Priority 2: Enhancing Science Education

NCAR advances this priority through collaborations and relationships with visiting scientists, postdoctoral and faculty fellowship appointments, and professional development programs. NCAR developed an exciting new graduate visitor program within its Advanced Study Program which allows outside researchers and their students to spend time working together at NCAR. In support of professional education in the atmospheric and related sciences, NCAR scientists organized and carried out numerous national and international conferences and workshops each year, bringing together scientists, stakeholders, and researchers from around the globe to assist in crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries. NCAR scientists also conduct innumerable formal and informal scientific lectures and publications, which contribute directly to this priority. A review of some of our metrics demonstrates the breadth and depth of this program. See our visitors, workshops, Post Doctoral Fellows, and publications.

FY 2006 Accomplishments

This year, NCAR made progress on this strategic priority with the development of an exciting new graduate visitor program in NCAR's Advanced Study Program. The graduate visitor program allows outside researchers and their students to spend time working together at NCAR. (See Highlight). We also increased its number of postdoctoral fellows in FY 2006 and hosted 2 two-week summer colloquia on climate and meteorology. The fourth annual Junior Faculty Forum on Future Science Directions, which targets specific topics of interest based on feedback from early career scientists and the university community, brought junior faculty from numerous disciplines and institutions from across the nation to discuss three topics: The Science of Communicating Uncertainty in Weather and Climate, Regional and Global Models: A study in model sensitivities to various parameters, and Air Quality Management: Recent progress and future directions. NCAR continues to operate other formal science education programs for postdocs in the High Altitude Observatory in ESSL and at the other laboratories. NCAR also hosted professional development workshops for educators in collaboration with the UCAR Education and Outreach program, researchers, and operational forecasters with the UCAR Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET).

At NCAR, undergraduate students assist NCAR technicians and engineers on site to operate their observational platforms in field programs. In FY 2006, a group of undergraduate students from several universities in Australia and the United States gained valuable research experience by assisting NCAR in the operation of two GAUS (GPS Advanced Upper Air Sounding Systems) that collected high-quality upper air soundings. Graduate and undergraduate earth science students are a regular feature of all NCAR field projects. NCAR routinely involves these students in the operation and maintenance of equipment during domestic and international field campaigns. Most positions are in support of the Integrated Sounding System (ISS) and the GPS Advanced Upper Air Sounding System (GAUS), with occasional opportunities related to radar and dropsonde operations. Responsibilities often include launching of sondes at predetermined schedules, maintenance and proper operation of all equipment, data collection and processing, document preparation, and help with set-up and tear-down.

This year, students were essential in the support of the first Bunny Fence Experiment, the Terrain-induced Rotor Experiment (T-REX), the Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS), and the Cumulus Photogrammetric, In-situ and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO) experiment.

NCAR also hosted dozens of students from K-12 to undergraduate and graduate levels.

Climate and Global Change Distance Learning Course

UCAR EO is developing a sequence of online courses on Climate and Global Change, entitled “Climate Discovery”, based on the successful workshop series held in 2002 ' 2005 at NCAR. A pilot course in Fall of FY06 documented the successful implementation of course materials in an online format. The first of three 6-week courses, “Introduction to Climate Change” will be offered in Fall 2006 for middle and high school educators, with graduate credit available through the Colorado School of Mines. The NCAR Online Learning Web site describes the goals, course elements, and syllabus for this program.

NCAR Undergraduate Leadership Workshop

On behalf of NCAR, EO coordinated the 5th NCAR Undergraduate Leadership Workshop (ULW) in June, once again receiving enthusiastic evaluations from the program's 20 participants, all of whom had completed their junior year. The goal of ULW is to inform undergraduates in the geosciences about exciting opportunities for graduate study, research, and careers in the atmospheric and related sciences. The five-day program was launched by welcoming messages from the UCAR President and NCAR Director and a half day dialogue facilitated by UCAR Board Chairman, Kelvin Droegemeier, about the importance of developing personal and professional leadership skills throughout one's life and career. Students spent the week exploring laboratories, instrumentation, and computing facilities that support studies on weather, climate, solar physics, the Sun-Earth system, and impacts of weather and climate on societies across the globe. Participants were especially appreciative of the personalized stories scientists and education staff shared about pathways, opportunities, and academic milestones that lead them into rewarding careers at NCAR, UCAR, UOP, LASP, and NOAA. Students are expected to present a seminar during the fall at their local AMS chapter or academic department about highlights of their ULW experience. The students have formed a highly valuable network of peers, as the vast majority of them are progressing through graduate degree programs and planning to enter careers in the sciences.

Plan

In FY 2007, NCAR will increase participation in both the number of graduate visitors and participants in its Faculty Fellowship Program. The highly regarded Junior Faculty Program will continue in FY 2007. ASP plans to host at least one two-week summer colloquium on a topic yet to be determined. We look forward to continuing our other programs for K-12 through postdoc levels described in this section during FY 2007. In April 2007, NCAR will, for the first time, host the quarterly TeraGrid management meeting. This meeting reviews progress and sets objectives for the NSF-funded TeraGrid project and brings together the Grid Integration Group principal investigator and associate directors, as well as the principal investigators and supporting technical teams of the nine resource providers that comprise the TeraGrid.

During FY 2007, NCAR will support professional development workshops offered by EO at venues across the country, with an emphasis on National Science Teachers Association national and regional conferences and State-based professional development opportunities. These venues allow large numbers of teachers to be reached at low cost, providing a cost effective approach to professional development. We expect to reach over 1500 teachers through this program in FY 2007.

Support from NCAR will enable EO to enroll K-12 teachers in a series of three online courses addressing Climate and Global Change. The first six-week class, entitled “Introduction to Earth's Climate”, will be offered during the fall of 2006. Final planning will be completed and the first offering of “Earth System Science: A Climate Change Perspective” will be opened to teachers in 2007. The final course in the series, “Understanding Climate Change Today”, will be prepared in anticipation of unveiling in Fall 2007.

The 6th NCAR Undergraduate Leadership Workshop will be held from June 18 - 22 in Boulder. Upon its completion, more than 120 undergraduate students will have completed this program since its founding, further expanding the institution's positive impacts on students as they work their way into and through graduate programs and enter careers in the atmospheric and related sciences.

NCAR is also sponsoring the National Earth Science Teachers Association by providing support for the NESTA Office. The National Earth Science Teachers Association is a nonprofit educational organization of ~1000 members (over 90% K-12 geoscience teachers) that works to advance and improve Earth science education at all levels. This support is critical, as NESTA moves to expand its membership and services to its members, as well as the broader Earth and Space Science education community.