion of the workshop. This grant is to be used by the school for educational/environmental resources for the students.

http://www.weatherchannel.com.au

bio

Richard (Dick) Whitaker is the senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel. A quiet achiever and highly intelligent he’s made a significant contribution to the field of meteorology, and more generally to science communication. As a child, a weather balloon fell in his backyard, and he’s been hooked on weather ever since. He’s one of Australia’s leading commentators about weather and climate issues. Dick has a mind for meteorology – he has almost every weather event in Australian history at his fingertips!

Presently Dick is involved in a climate project (Seasonal Climate Outlook for Pacific Island Countries SCOPIC) which is funded by AusAid. His role is to travel throughout the Pacific to assist these countries to provide better meteorological services for their people.

Dick began his career as a meteorologist in 1971 at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). He was promoted to the position of Officer in Charge the Climate and Consultancy section. It was at this time that his passion and ability as a science communicator became evident. He liaised with government and private enterprises, giving advice on climatology and rainfall intensities, as well as giving lectures to secondary and tertiary students about meteorology. Dick was recognised for his contribution to communicating meteorology to the wider public, and was awarded an Australia Day Achievement Award in 1984.

Dick’s research has also included developing the area of agricultural and indigenous meteorology. He believes that indigenous people throughout the Pacific possess valuable knowledge.

His role at The Weather Channel where he’s been since 2004 provides him the opportunity to communicate his knowledge about weather and climate with Australians on a daily basis.

Dick’s passion and expertise lies in meteorological education, particularly through television and radio and books. (He has written, co-authored and edited several meteorological publications. Dick’s most recent books are ‘All About the Weather’ for primary students and ‘Understanding Climate Change’.