Weatherfest celebrates Nebraska’s 150th, moves to Innovation Campus

From left, Zoe Fischer, Emmalyn Smith, 3, and Vicki Cotton, all of Lincoln, participate in the How Well Do You Know Your World booth at the 16th annual Weatherfest and Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Hardin Hall on
From left, Zoe Fischer, Emmalyn Smith, 3, and Vicki Cotton, all of Lincoln, participate in the How Well Do You Know Your World booth at the 16th annual Weatherfest and Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Hardin Hall on

The 17th annual Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium and Family Weatherfest, set for April 1, is branching out beyond meteorology this year as it grows into its new location at Nebraska Innovation Campus Convention Center, 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln.

In addition to expanded demonstrations and exhibitors, this year’s free event will feature a celebration of the state’s 150th birthday at 10:30 a.m. at the Nebraska 150 Foundation exhibit with comments from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green. Other new partners this year include:
• The Lincoln Children Museum, which will bring some of its popular science activities to the event;
• The University of Nebraska State Museum Mueller Planetarium;
• The university Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, which will bring its augmented reality sandbox, a hands-on 3-D experience that grows understanding of geologic formations, and its “Antarctic Time Machine,” another 3-D experience exploring Antarctica’s climate history; and
• The Platte Basin Time-lapse Project, a partnership between Michael Forsberg Photography, the university and NET Television that records the river basin and how water travels through it over time.

These are just a few of the 64 exhibitors scheduled to participate in the event. Other indoor exhibits will explore climate change, renewable energy and natural resources with the help of experts from across the university and the state and also will offer demonstrations geared toward school-age attendees. Also as in previous years, emergency management and storm chaser vehicles will be on display outside the convention center.

Scheduled times for the event are:
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Weatherfest exhibits, demonstrations and experiments;
• 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Meet local TV weathercasters and try the Green Screen Experience to deliver a weather forecast;
• 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Severe Weather Symposium, which will feature keynote speaker Tim Marshall, a severe storms expert and storm chaser, and storm photographer Jeremy Bower of JRB Storm Photography;
• 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Storm spotter training, a workshop geared toward preparing the public to survive severe storms.

Food will be available for sale throughout the day, and parking for the event is free.

“There is truly something for everyone,” said Ken Dewey, organizer for the annual event. “This year’s event is bigger and better, and there are many new weather- and science-related activities taking place.”

Weatherfest sponsors include the School of Natural Resources, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources, and Nebraska Extension, all at the university; State Farm Insurance; and Raytheon. Also providing assistance are the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Nebraska; UNL Meteorology Club; National Weather Service in Omaha; Lancaster County Emergency Management; Nebraska Emergency Management; and Barnes and Noble Bookstores.

For a more details on this year’s event or for a complete schedule, visit weatherfest.unl.edu.

Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources

More details at: http://weatherfest.unl.edu