Menu:

Teaching

          "What do you teach?" I was asked by a retired Naval veteran in Oklahoma.
          "A class about severe weather," I answered.
          "No," he responded, "what do you teach?"
          Not knowing what he wanted, I simply elaborated, "Well, I cover topics that include severe storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards,..."
          "No," he interrupted. "You're giving me a textbook answer. Answer my question from your heart. Let me ask another question. Why do you teach?"
          Wow, I thought. What an interesting way to start a conversation. I closed my eyes and thought about it for a while. After a minute, I spoke slowly, "I teach because it is indescribably rewarding to look into the classroom and see the eyes of my students light up when they understand something I've tried hard to explain...to see that they understand an idea, a thought, a problem."
          "Yes!" he exclaimed. "So as a good teacher, what are we to teach? Most people forget that teachers do not teach knowledge. They teach understanding. We can throw knowledge at people, but if they don't understand, then what good is the teacher? This, my friend, is the difference between good teachers and bad teachers."

I will never forgot those words of wisdom. In fact, one of the most rewarding things I have done and hope to continue doing in the future is teaching. I have taught or graded for the following college-level courses:


The following are selected course materials that are provided for your interest and reference:

Lecture Description
Summary of Atmospheric Dynamics "Dynamics in a Nutshell" is a summary of the basic principles and concepts of atmospheric dynamics intended for the late college undergraduate student majoring in meteorology or atmospheric science. Topics include: fundamental forces, hydrostatic/hypsometric equations, balanced flow types, convergence/divergence, confluence/diffluence, jet streams, jet streaks, vorticity, advection, and the development and structure of mid-latitude cyclones.
Severe Weather Safety Survey of hazards associated with severe weather events of all seasons. Methods to mitigate risks and basic first aid techniques such as CPR are presented.
Winter Weather Overview of the development of freezing rain, snow, and cold air outbreaks. Includes discussion of different conditions necessary for different types of winter precipitation. Intended for the non-major.
Science of Hurricanes Overview of the current science and understanding of hurricanes, including photos from NO-XP mobile dual-polarization Doppler radar deployment into Hurricane Ike (2008). Intended for the non-major. This presentation is only for your personal interest only. Please do not reuse the presentation without first contacting Owen for proper figure citations.
VORTEX2 Overview Summary of the first phase (2009) of the VORTEX2 tornado field research project from the perspective of figures and photographs. Created with contributions by Nick Engerer. This presentation is only for your personal interest only. Please do not reuse the presentation without first contacting Owen for proper figure citations.