IL-IN Sea Grant Honored as a 2022 Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador of Excellence!

For the sixth year, NOAA and the National Weather Service are proud to recognize “Ambassadors of Excellence” -- a select number of WRN Ambassador organizations that have made significant contributions to building a Weather-Ready Nation. By serving as change agents and leaders in their communities, Ambassadors of Excellence have:

Inspired others to take action and become ready, responsive, and resilient
Created innovative ways to engage their community, their workforce, and/or their social network
Formed unique collaborations with NOAA and/or other ambassador organizations to achieve goals they alone could not meet
Embraced building “a Weather-Ready Nation for All” by addressing vulnerable populations’ needs.

This year, NWS Chicago recognizes Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) for their outstanding work to promote weather and water safety and preparedness and raise scientific awareness. IISG has collaborated to deploy three weather and water monitoring buoys in the nearshore waters of Lake Michigan, including their newest buoy off of Chicago’s Navy Pier. Not only has the data from these buoys contributed to a better understanding of the nearshore environment for meteorologists and other scientists, their presence has raised awareness among boaters and the general public alike. IISG hosted a buoy “launch party” for the Chicago buoy this spring which garnered media attention across the region. IISG’s social media feeds, as well as their “Two Yellow Buoys” Twitter account, have a large following and provide a glimpse into conditions on the lake. They also promote lake, beach and weather preparedness and safety, as well as inform on both weather and climate aspects of the region. IISG also furthers citizen science by providing numerous educational resources, promoting learning opportunities, as well as sharing science related tips and facts useful to anyone.

You can learn more about other 2022 WRN Ambassadors of Excellence here:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/922c5c861b8c46178ae5de16c505746d


Photo: NWS Chicago