As summertime approaches its end, you would think that as the School Programs Educator with the Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) I would be eagerly anticipating the start of the school year. While I can’t wait to engage with and educate more students this year, summer has provided a rewarding start along with some unexpected surprises as I’ve been helping with the Observatory’s revamped educational programming. From leading campers in designing and building their own wind anemometers to riding in a Black Hawk helicopter, this summer has been a thrilling start to my AmeriCorps service term.
My first educational program with the Observatory was a program on mountain weather and aviation presented to a group of campers from the Mount Washington Valley School to Career Partnership summer camp. My supervisor Jackie and I were invited to present two programs during the STEM Aviation week taking place at the Eastern Slopes Regional Airport in Fryeburg, Maine. Our first program at the camp provided campers with an introduction to the Mount Washington Observatory, weather observations, mountain weather, and the relationships between weather and aviation. We also introduced METAR, a coded format for reporting weather information. METAR is used by pilots and meteorologists, including the MWOBS weather observers, so it was a great topic to connect the Observatory with the focus of the summer camp.
We returned two days later for a follow up program. This time we led the campers in completing a weather observation. We took them step by step through a typical observation that is done by the MWOBS summit observers. Campers collected data such as temperature, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, visibility, sky condition, cloud height, and present weather. All of these data points were configured into a METAR report that campers had been familiarized with in our previous program. Our program was quickly overshadowed by the arrival of the NH National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, which campers were going to take a ride in that afternoon. Jackie and I were given the opportunity to stick around after our program to check out the helicopter, speak with the National Guardsmen, and enjoy a barbeque cookout lunch with the campers and staff.
As we were planning to wrap up our time at the airport and pack away our materials, the camp organizers kindly offered us the incredible opportunity to accompany the campers and counselors for the afternoon Black Hawk ride as a thank you for our programs. I never imagined I would get the chance to ride in a helicopter, let alone a Black Hawk. It wasn’t even something that I had on my bucket list radar! We graciously and excitedly accepted and before I knew it, we had signed the manifest, were strapped in, and took off for fifteen minutes of cruising above Fryeburg, ME and North Conway, NH. We even spotted the MWOBS offices from above. Never did I think I would get an experience like this through my Americorps service. These unexpected moments are what make serving with Americorps and the LRCC a unique and memorable experience.
Emily is a half-year member serving at Mount Washington Observatory, which joined the LRCC program this year. Learn more about Emily here!