Choosing a topic is one of the most critical steps of the year. Below are the guidelines established by Dr. Berryman.

• Your topic must be approved by your instructor.
• Your topic must be one you will enjoy studying in-depth over an extended period of time. You can and probably will make minor modifications to your topic, however, the pace of this course does not permit major topic changes after the first month of classes.
• Your topic must be from the broad discipline of atmospheric science.
• Your topic must build upon your previous required coursework in meteorology, math, and science. It must integrate, apply, broaden, and deepen your existing knowledge in these areas. If the topic has previously been used in this class, you must build upon the knowledge in that paper as well.
• Your topic must be studied with the appropriate depth and breadth.