The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is a nonprofit consortium of more than 100 colleges and universities providing research and training in the atmospheric and related sciences. UCAR manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research and provides additional services to strengthen and support research and education through its community programs. Its headquarters, in Boulder, Colorado, include NCAR's Mesa Laboratory, designed by I.M. Pei. UCAR was established in 1959 by faculty from 14 leading universities to support and nourish the atmospheric sciences. They were motivated by a newly recognized need for pooled observational and computational facilities and a strong research staff, which together would allow the academic community to carry out complex, long-term scientific programs beyond the reach of individual universities. This group’s first major action, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, was to establish NCAR. Since then, UCAR has managed NCAR on behalf of NSF to address pressing scientific and societal needs involving the atmosphere and its interactions with the oceans, land, and Sun—what is now called Earth system science.
Community programs
UCAR’s role in supporting and complementing the work of academia has grown to include new research, service, and education efforts, including
COMET Program - offers professional training on site and online in meteorology, weather hazards, hydrology, oceanography, emergency management, and environmental science
COSMIC Program - supports satellite and ground-based observations and research using GPS technology for meteorology, climate, and ionospheric studies
GLOBE Program - provides hands-on, school-based learning and collaboration with a global network of students, scientists, and educators
Joint Office for Science Support - supports community research, conference, and field projects
Unidata Program - provides streaming observational data to university classrooms and researchers around the world
Visiting Scientist Programs - places postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists at partner institutions
The organization hosts numerous workshops, community meetings, and opportunities for collaboration throughout the year.
Governance and funding
As of 2016, UCAR comprises 109 member colleges and universities and 52 international affiliates. The organization has a total of 1,390 staff, including 877 at NCAR and 282 engaged in community programs. Total expenditures for fiscal year 2015 were approximately $204.2 million. UCAR and NCAR are headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, spread across four campuses. Ancillary activities take place in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Washington, D.C., and in about 15 other states. Walter Orr Roberts was UCAR’s first president. Antonio J. Busalacchi, Jr. has been UCAR president since August 2016.
