UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In celebration of the 40th anniversary for “Weather World,” the Penn State Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science’s weekday television broadcast, the department is calling attention to a fund that helps make the show possible.
The Leah Thornton Lozano Program Fund in Weather and Climate Forecasting and Communications, established in 2011 by an anonymous donor, is used to promote the show’s outreach efforts, research expenditures, production, distribution and technology. The donor noted at the time that the fund was established to honor the life and work of Lozano, who “devoted her life to the care and protection of others.”
“This fund supports our efforts to prepare the next generation of broadcasters and meteorologists by providing opportunities to develop effective communication and forecasting skills,” said Rob Lydick, executive producer of the show. “With technologies and methods constantly changing, gifts to the fund are important in helping us to provide state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge experiences to undergraduate and graduate students. The skills they acquire by working with ‘Weather World’ empower and equip them with transferable communication skills, regardless of what career path in meteorology and atmospheric science they pursue.”
Lydick said preparing the next generation of weather experts to be great communicators is a tradition that dates back to College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Dean Emeritus Charles Hosler, who began televising midday weather reports in 1957. “Weather World” debuted in its current 15-minute format in 1983.
The award-winning show, run by faculty and students, features daily, weekly and long-range forecasts, as well as interviews and student-produced feature pieces. The show airs across the commonwealth on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) weekdays at 5:45 p.m. The show can also be viewed on WPSU, a public broadcasting channel, on weekdays at 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.
“While the weather and climate story is the star of the show, so too is the genuine comradery of the students and faculty working together to produce the program,” Lydick said.
Gifts to the Leah Thornton Lozano Program Fund in Weather and Climate Forecasting and Communications will advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.