Citizen scientist

While the NASA scientists might be busy spreading tales of goodwill and space there are citizen scientists among us as well.

For example, Lewiston-Porter earth science/math educator Kristian Ruggiero lives in the Falls and has a side gig as a meteorologist. Ruggiero and his students have been studying the atmosphere using weather balloons.

The research included a trip to launch a trial balloon over Indiana.

Monday, Ruggiero said he will be launching an electronically-enabled balloon from Fort Niagara.

He’s been working to predict flight path, hoping it drifts across a bit of Lake Ontario and predicting it will burst at 70,000 feet and come down somewhere near Greece, in the Rochester area, about 60 miles away.

The flight of the balloon is as unpredictable as the weather, increased wind at the time of the eclipse is another unknown variable.

Among the interesting data will be not only wind change aloft but temperature.

Ruggiero hopes to launch one to two balloons a year going forward. The project is funded by a grant of about $9.850 from Moog.