on april 4 1956 aggies collecting data from a storm reported readings of a hook echo a radar pattern associated with tornado-producing conditions north of bryan texas they communicated their data to the us weather bureau forecast center in kansas city missouri which issued a tornado forecast for the area this event has been credited as the first radar-based tornado warning in history though conlee is skeptical of the historical claim (aggies like to tell tall tales he said) the event speaks to the innovative prowess of aggie meteorologists throughout history a teaching tool unlike any other conlee is deeply involved in adrad and its educational programs but he is quick to credit dr courtney schumacher as the key driving force in updating the radar to its current capabilities she not only revitalized adrad but she also started a program to allow undergraduates to interface with it that program is the student operational adrad project (soap) which allows undergraduate and graduate meteorology students the opportunity to operate the fully-functional weather radar firsthanda unique learning opportunity that sets adrad and texas a&ms meteorology department apart from similar research radars and programs students here are trained to run and monitor the radar in severe or interesting weather situations conlee said thats just an irreplaceable experience that most students around the countryeven those at institutions specializing in radardont get to do theres no substitute for that admittedly adrads technical capabilities do not represent the cutting edge of radar technology its current specifications are closer to what national researchers used to predict the weather in the 1990s however conlee considers it the most capable weather radar dedicated to education in the country the unfriendly skies adrad is first and foremost an instrument for education and research not for pinpoint weather forecasting the radars location however gives it the potential to do much more than teach students with the influence and help of dr chris nowotarski we have made data from the radar much more usable not only for the public but also the national weather service (nws) and local media conlee said especially toward the northeast we provide the best coverage in the area as a result of adrads prime real estate the nws has routinely called upon its data to track and assess severe weather across texas when a deadly tornado tore through the east texas town of onalaska on april 23 2020 adrad was in the best position to record the tornados formation and help the nws deliver timely warnings to the community while adrads technological and logistical limitations prevent it from being run continuously it has continuously proven its value not only in helping teach aggie students to study weather but also as a living monument connecting those students to the history of radar research at texas a&m it takes a significant amount of maintenance and upkeep to run adrad conlee said but aggies and texans definitely benefit from this resource the college of geoscience seeks a $2 million endowment to provide for the continued maintenance of adrad as a unique educational tool forecasting aid and historical icon of the texas a&m atmospheric sciences program to learn more about this special giving opportunity contact jay roberts '05 assistant vice president for development by bailey payne '19 texas a&m foundation