This session will provide an overview of the new movement Weather and Society Integrated Studies (WAS * IS). WAS * IS aims to change the weather enterprise so that social science is integrated into meteorological research & practice in comprehensive & sustained ways. Through a series of workshops that introduce social science concepts and tools the movement now consists of 172 WAS * ISers around the world and many other scientists and practitioners who are involved with these exciting inter-disciplinary projects.

The session will highlight new efforts in Europe, the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand that are underway that bring social scientists and physical scientists and practitioners together to address societal impacts of weather events and natural hazards. Projects include examples of new collaborations across agencies, disciplines, countries, and sectors including emergency managements, innovative new strategies for verifying forecasts in societally-relevant not just performance metrics, creative and effective ways of communicating uncertainty, and recent post-disaster field collaborations.