# Presentation: 421717

## Central Region Partner Meeting 

**New culture change initiative**
**Central Region Partner Meeting**** **
**Eve Gruntfest  & Julie Demuth**
**May 17, 2007**

## Background -  applied geographer

- 	**Social scientist in world of engineers & physical scientists**
**	**

## After 30 years of being

**	****Frustrated at being a social science **
**	****ADD ON **
-    **with no enduring impacts**

**Always some interest from meteorologists who said**
**“****I want to do societal impacts work but**
**I don’t know how &**
**I don’t know anyone else doing the work”**** **

## Weather & Society * Integrated Studies (WAS * IS)

**Weather & Society * Integrated Studies**** ****(WAS * IS)**

## What is WAS*IS?

**Tools & concepts – communication, forecasting, GIS, qualitative research, decision making, economics, vulnerability, verification**
**Skills – initiating & building relationships, overcoming barriers**

**Capacity building – create a community for **
**lifelong collaboration & support!**

## Why WAS *IS 

-   Human impact on the environment
-   Risks/hazards for humans
-   Relationships of env. Issues to political, 	economic, cultural processes

- Role of S&T in production of knowledge about nature
- Human/animal relationships

**Why**** ****WAS *IS**** **

**Integrate (not add on) **
**social science into meteorology?**

**Grow a community of people passionate about & dedicated to this  **

**Recognize that (meteorology +  social science)**
** ****>  sum of its parts!**

**Avoiding another Hurricane Katrina  is NOT just about improving the weather forecasts**

**Address  societal **
**impacts in real & **
**sustained ways **

## WAS*IS workshops

**Began as a one-time adventure **
**Grew into ****4 workshops**** (so far) & evolved**
**Original 2-part workshop in Colorado (November 2005 & March 2006)**
**Condensed 3-day workshop in Oklahoma (April 2006)**
**Summer 2006 WAS * IS**** **
**AUS WAS*IS**** ****---****	****early 2007 **

**More than 110  **
**WAS * IS****ers****!**

## WAS*IS long-term possibilities

**Advanced ****WAS*IS****es**
**WAS*IS**** international workshops**
**Capstone courses in physical science programs**
**WAS * IS on-line text (through COMET?)**

** **** ****WAS*IS**** for introducing meteorology**
**	****to social scientists –  for stronger partnerships**

## Examples of National Weather Service participation

** ****8 NWS participants this summer **
**Others wanted to participate but places & funds are limited**
**Tanja Fransen, NWS Glasgow, MT working with Tom Bogdan’s Space Weather initiatives**
**Kevin Barjenbruch & Melissa Tuttle Carr: Public - private collaborations**
**Brent MacAloney & others developing new metrics **
**Let’s brainstorm future possibilities – ****COMET classes?**

## WAS*IS as umbrella for socio-economic research & training

**Collaborations with CONOPS – discussions with **
**Ken Graham**
**~ 30 NWS ****WAS * IS**** ers already**** **

**Getting paid for WAS*IS work**

## WAS * IS is brewing with no sustained funding!  Help us widen & deepen the WAS*IS movement.

## What did the most influential players look like in meteorology prior to 2006 WAS*IS? 

## Slide 13

## WAS * ISers are NOT the same people with new technologies!

## The new fiesta – WAS * ISers!

## Thanks to Jim Keeney for inviting us to be part of your meeting & discussions

**What are the**
** ****next steps?**

## Thanks to the US Weather Research Program & NOAA

**      ****The National Center for Atmospheric Research**
**Institute for the Study of Society & the Environment (ISSE)** & **Societal Impacts Program (SIP), University of Colorado Colorado Springs & ****Other institutions in Norman, OK & Australia**

**All the people who have inspired & assisted to make ****WAS*IS**** a reality & whose passions keep it moving forward!**