Here at Lyndon State College we talk about the weather (a lot), but we also do something about it. The Atmospheric Sciences Department (formally Meteorology) has a long history of educating and preparing undergraduate students for careers that do something about the weather. Whether it is issuing public weather warnings at the National Weather Service, on the local Television station, or research on improving weather prediction, our alumni are doing something about the weather.
In order for our program and graduates to remain competitive, we created the Vermont Institute of Applied Meteorology (VIAM). VIAM serves as flexible mechanism to engage students in experiential learning opportunities, whether it’s issuing road weather forecasts for the State of Vermont or researching the precursor conditions to major cold air outbreaks, our students and faculty are involved in solving real-world problems. VIAM opportunities put students in highly accountable situations where they might be required to conduct independent research, construct their own weather forecasts, and communicate with clients.