UNL's 15th Annual Family Weatherfest and Severe Weather Symposium took place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 at Hardin Hall.
"It was the best-attended in the 15-year run of this event," said Ken Dewey, professor of applied climate science. "Instead of competing with the spring football game on City Campus, it was advertised as a two-event Saturday, which attracted participants who came to our event first and then headed over to Memorial Stadium just a few miles to the west."
For the second year, the event offered the "Green Screen Experience," which proved to be the most popular attraction of the event with people of all ages trying their hand at being a TV weathercaster.
The event was a first-time participating site for the statewide Nebraska Science Festival.
Also featured at this year's event were the Doppler On Wheels, a mobile tornado research laboratory, and the Nebraska Task Force Search and Rescue Dogs team.
Bob Henson, author of "The Thinking Person's Guide to Climate Change," and Nancy Gaarder, author of "Nebraska Weather," met guests and signed copies of their books.
"In an attempt to reach out to those who would like to see the severe weather symposium talks in the auditorium but could not make it to the event, we live-streamed all of the severe weather symposium the day of the event," Dewey said.
Video recordings of all of the talks are available for free download at the event website: http://snr.unl.edu/cpsws/.
— Mekita Rivas, Natural Resources