THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES PROGRAM - THE 1995 PROGRAM AT THE OKLAHOMA WEATHER CENTER

The 1995 Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at the Oklaho ma Weather Center introduced 14 students to the rigor of meteorologica l research, as well as provided them with information to help make inf ormed career decisions. A unique portion of the summer program was the students' participation in the 1995 Verification of the Origins of To rnadoes Experiment, in which they collected data on convective storms. Participation in the program exposed students to the logistics of a m ajor field program and taught them about tomadic storms.The program us ed a mentorship approach to teach the students how to conduct research . By working with a mentor, each student was exposed to the method of scientific research through direct interaction with a research scienti st. An evaluation of the program found that it helped all students to develop confidence in their ability to do research and to be better ed ucated about their career options.