Steve Ansari gives his presentation.

Whether the weather is hot or cold, scientists keep track of the data, and one of those scientists recently visited second grade English language learners at Avery's Creek Elementary.

Steve Ansari, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, gave a presentation to support teacher Katie Wilson’s lessons about the water cycle. Mr. Ansari talked about NOAA’s downtown weather and climate data archive; where the data comes from; and how scientists use the data to design experiments, predict climate trends, create visualizations for the public, and more.

“It is always fun to try and spread the word about the cool things that NOAA does,” Mr. Ansari said. “I hope they take away that science is something that everyone can do, and now it is easier than ever by observing weather, the sun, moon, and nature that is around them every day. I hope that perhaps they learned a little about weather and climate and how we store this information safely in Asheville.”

Ms. Wilson thanked Mr. Ansari for showing her students firsthand what it’s like to be a scientist.

“It is important to expose my multilingual students to local scientists so they can experience real life examples of community members and their careers,” she said. “My hope is that it will inspire my students to pursue what they love and share it with others.“

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