BROADCAST METEOROLOGY Real Science or Data Shoveling?

摘要

The magazine Popular Science recently published a list of the worst jobs in science. With positions such as worm parasitologist, sewage ecologist, and tick dragger appearing in the top 10, there was a certain amount of cheekiness to the list. But thedeeper issue is that the jobs on the list are supposedly perceived negatively by other scientists, even if many of those who hold one of the "worst" jobs actually enjoy their work. We were taken aback to find television meteorologist at number 17 on thelist. The magazine explained that the pressures of television ratings have taken the scientific substance out of the job. Was this indictment fair? We asked Lee Grenci, a senior lecturer and public-television meteorologist for 16 years at The Pennsylvania State University, for his take on the evolving role of the TV meteorologist.