Testimonials from our WAS*ISers

Below are quotes from participants of the WAS*IS workshops.

• I thought everything was great and I really came back with a vault of new knowledge and motivation.
  
  
• It was great to feel a part of a dedicated group of people brimming with enthusiasm and ideas. Now comes the hardest part...the follow through. I believe that this group has the energy and commitment to do it!
  
  
• I have learned how important the link is between meteorology and social science. I now have a perspective on user needs I didn't have before, and very few operational meteorologists are exposed to during their careers. All the themes that were covered during the 2 weeks enhanced my understanding of each theme, and I hope I am perceived as a resource for the National Weather Service when guidance is needed for research or policies related to linking meteorology and social science.
  
  
• I was able to spread the WAS*IS message to at least a few people within my [NWS] region. My participation in WAS*IS may have contributed to my selection as a senior forecaster transfer to [another NWS office]. The selecting official did briefly inquire about WAS*IS during the interview, and again after my selection.
  
  
• WAS*IS helped me to cross the barrier between researchers and forecasters in our weather service.
  
  
• I've always been interested in branching out into new fields, but to date have had trouble linking up with experts in other fields. The WAS*IS program provided me with new contacts and new tools to do integrated research. Without a doubt, I expect the knowledge and contacts gained from WAS*IS to pay rich dividends in the coming years. To state plainly, I would not being doing this research without WAS*IS.
  
  
• WAS*IS helped me realize that communication can be much more essential than just thinking on my own.
  
  
• I've also always felt a little bit on the periphery of what others in my departments are examining and in regard to their research interests. The WAS*IS family/community provided me with a “virtual home” where I can go to share concepts, ideas, and questions.
  
  
• I had such a wonderful time meeting all of you. I have never learned so much at a workshop, which was surprising. … I don't think I have ever learned so much in one week as I did at WAS*IS!!! …I actually applied that knowledge the very next day…
  
  
• The networking has been really helpful … First, I am somewhat isolated [in my] department... Two, I'm very early in my career and don't know a lot of people, so this helps me know others in the field.
  
  
• WAS*IS gave me more experience in interdisciplinary communication and collaboration.
  
  
• WAS*IS taught me tools that enable me to start communicating with user groups, but also showed me that I also might need to consult experts who do it more professionally.
  
  
• WAS*IS introduced me to the world of GIS, especially to the spatial representation of vulnerability. ... I had only seen maps that combine exposure and housing conditions (or similar), but I had never seen any maps related to social data (age, income etc).
  
  
• WAS*IS created a brilliant community that hopefully will live on and grow.
  
  
• The first WAS*IS workshop was a real opportunity for me to meet people out of my country interested in the same field research as mine. I feel like we face very similar problems and that we have much knowledge, methodology and experience to share.
  
  
• To me the WAS*IS workshop is a great first step in building up a weather and society community. I hope this experience is only the beginning of a long-term collaboration with all researchers and practitioners from all over the world interested in this domain. I also wish that this kind of project may be re-conducted on a regular basis and extended to a more international audience.
  
  
• The first WAS*IS workshop was helpful in encouraging me to pursue this project… The workshop has been more beneficial for my dissertation (which is a “was*is-y” project). Thanks to knowledge I gained from the presentation on questionnaires, I have written two questionnaires that I will use to collect data from National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologists and Emergency Managers in areas affected by ice storms. The contacts I made were helpful, as [other WAS*ISers] helped me with the NWS WCM questionnaire.
  
  
• WAS*IS helped me to test my assumptions.
  
  
• WAS*IS made me realize that my own initiative is needed if I want to come closer to an end-to-end-to-end process.
  
  
• [By participating in WAS*IS, I realized that ] the best context for what I've been studying in communication research is in weather.
  
  
• The workshop was worth every vacation day. I am amazed at how my perspective has changed as emails and articles come across my desk. I'm glad my world view has been revised.
  
  
• Words can't express my gratitude for the most wonderful summer WAS*IS session!! I learned SO much, made great new friends and contacts and have a renewed sense of dedication to examining the role social science plays in weather. I am so excited to move forward with my learning and work on the projects that our group started. … The group synergy was awesome, which I think really helped to facilitate greater partnerships and learning. WAS*IS was a life-changing experience and I am proud and honored to be a part of it.
  
  
• I've always been interested in branching out into new fields, but to date have had trouble linking up with experts in other fields. The WAS*IS program provided me with new contacts and new tools to do integrated research.
  
  
• [WAS*IS] helped me look beyond the platitudes of societal impacts toward action.
  
  
• [A WAS*IS program] might attract other students into meteorology that didn't realize that severe storms or radar wasn't all they could do.
  
  
• Thank you so much for the chance to be a part of WAS*IS. It was great meeting you, and I really learned a lot from the workshop and the people I met... Truly an unforgettable experience!