Drake Brooks, Nicholas Nair, and Gavin Short had bright futures in our field. Their passion for weather was obvious in the stories told by their friends and professors that were shared in the media over the weekend.

One of the most rewarding parts of our work at UCAR and NCAR is mentoring the next generation of atmospheric scientists. Students bring a fresh enthusiasm for our science that energizes us and reminds us of the vital nature of our research, which is one of the reasons a loss of three such passionate students from our field and from our extended UCAR family is tragic and deeply felt. As we mourn the untimely death of these students, we are also grappling with the loss of the contributions I am sure they would have made to the weather community.

On behalf of the staff at UCAR and NCAR, I would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of these three students and offer our support to our colleagues at the University of Oklahoma.

Sincerely,
Antonio Busalacchi
UCAR President

NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

POLICY INSIDER

UCAR hosts visit from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Yesterday we were honored to host a visit from four members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: (Pictured from left) Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and Joe Neguse (D-CO).

Our scientists talked with the committee members about urgent research directions in wildfire science, including better understanding the future risks of wildland fires burning through the urban landscape and the effects of such fires on local air quality.

We also discussed the need for investment in solar research so that we can improve our ability to predict potentially damaging space weather events, and the resources needed to continue pushing the boundaries of Earth system prediction.

Finally, we discussed the strain that inflation puts on our ability to maintain world-class facilities, retain the best and brightest staff, and make those resources available to the broader Earth system research community.

“It was wonderful to visit with the leaders and incredible staff of NCAR and UCAR to learn more about the cutting edge atmospheric research taking place here,” said Representatives Perlmutter and Neguse. “These efforts are absolutely critical as we work to address the climate crisis and mitigate its impacts. From wildfire research to space weather, the knowledge and solutions we stand to gain by strongly supporting research facilities like NCAR are vast.”