Let’s Get into Some Scijinks! Lessons from Modernizing a Classic NOAA/NASA Kids’ Weather Website

Nancy Leon1, Alex H Kasprak1, Kyle Jordan Mansfield2, Alexander Novati2, Lauren Gaches3 and Daniel Karlson3, (1)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (2)Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States, (3)NOAA Washington DC, Washington, DC, United States
Abstract:
SciJinks.gov—short for Science Hijinks—is a joint NOAA and NASA website that has been in operation for a decade. Filled with information about weather, Earth science, and satellite meteorology, it has always been a helpful resource for students and educators in and outside of the classroom. Geared toward upper middle school and early high school students, we replace around 20% of our audience each year. That means it is imperative to keep the site properly geared toward the needs of a rapidly changing group of students. Our team has recently redesigned SciJinks.gov to be mobile-friendly, modern looking, and teen-friendly. Here, we discuss our strategies and rational for this redesign and highlight the many exciting benefits to this newly imagined weather-adventure website.
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