Introduction to UCAR
ACD Review
Rick Anthes
October 24, 2001
UCAR
a non-profit corporation formed in 1959 to serve the
atmospheric and related science and education community
The UCAR mission
to support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the
university community, nationally and internationally; to
understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related
systems and the global environment; and to foster the
transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment
of life on earth.
UCAR Governance
• Membership: 66 member North American universities
with appropriate doctorate program; 20 Academic
Affiliates
• Governance: 132 Member Representatives and Board
of Trustees
• Guidance: advisory committees and review panels and
significant university involvement in every UCAR
program
• Peer Review: NSF 3-5 year review process.
UCAR Members
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Alaska
University at Albany,
State University of New York
University of Arizona
Arizona State University
California Institute of Technology
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Chicago
Colorado State University
University of Colorado at Boulder
Cornell University
University of Denver
Drexel University
Florida State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
University of Hawaii
Howard University
University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
Iowa State University
The Johns Hopkins University
University of Maryland
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Miami
Texas Tech University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Toronto
University of Minnesota
Utah State University
University of Missouri
University of Utah
Naval Postgraduate School
University of Virginia
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
University of Washington
University and Community College
Washington State University
System of Nevada
University of Wisconsin- Madison
University of New Hampshire, Durham
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
New Mexico Institute of
Woods Hole Oceanographic
Mining and Technology
Institution
New York University
University of Wyoming
North Carolina State University
Yale University
The Ohio State University
York University
University of Oklahoma
Old Dominion University
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
Princeton University
Purdue University
University of Rhode Island
Rice University
Rutgers University
Saint Louis University
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD
Stanford University
Texas A & M University
UCAR’s Six Goal Areas
• Science--foster a broad scientific
program of highest quality to
address present and future needs of
society
• Research facilities--develop and
acquire state-of-the-art scientific
research facilities
• Education and training--devote
significant attention to education
and training, with emphasis on
women and minorities
• Advocacy, public policy, and
communication--in cooperation
with other institutions, play a strong
role in developing enhanced and
more effective methods of
communication among scientists,
policymakers, and the public in
order to foster the use of science in
the service of humankind
• Technology transfer--in conjunction
with the UCAR Foundation, transfer
appropriate UCAR technology to the
public and private sectors
• Research and operational
partnerships--strengthen the
relationship between the operational
and research communities
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Member Institutions
Board of Trustees
Finance &
Administration
President
Corporate
Affairs
Katy Schmoll, VP
Richard Anthes
Jack Fellows, VP
Tim Killeen, Director
UCAR
Programs
Steve Dickson, Associate Director
Jack Fellows, Director
NCAR
Information
Infrastructure
Technology &
Applications
(IITA)
Richard
Chinman
Atmospheric
Chemistry Division
(ACD)
Atmospheric
Technology Division
(ATD)
David
Carlson
Daniel
McKenna
Environmental
& Societal
Impacts Group
(ESIG)
Robert
Harriss
Advanced Study
Program
(ASP)
High
Altitude
Observatory
(HAO)
Michael
Knölker
Climate & Global
Dynamics Division
(CGD)
Al
Cooper
Mesoscale &
Microscale
Meteorological Division
(MMM)
Robert
Gall
Maurice
Blackmon
Research
Applications
Programs
(RAP)
Scientific
Computing
Division
(SCD)
Brant
Foote
Al Kellie
Cooperative Program for
Optional Meteorology
Education and Training
(COMET)
Constellation Observing
System for Meteorology
Ionosphere Climate
(COSMIC)
Timothy
Spangler
GPS Science and
Technology Program
(GST)
Randolph
Ware
Bill
Kuo
Digital Library
for Earth System
Science (DLESE)
Mary
Marlino
Unidata
Visiting Scientists
Programs
(VSP)
Joint Office
for Science
Support
(JOSS)
David
Fulker
Meg
Austin
Karyn
Sawyer
Denotes President’s Office 12/07/98
UCAR Board of Trustees
Otis Brown, University of Miami, Chairman
Richard Anthes, UCAR President
Leo Donner, Princeton Univ., Vice Chairman & Personnel Comm Chairman
Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma
Eugenia Kalnay, University of Maryland
Charles Kennel, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Ron McPherson, American Meteorological Society
Neal Lane, Rice University
Mary Jo Richardson, Texas A&M University
Paola Rizzoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Soroosh Sorooshian, University of Arizona
David Skaggs, Center for Democracy and Citizenship
Ronald Smith, Yale University
Orlando Taylor, Howard University
Gabor Vali, University of Wyoming
Patricia Woodworth, Univ. of Chicago, Audit and Finance Comm Chairwoman
UCAR Service to Community
• Facilities
–
–
–
–
Computing (SCD)
Visualization Laboratory
Mass Store (for data sets)
Observational facilities (ATD)
• Community Models and Software
–
–
–
–
Community Climate System Model (CCSM)
MOZART
MM5 and Weather Research and Forecast model-WRF
Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model
(WACCM)
– Earth System Model Framework
• Support of field programs (ATD, Joint Office of
Science Support)
Service to Community
• Educational materials (e.g. COMET)
• Community data sets
– Research (observations, analysis, models)
– Real time to universities (UNIDATA)
• Collaborative research, visiting appointments,
workshops
• Advocacy of atmospheric sciences with
Administration and Congress
– Action Alerts to community
– Written and oral testimonies
Planning and Priority Setting
• Occurs through a variety of mechanisms and
processes
– External committees, panels, and studies (e.g. NRC
reports)
– UCAR Governance (Members, Trustees, divisional
advisory committees)
– NSF committees and guidance
– Internal committees (NCAR Directors Committee,
President’s Council, other UCAR committees)
– Consulting with community (e.g. surveys)
Planning and Priority Setting
• Almost all NCAR and UCAR scientists,
engineers and management are very active
in national and international planning
activities, and are well informed of the
discussions and recommendations coming
from these community planning activities
Planning and Priority Setting
• Input from all of the above is considered.
• The good judgment of management and the
scientists themselves are used to establish
priorities according to a number of criteria.
Criteria used in priority setting
• Quality
• Relevance to UCAR and NCAR missions
and strategic plans
• University involvement and service
• Relevance to NSF priorities
• For non-NSF programs, relevance to the
sponsor’s mission and fit with NSF program
Criteria, continued
•
•
•
•
•
National and international priorities
Readiness
Opportunity (availability of resources)
Initiative/intuition of individual scientists
Development of human resources, including
diversity
• Maintain programmatic balance
Program balances to consider
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Theory, modeling and observations
Instrument use and instrument development
“Facilities” and “science”
Individual initiative/freedom and team efforts
Community service and “in-house” science
Leadership and support
Breadth and depth
Thank you!