The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) proposes to continue the management and operation of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on behalf of the National Science Foundation. Building upon its history of successful stewardship of NCAR since 1960, UCAR will manage and support NCAR, enabling the center to serve and advance the scientific community by providing cutting-edge observational and computational facilities; carrying out challenging interdisciplinary research in the atmospheric and related sciences; executing innovative education, outreach, and training programs; and building a diverse scientific and engineering workforce. The key elements of UCAR's strategy include working closely with the community in planning, implementation and review; identifying future requirements; developing compelling NCAR strategic plans; providing effective and efficient management of resources; creating an environment that attracts and retains exceptional talent; and enabling new partnerships that advance the science. UCAR will continue to adapt and improve its management to ensure that NCAR can respond effectively to new opportunities and challenges in the years ahead. UCAR, as the collective voice of the university community, brings a unique capability to the operation of NCAR, and UCAR's 71 members and many academic, government, and industry partners enable the Center to represent broad national and international interests.
Intellectual Merit: Understanding Earth and its complex, dynamic and interacting components is among the most exciting and meaningful contemporary scientific challenges. NCAR, under UCAR management with many national and international partnerships, seeks to observe, understand, and ultimately predict the atmosphere and related components of the Earth system. This research requires a creative workforce, interdisciplinary teamwork, increasingly capable Earth- and space-based observational techniques, advanced computational facilities and related analysis and data services, and global communication networks. This synthesis will lead to a better understanding of problems that are national and global in both scale and impact.
Broader impacts: Human activities are changing the weather, climate, and environment. At the same time, as our population and technological infrastructure increases, we have become more vulnerable to severe weather, climate variability and change, and other changes in Earth's life support systems. Applying the understanding and technology enabled by NCAR and its partners for the benefit of humanity is therefore the practical, useful, and increasingly urgent side of the center's range of activities. Examples include improved weather and climate forecasts and creation of tools to help policy makers and industries to manage natural resources such as air, water, energy, fisheries, and ecosystems. The discoveries that will enable society to respond to the environmental challenges facing it will be made by people with diverse and global perspectives. UCAR is committed to working with NCAR to educate, recruit, and retain talented students and professionals, especially those with nontraditional backgrounds. Because UCAR is based in academia, its management provides a natural coupling of research with education. This goes beyond developing future scientists to training teachers, developing educational materials, providing research opportunities for students, and reaching the public through a variety of avenues. UCAR's policy of free and open exchange of ideas, data, models, observational platforms and instruments, and information helps maximize the impacts of NCAR's research, development, and educational activities.
