The Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the School of Mines has participated in the WxChallenge nation-wide forecasting contest since 2006. WxChallenge, developed and managed by the University of Oklahoma, tests the forecasting skills of students and faculty from participating colleges and universities across the nation. During the 2007-2008 academic year, the School of Mines forecast team, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students, and one faculty member, placed 12th overall out of 68 participating universities. Forecasts are made for five two-week forecast periods each semester, with each period set in a different city. For each city, the maximum and minimum temperature, maximum wind speed, and cumulative precipitation are forecast for the day. The closer the forecaster comes to the actual observations, the lower their score becomes. Trophies are awarded when a forecaster scores the lowest for a single period or overall for all forecast sites.
Last year, a total of 1511 individuals participated in the contest, with the seven School of Mines participants ranking between 91 and 667 in this group. In addition, Joanna George (M.S. atmospheric science 08) received an individual trophy for obtaining the lowest score in the graduate student division for the city of Wenatchee, Washington.
