National Center for Atmospheric Research
The National Center for Atmospheric Research ( NCAR ) is an American research institute in the field of atmospheric sciences .
Goals and research areas
The goals of NCAR include research into the earth's atmosphere and the physical processes on which it is based, as well as atmospheric social impacts and influences on ecosystems. To this end, we also work closely with various national and international universities. NCAR's headquarters, the Mesa Laboratory, is located in Boulder, Colorado . The institute also operates a number of other locations in Boulder and other locations in the United States.
For empirical research purposes, the NCAR maintains its own airplanes for atmospheric research, ground-based observatories and is involved in the development and operation of various satellites. In addition, several of the most powerful supercomputers in the field of atmospheric science are owned by the NCAR. These are u. a. used for the development and calculation of climate models and other simulations of geophysical processes. The NCAR is one of the leading research institutions in this area of computer-aided analysis and processing of geophysical data and the modeling of corresponding processes.
financing
The research center is funded primarily through the National Science Foundation . Other components of the budget also come from funds from the US government and its agencies, other states and the private sector. Overall, around 95% of the NCAR budget comes directly or indirectly from US federal funds. The total budget in 2010 was about $ 227 million.
history
The NCAR was founded in 1960 as a collaboration between the National Science Foundation and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a consortium of around 75 universities in the field of atmospheric sciences . While the National Science Foundation took over the financing, the management is carried out by UCAR. In 2010, the NCAR employed 1,554 people, around half of whom were scientists, engineers and developers. Despite the almost exclusively federal funding, the employees are not federal employees.
Mesa Laboratory
In 1960, the UCAR appointed Walter Orr Roberts as founding director of the NCAR and designated the Table Mesa under the Flatirons as the location for a laboratory building. The state of Colorado acquired the 2.29 km² area and made it available to the NCAR after it was agreed to develop it exclusively for the laboratory building. Roberts was advised by then-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Pietro Belluschi , in choosing the architect. A committee of experts, consisting of the architecture deans of the universities involved in the UCAR, finally appointed IM Pei as the architect for the project. Up to this point in time, Pei was best known for his urban development projects and for his innovative use of concrete as a building material, but he lacked experience in rural areas and in laboratory buildings. From 1962 to 1964, Pei devoted a large part of his time to designing the laboratory building. An early stage envisaged a single high tower, later three five-story towers in a village-like complex were given preference.
To meet the budget of the National Science Foundation, Pei planned two construction phases. Despite financial constraints, the architect was able to implement structural features such as bush-hammered concrete surfaces and the crows' nests in the spiers and thus implement the client's request for a complex system. Pei rejected his design to the Cliff Dwellings of the Anasazi in Mesa Verde on. Geometric floor plans and facades, bush-hammered surfaces and a pink-colored concrete ensure that the buildings blend in harmoniously with the surrounding Flatiron mountains. A labyrinthine floor plan is intended to encourage collaboration between scientists.
In 1963, the NSF approved Pei's design, but canceled the south tower and conference center for financial reasons. Construction began in April 1965 and was completed in 1966; the inauguration took place in 1967. Although there were some problems due to leaky roofs and long walks for employees, the building was seen as a success in both scientific and architectural circles, it remains the main laboratory of the NCAR to this day.
In 1969 Pei designed the additional Fleischmann Building for the UCAR headquarters for the same position . The main building was first extended underground in 1977 to make space for the institution's supercomputers, then again in 1980 above ground with an extension.
Well-known scientists at NCAR
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview of NCAR on their homepage ( memento of the original from November 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Description of NCAR on the UCAR website
Coordinates: 39 ° 58 ′ 41.5 ″ N , 105 ° 16 ′ 29.5 ″ W.