Transcript:

Okay, Hi everyone. Welcome to Geo203 Introduction to Meteorology. My name is Gabriela Shirkey and I'll be the Instructor for this semester. I'm a graduate student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences with my own interests in meteorology and atmospheric research being the energy, water and carbon cycles between the land surface and the atmosphere. I'm interested in helping you discover more about meteorology. It's a really awesome subject, whether you're taking it for fun or if you're taking it because you're interested in building a career. So about the course, this is a self-paced course. It's going to allow you to work ahead, but please be aware of due dates and details in the syllabus (course schedule). I encourage you to read it and print it out because this video is not going to cover everything in the syllabus. You can follow the syllabus (course schedule) for accurate due dates. And I encourage you not to rely only on D2L calendar or Slack announcements alone because they may be incomplete. So the course includes nine units with 1 to 3 lessons each. The tenth unit, it's available for extra credit and I'll share more about that at the end of the month. We're going to cover topics such as precipitation and moisture, energy, temperature, condensation, dew, fog, as well as how these phenomena are manifesting globally and circulations, air fronts, severe weather and more. When the extra credit comes around, you'll have the opportunity to learn what about weather forecasting and climate change. So the textbook, it's available digitally, it's linked in the syllabus. Please read each unit's chapter is to help you prepare for the exercises and quizzes. The textbook is required, but it's also free. Lastly, our communication is going to be virtual. So I ask that you follow the course etiquette that's set for the syllabus, will use Slack to communicate with not only myself, but other students. Feel free to have casual conversations about course-related materials. The link is in the syllabus, as well as the link for my walk-in office hours over Zoom that I'll will each week. If you want to create an appointment with me, feel free to contact me through Slack or e-mail. When you do email me, please include Geo 203 and the subject line. The course ID is important because we have 140 students. And so I may not recognize your email without that course ID and the subject. I will answer any questions as soon as possible, but it will likely be during working hours, so that's 08:00 A.M. to 05:00 P.M. on weekdays. Lastly, the materials are very organized so you can learn independently and again at your own pace. But please expect to spend about the same amount of time on this course that you would a traditional lecture. So that's 12 to 15 h a week, a three credit course. I'll send out weekly emails to keep you motivated and informed. Even though we're virtual, I encourage you to reach out to me or your classmates on Slack, share your thoughts and questions. Your first assignment is gonna be to share a bit about yourself and why you're in this class. And I'm excited to meet you and be your instructor. Meteorology. It's an awesome way to learn about the world that we live in. So whether you're making a career out of it are filling an elective. I'm sure you're going to find something interesting here. Alright. See you in class.