Dr. Russell Schnell is a distinguished scientist with a remarkable career dedicated to environmental research and monitoring. His journey began as a teenager when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadron. At the age of 18, he embarked on his first international trip as part of the inaugural Air Cadet exchange program with Israel. During his first year of graduate studies in 1968, Dr. Schnell made a groundbreaking discovery of biological ice nuclei, which has now become a distinct and actively researched field.

Dr. Russell Schnell, a distinguished scientist and expert in atmospheric science, has made significant contributions to the field of climate research and environmental monitoring. Born and raised in Castor, Alberta, he has a rich ancestral heritage traced back to Norka. Dr. Schnell earned first-class honors degrees in Biology from the University of Alberta and Chemistry from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Seeking further specialization, he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Wyoming.

Interview with: Carl S. Bullock, Meteorologist with the Forecast Systems Laboratory AWIPS Development
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 1:04:36
Topics:  PROFS, AWIPS Requirements, the people behind AWIPS and the modernization

Interview with Dennis S. Walts, former NWS Meteorologist assigned to the Forecast Systems Laboratory AWIPS Development Team
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 40:35
Topics: PROFS, AWIPS, Role of Research

Interview with Robert J. Serafin, Director, National Center for Atmospheric Research and former Chairman, National Academy of Sciences NWS Modernization Committee
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 46:45
Topics: National Academy of Science’s NWS Modernization Committee, NEXRAD, ASOS, AWIPS, GOES

Douglas K. Lilly was a renowned meteorologist who had a significant impact on the field of atmospheric sciences. Although Lilly completed his undergraduate work in physics at Stanford University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, he always envisioned going into meteorology.

Roland (Rol) Madden, an American meteorologist who was a staff scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) from 1967 to 2002. His research centers on diagnostic studies of the atmosphere. 

Scope and Content Note

Nelder Medrud begins the interview with a discussion of his life history, education and research prior to arriving at NCAR. Medrud became acquainted with NCAR through Phil Thompson and Henry van de Boogaard while at the University of Stockholm, Sweden in the early 1960s. In the Air Force, Medrud’s specialty was applied climatology and a position opened up at NCAR focusing on applications to societal problems. The immediate focus of Medrud’s work at NCAR was on the matter of the consequences of hail to society.

Topics include: Mesa Lab site; time on Boulder City Council; time in Climax; Boulder's open space policy; Walter Orr Roberts; Mesa Lab construction; I.M. Pei; fund raising; HAO; Mesa Lab design; computers; roof leaks; Aspen Institute; music; the humanities and science.

Copyright Information: Copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Oral history interview with Karyn Sawyer, 2015. Interviewed by Richard Anthes. Forms part of the UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection. Long-time UCAR/NCAR staff member Karyn Sawyer reflects on her decades-long career at the organization, including how she came to work for NCAR, field projects, international scientific cooperation, UCAR/NCAR administration, and her management style.