STEM Fest Highlight: Weather Balloons

Weather Balloons and Applied Science – Welcome to Meteorology!

An interview with Victor Gensini, Ph.D., NIU Associate Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere and the Environment

STEM Fest is coming up on Sept. 28, and we can’t wait! To help us prepare we sat down with Professor Victor Gensini to learn more about the annual weather balloon launch – and why everybody is fascinated with meteorology. Don’t miss Dr. Gensini’s presentation on the STEM Fest stage, followed by a live weather ballon launch outside on MLK Commons.

NIU STEAM: Can you tell us a bit about what you’re going to talk about in the stage presentation and then the weather ballon launch? What should the audience expect?

Victor Gensini: I’ll begin with about a 20-minute presentation on stage. I’ll start by talking a little bit about the history of weather balloons: why we started using them and why we’re using them today. Then, I’ll talk through some of the instrumentation and describe each of the components of the weather balloon.

STEAM: Can you say a bit more about those components?

Gensini: So obviously there’s the latex balloon itself, the helium and the receiver station. So we’ll walk through the mechanics of those components, and then I’ll show some visualizations of data – so people can understand, this is what a weather balloon captures. This is what the data output looks like, and this is how you can take that data and use it to forecast weather.

STEAM: Then there will be the weather balloon launch itself?

Gensini: At the very end, my hope is we’ll be able to just walk the audience right out to MLK Commons for the balloon launch. The students will be out there with the balloon all prepped and ready to go. We’ll do our countdown, and we’ll let it rip!

STEAM: I know the weather balloon launch is a STEM Fest tradition and is really popular every year! Can you tell me a bit about why you originally chose weather balloons as a topic? Why is the weather balloon launch so appealing to people of all ages?

Gensini: Weather is something that everybody experiences every single day, as soon as they step outside. Every aspect of our lives is impacted by weather, so I think people have a general curiosity about: how do we know what we know about weather? How do we predict tomorrow’s weather or what the weather might be this weekend?

Meteorology is a really beautiful example of an applied STEM field. Some of our STEM fields are very deeply integrated in mathematics and theory, and they’re very technical. It can be harder to understand how they impact our everyday lives.

Meteorology, on the other hand, is a very tangible example of how STEM has a direct benefit on our daily lives. It’s very easy to connect the dots and show the value of weather balloon data, as well as the process – how technology allows us to capture those observations and then relay them and use them in real time.

STEAM: That’s fabulous. Can you tell me, why do you enjoy being part of STEM Fest each year? What keeps you coming back?

Gensini: I love that moment when I’m about ready to launch the balloon. My favorite thing is looking out at the audience and seeing all those smiles and the eyes that are as big as quarters!

First of all, for the children, especially, this is probably the biggest balloon they’ve ever seen in their lives! Balloons feel like a celebration, so there’s an excitement about that – people can’t wait to see it rise through the atmosphere.

Then there’s the added excitement of the data that it collects. I’ve launched hundreds of these balloons in my life, and I still get excited every time I launch one. So there’s so much excitement for somebody who’s never experienced it before.

STEAM: Oh yes! We get the best photos every year of the kids just looking up at the sky in wonder.

Gensini: This is a chance to teach that wonder and excitement to another generation. You never know who might get bitten by what we call “the weather bug.” This can start a real interest in meteorology, and they’ll think back to the time when they saw that weather balloon launch and the wheels started turning from there.

You never really know how many people you’re going to touch and get interested in the field, and that’s why I do it every year.

STEAM: That is the magic of STEM Fest! Before we finish up, is there anything else you want DeKalb and the NIU audience to know?

Gensini: If you find the weather balloon package, send it back to us! They are recoverable, and sometimes we do get them back, and we can recycle and reuse them. We’ve had one STEM Fest in the past where we received the radio unit back. It had actually landed in north central Indiana, very close to the campus of Notre Dame.

But most of all, we want you to come out to STEM fest and enjoy yourself and learn a little bit about weather prediction.
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Learn more about STEM Fest and start planning your day on our STEM Fest website. The STEM Fest map and stage schedule will be posted by the week of Sept. 21!