Being Weather Wise with Water Whys

You may have seen a large sign inside the Tucson International Airport that warns you about the dangers of heat exposure and how to avoid it. 

You may have watched a news segment about the Colorado river that featured a helpful infographic. 

You may even have watched a YouTube video with a carefully constructed slideshow about the unique nature of certain weather phenomena. 

If you have seen any of those things, you have seen the products of the Water Whys vertically integrated project (VIP). Project members are students, research staff and professors who take the complexity of weather and provide succinct explanations through a variety of media. 

Sara Kobilka is the education coordinator and instructor for this vertically integrated project. 

“It’s all about visual science communication,” Kobilka said. 

Water Whys’ most recent project has been to create a safety bulletin for the Tucson airport. It compacts the lessons about how to stay safe in the desert into a concise but catchy overhead sign. The group's work is client driven, and they produce infographics, posters and videos that are focused on getting down to the specifics, quickly but memorably.

If you’re looking to get involved in the Water Whys project and are a student in the HAS department, you can! Water Whys can be found among others at the University of Arizona VIP website. Or, if you’re just looking for their great content, go to waterwhys.org.