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Weather and Society*Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) Evaluation Report Available Online

During the summer of 2008, Societal Impacts Program (SIP) researchers conducted a formal evaluation of Weather and Society*Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) by surveying all past WAS*IS workshop participants. The two main goals of the evaluation were: (1) to evaluate the WAS*IS program, including efforts to date in achieving the vision and mission of WAS*IS and (2) to get input on the future directions of WAS*IS. Based on these two goals, a survey with open- and close-ended questions was developed, pretested, and revised. The final survey was implemented via the Internet in July-August 2008. Access to the web survey was controlled by an independent survey company; only past workshop participants were invited to respond to the survey, and they could only respond once. A total of 124 of the 171 WAS*IS participants completed the survey, for an overall response rate of 73%.

Key results included respondents’ evaluations of the importance and effectiveness of WAS*IS vision, mission and goals; the impacts of WAS*IS workshops on participants work and education; and respondents’ suggestions for future directions of WAS*IS workshops and other efforts.

A full summary of the evaluation results, as well as a complete copy of the survey, is now available online at http://www.sip.ucar.edu/wasis/evaluation2008.jsp.