On April 1, 2025, ESSIC/CISESS was invited to participate in the annual National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Day at College Park Academy Middle School. Guangyang Fang and his students represented ESSIC/CISESS by hosting an interactive booth showcasing Virtual and Mixed Reality (VR/MR) technologies focused on lightning safety.
The event marked the first public outreach appearance of Faraday Lightning Safety, a newly released MR application by CISESS. Designed to both engage and educate, the application allowed students to explore lightning safety concepts in an immersive environment. More than 100 7th-grade students explored the experience, and the booth received enthusiastic engagement and curiosity—highlighting the growing potential of immersive technologies in science outreach.
This expo-style event, hosted by NWS, provided students with an opportunity to explore careers in meteorology, hydrology, and other related fields. Towards the end of the event, Howard University did a launch ballon and drone demonstration. Participating organizations included the NWS Recruitment Team, University of Maryland, NESDIS, PG County Emergency Management, Ocean Prediction Center, Climate Prediction Center, Howard University, NBC4 StormTeam & Telemundo, and ESSIC.
