Our new buildings:
UCAR purchases Center Green

UCAR purchases Center Green
The bottom line: 100,000 square feet
of additional space for labs and
offices. more

One—no, two—new Delphi coordinators

When UCAR president Rick Anthes found out that the runoff election for Delphi Service coordinator had ended in a dead heat between HR’s Nancy Norris Wade and ACD’s Teresa Rivas, he thought about ways to break the tie, such as holding another election or flipping a coin. But then he turned to a plan voiced by his assistant, Susan Montgomery-Hodge: inviting the two popular candidates to share the Delphi position.. more

Team UCAR/NCAR leads Boulder’s Bike-to-Work Day

Helping to lead the way toward cleaner air, UCAR took first place among large organizations in Boulder’s annual Bike-to-Work Day in June, based on the high number of staffers who used alternative transportation to get to the office.more

Powerful new version of CCSM aids in climate analysis

Scientists studying global climate patterns have a new and important tool at their disposal: NCAR’s Community Climate System Model, version 2 (CCSM-2).

The latest version of the powerful model, unveiled in the spring, has passed a major test with flying colors with a hypothetical 1,000 year simulation of Earth’s climate. Researchers are now preparing to use the model to simulate 20th-century climate and to explore “what if” scenarios, such as the impact of continuing carbon dioxide emissions on future climate.more

Random Profile: Terri Cantrell

Did a passion for dancing bring Terri to NCAR? Indirectly, yes. When Terri was a microbiology student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she joined a dance club called A2 (the name alluded to both square dancing and Ann Arbor). There, she met a graceful atmospheric chemistry graduate student by the name of Chris Cantrell. After they married, NCAR hired Chris, who is now a scientist in ACD. “We moved out here with a one-year-old and a cat,” Terri recalls. Three years ago, Terri landed her own job with NCAR as an administrator—first in ATD and then, at the beginning of 2001, in HAO.more

UCAR studies daycare options
Can the institution open its own center?

RAP’s Martha Limber is so frustrated over her two young sons getting shuffled from one room to another at their daycare center to fill available spaces that she wants to find another center where she can help set the policy. “I’d like to see an emphasis on moving a child because it’s right for the child, rather than the center wanting to maximize its benefits,” she says.

UCAR is trying to help Martha and other employees with young children by looking into the possibility of opening its own daycare center. Katy Schmoll, vice president for finance and administration, says the plan would be to contract with a private operator to handle the center’s day-to-day operations. Parents who work at UCAR would help set the center’s policies, perhaps by serving on a board of directors or a parents advisory group. more

It’s a family tradition

Maura Hagan has a thing for libraries. The HAO scientist, who specializes in upper-atmosphere phenomena, was named for her aunt, Mary Elizabeth—the former head librarian for the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“I grew up loving libraries,” she says. “I think it was fed to me with my
baby food.” more

Teaching educators

Middle and high school science teachers use potatoes to explore plate tectonics and the various formations of the Earth’s surface at Education and Outreach’s first Climate and Global Change Geoscience Education Workshop. Held 22 July to 2 August, the workshop aimed to provide teachers with a broad overview of the geosciences related to climate and global change. more

A roundup of projects throughout the organization. more

Crisis phone line available to staff

As the anniversary of last year’s terrorist attacks passes, staffers should bear in mind that they can call the institution’s crisis phone number (extension 1100) to find out about UCAR and NCAR security alerts, building closures, or other emergencies. A recording contains information about any disruptions to the workday. more