1994-9		March 24, 1994

Contact:  Joan Vandiver Frisch
Manager, NCAR Media Relations
Boulder, CO 303-497-8607
E-mail:  jfrisch@ncar.ucar.edu
McCarthy Appointed as Director of Walter Orr Roberts Institute
	
BOULDERÑJohn McCarthy, a leader in developing weather warning 
systems for aviation, has been appointed a vice president of the 
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, 
Colorado, and director of the Walter Orr Roberts Institute, announced 
UCAR president Richard Anthes.   McCarthy will assume the post on 
April 1, succeeding the institute's initial director, Radford Byerly, who 
served during the latter half of 1993, and current interim director 
Harriet Barker.

A consortium of 61 universities with Ph.D. programs in the 
atmospheric and related sciences, UCAR manages the National Center 
for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which is sponsored by the National 
Science Foundation.
	
Founded shortly after the death of Roberts, NCAR's visionary founder, 
the institute is designed to further the application of atmospheric and 
related science in the service of society and to help translate the goals 
and products of that research for policymakers, students, and the 
public.  As a UCAR vice president, McCarthy also will oversee the 
Corporate Affiliates Program, the Office of Government Affairs, and 
other UCAR activities related to corporate and government 
interaction.
	
"Walt Roberts helped me to understand that it is possible and desirable 
to bridge the gap between fundamental research and the viable 
integration of that research into society,"says McCarthy.  "While many 
research problems remain unresolved and immature for such a 
transfer, many domains are ready for this all-important passage.
	
"As director of the institute, I will be addressing outreach and advocacy 
on weather and climate issues that have the potential to significantly 
alter life on the planet, from severe stormsÑsuch as hurricanes, 
tornadoes, blizzards, and flooding rainsÑto ozone depletion, 
pollution, global warming, and other aspects of global change.  The 
institute will establish focused programs in education and outreach, 
applied research, and technology transfer to address the needs of the 
public, including students of all ages, decision-makers and 
policymakers at all levels of government, and the private sector 
worldwide.Ó
	
Some of McCarthy's specific goals for the institute include
	
--Building a small permanent staff, to be supplemented by prominent 
visiting researchers.  
	
--Pursuing opportunities in the private sector.  "In our emerging world 
economy, business endeavors will play a pivotal role in helping make 
the world a better, more sustainable one,"says McCarthy.  "To listen to 
and work with industry is key to the success of the institute.Ó
	
--Demonstrating societal benefits of mesoscale weather forecasting and 
warnings and assessing the costs and benefits of the U.S. Weather 
Research Program (USWRP), in collaboration with entities such as 
NCAR's Environmental and Societal Impacts Group.  The USWRP is 
drawing renewed interest among researchers and the federal 
government.
	
--Developing international opportunities, particularly in Asia, where 
McCarthy recently spent four months on sabbatical.   "China has the 
fastest-growing aviation sector in the world,"says McCarthy.  "There 
are enormous issues in environmental quality throughout Asia, yet 
environmental consciousness is low.  The opportunities for 
contribution from our institute are substantial.Ó
	
McCarthy has directed NCAR's Research Application Program (RAP) 
since its inception.  RAP conducts research on weather that affects 
aircraft safety.  This research is sponsored by the National Science 
Foundation through an Interagency Agreement in response to 
requirements and funding by the Federal Aviation Administration's 
Aviation Weather Development Program.  
	
From 1981 to 1985, he directed the Joint Airport Weather Studies and 
the Classify, Locate, and Avoid Wind Shear projects, whose discoveries 
on wind shear and related phenomena led to the creation of RAP to 
devise and implement detection and warning systems for airports.  
McCarthy received a bachelor's degree in physics from Grinnell College 
and a master's degree in meteorology from the University of 
Oklahoma (OU) before completing his doctorate at the University of 
Chicago in 1973.  He taught at OU from 1973 to 1980.

Writer:  Bob Henson