Outreach Blog

Well, it is officially a brand new year. And we are in the swing of things here in the Education department. We have completed our first full year of the new Distance Learning program, which is keeping Michelle Cruz, Director of Education, quite busy with its ever increasing popularity. In the past year, with the help of our videoconferencing equipment, we have been able to connect students from throughout New England and also New Jersey, Virginia, Missouri, Texas, and Arizona to name a few, to our unique scientific institution on top of Mount Washington.

            Our outreach program is growing as well, and students have had the opportunity to learn even more about the amazing world of Mount Washington through our new offerings, “Weather and History on Mount Washington,” “Fundamentals of Climate,” and “Tales from the Cryosphere—Snow and Ice Science.”

            “Weather and History on Mount Washington” details the history of Mount Washington area and how the unique weather and climate is intertwined with its popularity with visitors from far and wide. Using historical photographs, newspapers, and artifacts, students can explore their own regional history—and that of the home of the World’s Worst Weather!

            Students hear about climate almost every day—but how does our climate actually work? “Fundamentals of Climate” provides an active format filled with experiments that lets students explore how the various ingredients of Earth’s climate system interact to create the environment in which we live.

            Snow and ice are two of the most persistent forces on top of Mount Washington, as well as being important features in global climate and local recreational safety. In “Tales from the Cryosphere,” your students can learn more about the nature of snow and ice, their role in the alpine landscape of Mount Washington, and much more!

            Although the snow is blowing, it’s not too early for us here at the Mount Washington Observatory to be thinking about our summer lecture series, “Science in the Mountains,” here in North Conway. You won’t get any details out of me yet, but from our standpoint it looks to be another exciting summer!

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