College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

White Squirrel Weather at WKU is the recipient of the 2023 National Weather Association Walter J. Bennett Public Service Award.

The award will be presented at the NWA annual meeting September 13 in Kansas City, Missouri.

White Squirrel Weather started at WKU in 2016 as a student-centered applied service-learning model for students in the Meteorology Program. Since then, its operation has expanded to students in Emergency Management Disaster Science (EMDS) and Homeland Security Sciences (HSS) programs, and beyond the university for partnered services. WSWX is also the official meteorological support unit for WKU’s Disaster Science Operations Center (DSOC).

The Walter J. Bennett Public Service Award is the third national-level award for weather-related programs and initiatives of the Meteorology Program at WKU, University Meteorologist Josh Durkee said.

• In 2022, the WKU Meteorology student chapter of the National Weather Association received the Local Chapter of the Year Award.
• In 2010, the “Field Methods in Weather Analysis and Forecasting” course, known as the WKU Storm Chase, won “Creativity and Innovation Award” from the North American Association for Summer Sessions.

White Squirrel Weather also was recognized in 2020 by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service Louisville Forecast Office with a Weather-Ready Ambassador Award for exemplary dedication toward weather safety and preparedness, while demonstrating excellence in service, education, and outreach.

Contact: Dr. Josh Durkee, (270) 745-8777

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.