UC Santa Cruz has joined a nonprofit consortium of 126 North American colleges and universities focused on research and training in Earth system science. The membership to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) means UC Santa Cruz now belongs to a network comprising nearly all of the academic programs in Earth system science across the continent.
Membership benefits include access to over 30 professional development opportunities, ranging from internships to give students research experience with leading scientists, to fellowships supporting the next generation of Earth system scientists, and even careers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research – one of the premier modeling centers participating in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
UCAR membership aligns well with UC Santa Cruz’s recently launched strategic plan for climate change, sustainability and resilience, as well as with the university’s goal to encourage diverse students to pursue science careers. UC Santa Cruz’s representatives are associate professors Claudie Beaulieu, in Ocean Sciences, and Nicole Feldl, in Earth & Planetary Sciences, whose department led the membership application with help from Ocean Sciences and Applied Mathematics.
“It’s about time, given the high-impact research and educational activities going on at UC Santa Cruz in Earth system science,” said Beaulieu, “including in atmospheric science, climate science, hydrology, oceanography, biogeochemistry, and solar physics.”
“I’ve been energized by the discussion around Earth system predictability – we face an imperative to make credible predictions, validated against accurate observations, of the climate we will be living in,” Feldl said. “UCAR serves a valuable role in facilitating coordinated research efforts in climate science.”
