CW3E Hosts UCSD’s Annual Future Leaders Summer Program

August 7, 2026

On July 24, 2026, the Center for Western Weather and Water Extreme’s (CW3E) Inclusion Committee and Field Team hosted approximately 40 high school students from the UC San Diego’s Future Leaders Summer Program (FLSP) for an educational outreach event at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Organized by the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy’s Global Leadership Institute (GLI) and led by GLI Program Coordinator Courtney Chang, the FLSP introduces students to topics including climate change, energy innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital influence. FLSP’s visit to Scripps was part of the program’s “Interview with Experts” series focused on climate sciences.

Subin Yoon provides students with a tour of Scripps Pier.

The event was organized and led by CW3E Field Operations Manager Dr. Subin Yoon, Laboratory Assistant Charlotte Piazza, and Scripps Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Alexander Weyant. The students and their chaperones were divided into two groups for a guided tour of the Scripps Pier and a radiosonde launch demonstration. They learned about the pier’s history, historical and ongoing environmental observations operated on the pier, CW3E’s observational network across the western U.S., and the Center’s research and operational activities, including Atmospheric River Reconnaissance and Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations.

Alexander Weyant and Charlotte Piazza introduce CW3E’s surface meteorological station and discuss the operational and research applications of its data.

Charlotte Piazza conducts a radiosonde launch demonstration.

The event gave students an opportunity to interact directly with scientists and field researchers, observe environmental monitoring through a radiosonde launch, learn about careers in atmospheric and hydrologic sciences, and learn about the research and operational programs that are advancing extreme weather science and water resource management.