![\"Several](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/05\/balloon300x200-20190501_IMC_EH_0000-300x200.jpg\")
\u201cThis is a great opportunity to have students engage with these instruments and data collection. One of the values of this is being able to expose the students to a different part of the field than we can show them,\u201d said Clark Evans, an associate professor and the head of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s atmospheric science program.<\/p>\n
Before the launch, Vaisala representatives Chris Vagasky and Frank DeFina talked with students about career paths in the meteorology industry.<\/p>\n
As they gathered in a field near the campus\u2019 science buildings, students watched as Vagasky filled a white rubber balloon with 500 grams of helium, inflating it to around four feet in diameter. Vagasky weighs 145 pounds; it would take just 17 balloons to lift him off the ground, he said.<\/p>\n
Attached to the end on a long string was a radiosonde, an instrument package that collects and transmits atmospheric data \u2013 things like temperature, wind speed, wind direction and humidity. That data helps scientists plan their forecasts.<\/p>\n
When the balloon launched, it quickly disappeared into the cloudy sky, where the radiosonde began transmitting data. The balloons can reach heights of six to 10 miles into the atmosphere, before the change in air pressure causes them to burst and the radiosonde to plummet to the ground.<\/p>\n
Hands-on experience<\/h3>\n
For many students, it was the first time they had seen such a critical piece of meteorological science. Junior Alex Moxon, who is majoring in atmospheric science, was invited to hold the balloon in preparation of its launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a great experience to be here and be able to start collecting the data that I\u2019ll be using, and maybe even collecting someday, on an everyday basis,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very rare opportunity to see a weather balloon launch by the people who make them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaisala is based in Helsinki, Finland, and manufacturers all sorts of atmospheric monitoring equipment. It\u2019s important to be a good community partner, said DeFina, Vaisala\u2019s sales manager of weather sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are our future meteorologists and the future of forecasting,\u201d he said, surveying the crowd of 51ÁÔÆæ students. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s all about education. We believe in a world where observation improves the daily lives of all citizens. When that weather forecast shows up on peoples\u2019 phones, this is where it all starts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Weather balloons are a critical part of meteorologists\u2019 toolbox. Students in 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s atmospheric science program gathered recently to watch one such balloon make its trip into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":785,"featured_media":70956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,200],"tags":[],"section":[122,124],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[158],"class_list":["post-70953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-in-brief","section-campus-community","section-students","uwmnews-feed-letters-science"],"yoast_head":"\n