Tornado Alley is a large-format 2D/3D film and comprehensive outreach program exploring the science behind severe weather events. The project focuses on cutting-edge developments in the fields of meteorology and earth science, demonstrating weather monitoring technologies. The project spotlights the current research of the VORTEX 2 (V2) project--the most ambitious effort ever to understand the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes. The principle target audiences are science museum audiences, with additional special attention to under-served, rural mid-western communities, which will be served by digital 3D screenings. The film will be produced by Graphic Films and Giant Screen Films and distributed by Giant Screen Films. The Franklin Institute will create and manage outreach to professional audiences. Informal Learning Solutions will conduct formative evaluation; RMC Research Corporation will conduct summative evaluation of the project.
The film, produced by Paul Novros (PI) and directed by Sean Casey, will collaborate closely with the V2 team, led by Dr. Josh Wurman, and consult with the project advisors to assure clarity and accuracy of the science being presented. A distance-learning initiative to serve educators--both formal and informal--will be managed by Karen Elinich (co-PI) of The Franklin Institute. The project's innovative outreach strategies leverage the mobility of the tornado intercept vehicle (TIV) built by Sean Casey, and the Doppler on Wheels and MGAUS (weather balloon vehicles) to bring scientists and weather-monitoring technology into direct contact with audiences. Outreach to underserved audiences, especially rural audiences, will provide opportunities for interactions with V2 PIs and their students, who serve as role models in science careers. In addition, cyber infrastructure will allow groups of educators to interact remotely with V2 researchers and experience visualizations of weather data. The film and ancillary materials will be translated into Spanish.
The project serves as a model for the dissemination of the methods and results of a specific major NSF hard-science research endeavor to the general public through ISE products and activities. The goal of the project is for the audience to increase their knowledge and understanding of the scientific process, learn what meteorologists do, what technologies are used in meteorology and weather science and the factors and forces in meteorological events. It is intended that young audience members will also develop and interest in weather science and potential careers in science and engineering. In the first five years of the film's release, the audience is anticipated at 7 million plus. In addition, the live outreach events are expected to engage approximately 40,000-60,000 individuals.
is a giant screen film and expansive outreach program that brings a deeper understanding of atmospheric science, field research and science careers to public audiences through immersive film and learning experiences. Tornado Alley follows renegade filmmaker Sean Casey and the scientists of VORTEX2, the largest tornado research project ever assembled, on their epic missions to encounter one of Earth’s most awe-inspiring events: the birth of a tornado. Over the course of the film, science begins to reveal the unseen architecture of these beautiful and destructive storms, and viewers are taken straight into the heart of a tornado. Tornado Alley features groundbreaking tornado footage and dramatic documentation of real storm chasing scientists at work, representing a powerful pairing of content and medium. The film’s storyline reinforces the message that "science is cool and exciting" and provides a unique outreach effort for the VORTEX2 initiative; ultimately the project serves as a model for the communicating the processes, value and impacts of scientific research to the general public through informal STEM products and activities. The project built on the success of the producers’ previous NSF-funded film, Forces of Nature, and its professional development component expanded on an NSF proof-of-concept project using Internet2 as infrastructure for PD. Program components included the giant screen film; a Web site; educators’ guides and resources for classroom and informal learning; and professional development sessions utilizing cyberinfrastructure to facilitate remote interactions between educators and researchers performing actual data manipulations. Outreach allowed public audiences to experience, in person, the fascinating mobile tools of extreme weather research—including the armored Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) and the NSF-funded Doppler on Wheels (DOW)—and to interact with the researchers who use and have contributed to the development of these pioneering technologies. Activities targeted public audiences at museums and science centers, as well as underserved, rural and tornado-affected populations, including Native American Indian reservations, through the use of a traveling digital 3D projection system. Tornado Alley has taken more than 5 million viewers across the US and in countries from Israel to the UK on its mission across America’s heartland, and the film is anticipated to reach over 7 million during its theatrical life. The film has played in approximately 95 museums and science centers worldwide and was honored with the Best Immersive Program Award at the inaugural 2012 Jackson Hole Science Media Awards. Tornado Alley’s outreach campaign brought scientists and vehicles to almost 80% of all museums exhibiting the film, and over 100 unique events reached approximately 150,000 visitors of all ages. The campaign also reached thousands of underserved students and families in rural, remote and tornado-affected regions in the South and Midwest. Science centers that hosted the project reported attracting unusually large audience and in particular, new and diverse audiences. Almost all of the participants contributing to evaluation reported engaging new partners. Over the course of the project, Tornado Alley and project scientists were featured in hundreds of media outlets (radio, television, print, Web). At the same time, the project enabled scientists to learn more about public audiences’ interests and needs. All agreed the film was an effective platform for disseminating weather science information to the public; some expressed newfound appreciation for how informal science organizations promote science and technology. The film’s evaluation found that viewers of Tornado Alley reported knowledge gains in their understanding of tornado formation, the scientific process, technologies used in weather science research, and the work of research scientists. Student interest in STEM study and careers was piqued by exposure to the project through a rich combination of visually dynamic film footage, encounters with tornado research technologies, and encounters with professional scientists. Educational materials have reached thousands--nearly 600,000 visitors had accessed the project’s Web site as of fall 2014. The professional development program enabled the development of at least fourteen new models for informal science practitioners who seek to engage teachers, students, or families with tornado science, the nature of scientific research, or data analysis content. Educators registered knowledge gains through participation in the project and, critically, grew more comfortable teaching STEM topics through the study of weather and tornados. Scientists participating in outreach took part in informative dialogues with audiences that enriched their understanding of science content relevant to general audiences and found the project personally meaningful. Outreach programs created partnerships with a variety of schools and community groups, non-profits, and corporations. These relationships established new venues and models for informal STEM learning, and built a foundation for potential future collaboration.
