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

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

Dr. Roy Jenne provides an overview of his career at NCAR in the computing division. Jenne discusses the Mesa Laboratory and its facilities; his recollections of the various computing systems at NCAR, starting with a Control Data 3600; the significant work NCAR did and continues to do with weather forecasting and observational data; and how creating easily accessible datasets was an important goal and achievement of his unit.

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.

Dr. Warren M. Washington is a distinguished scientist and director of the Climate and Global Dynamics division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He joined NCAR approximately twenty-seven years prior to the interview in 1990, making significant contributions to the field of atmospheric sciences. In addition to his work at NCAR, Washington has been involved in various external activities, including serving on the first committee to examine climate issues for the academy in the early 1970s.

William Kellogg begins by describing his first acquaintance with the NCAR concept, and his belief in the benefits of team research or big science. He notes the first retreat meeting at Keystone and offers examples of problems that required an interdisciplinary approach. He mentions chairing a group for a larger study called the "Study of Critical Environmental Problems" ("SCEP" study for short), which wrote on human influences on climate, and discusses the challenges of getting scientists to work together, relating an anecdote about having to fire a dynamic meteorologist.