Iowa State University students create instructional web site for tornado preparedness

March 27, 2007

Iowa State University students create instructional web site for tornado preparedness

Answering emergency management needs, three Iowa State University students have created a web-based tutorial that prepares Iowans for safety when tornadoes strike. Graduate students Sonia Gakhar, Natalya Koehler and Jeremiah Still created the web site for the Story County Emergency Management Agency in Nevada, as part of an instructional technology course (Curriculum and Instruction 503), taught by Ana Correia.

Designed for people who have little experience with Iowa's severe weather hazards, the site's tutorial helps you learn how to successfully prepare, respond and recover in the event of a tornado.

The tutorial is being shared with emergency management coordinators in all 99 counties in Iowa, and is available to the public. While researching, the students found a number of informational sources on severe weather safety, but hardly any instructional materials available on the web.

The tutorial is on the Story County Emergency Management Agency website, at www.storycounty.com/emergencymanagement > Tornado Safety Tutorial.

Contacts:

Ana Correia, assistant professor of curriculum and instructional technology, (515) 294-9376.

Sonia Gakhar, graduate student, (515) 294-9997.

Natalya Koehler, graduate student, (515) 294-7021.

Cathy Curtis, communications special