What’s that up in the sky? Downtown Atlanta will soon have its first Weather balloon thanks to a joint effort of the SIF program and the Geosciences Department. The weather balloon will allow the over 1500 students each year who enroll in Geography 1112 (GSU’s most popular science class) to conduct a range of experiments related to weather and atmospheric pressure. Slated for arrival in the spring 2016 semester, the weather balloon will be anchored to the Park Place Plaza and capable of ascending higher than the roof of the 377 foot 25 Park Place Building across from Woodruff Park. This is one of several active learning projects supported by SIF personnel, who will be rigging the instrumentation on the balloon and assisting in launch logistics. Active learning pedagogy projects are designed to increase the interactivity of GSU courses, allowing open-ended experimentation beyond that typical of many classroom lab experiences and learn in real-world environments.