UT Martin Alum Shaley Dawson Returns to Teach Innovative Broadcast Meteorology Course

Shaley Dawson, a 2021 graduate from the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin), is now co-teaching a broadcast meteorology course at the university. She collaborates with Tim Wallace, a geoscience lecturer, utilizing her experience as a broadcast meteorologist. The course is offered through UT Martin's unique meteorology program, the only one in Tennessee, which has successfully helped graduates, including Dawson, find various jobs in the field.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in geoscience with a meteorology concentration from UT Martin, Dawson started her career at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee. She later worked as a freelance meteorologist across West Tennessee. The broadcast meteorology class, planned since fall 2023, began in the spring semester of 2024. Classes are held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Paul Meek Library.

The course provides both theoretical knowledge and practical broadcasting skills, using the media center's lecture rooms and recording studio. Dawson emphasizes practical experience, dedicating much of the class time to exercises in front of the green screen.

Dawson's teaching method includes brief lectures, discussions, and extensive practical sessions. She focuses on developing students' broadcasting skills, which are essential for their careers. The course also offers networking opportunities in the meteorology field. Dawson organizes job-shadowing and meetings with professional meteorologists. Students also visited WPSD-TV in Paducah to learn about professional broadcasting operations.

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