May 18, 2026
The Norman Public School Foundation's STEM Tank winners had an incredible day of hands-on learning and real-world problem solving today.
Students from Washington, Madison, Jefferson, Truman, Kennedy and Wilson Elementary Schools, along with Longfellow Middle School, spent the day exploring meteorology, emergency management and severe weather research alongside experts from OU, CIWRO, NOAA and the National Weather Service.
Throughout the event, students rotated through interactive sessions where they:
• Role-played as emergency managers responding to severe weather events
• Learned about tornado formation through hands-on demonstrations
• Explored forecasting operations and research vehicles, including NOAA NSSL Raptor radar trucks
• Watched a live weather balloon launch and learned how meteorologists use the data to better understand weather conditions
Experiences like these help inspire the next generation of scientists, researchers and community leaders. Congratulations again to all of our STEM Tank winners for representing their schools so well.