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. His academic pursuits laid a solid foundation for his illustrious career. Throughout his professional life, Dr. Schnell has held prominent positions and directed several significant projects in the scientific community. With extensive international experience, he has lived and worked in 65 countries, fostering collaborations and broadening his perspective on global environmental issues. As the deputy director of the Global Monitoring Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in Boulder, Colorado, Dr. Schnell oversaw the operations of atmospheric observatories across strategic locations. These observatories, situated in Barrow, Alaska; Trinidad Head, California; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; American Samoa; and South Pole, Antarctica, provide crucial data on atmospheric composition and climate change. Schnell was a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. As a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), he shared the award with Al Gore.

Scope and Content Note
In the first interview session on March 25, 2022, Dr. Schnell traces his family history from the Volga River region of Russia in the 1700s through the Bolshevik revolution, World Wars I and II, and his grandparents’ immigration to Alberta, Canada, where he grew up.  He shares many childhood memories from his small farming hometown.  His father was a blacksmith, and his shop served as a community hub for the farmers in the village.  Schnell recalls the Great Depression, its impact on his family, and how his family network pulled together food and other resources.  He shares other memories of family gatherings, contracting polio, and outdoor adventures and discoveries with his school friends and through the Scouts.  

In the second interview session on March 29, 2022, Dr. Schnell details his involvement with the Boy Scouts and then Air Cadets as a youth.  He was awarded a training scholarship to learn to fly airplanes through the cadet program.  Between high school and college, Schnell was also awarded an opportunity to travel to Israel through a cadet exchange with the Israeli Air Force.  Schnell hitchhiked two hundred miles to attend the University of Alberta, where he studied chemistry and biology.  Schnell planned to pursue a medical degree but ended up working on the Alberta Hail Studies after stopping in the foyer of the Alberta Research Council on a cold day and claiming he was looking for a job.  As part of this work, Schnell came to the University of Wyoming and worked under Dr. Donald Veal, Director of the National Hail Research Experiment at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  He also had opportunities to study climate at the University of Hawaii and Swansea College in Wales.  Schnell talks about meeting his Singaporean wife, Suan, and starting their family while living in Africa when he worked as the Director of the Mount Kenya Baseline Station Feasibility Study in Nairobi, Kenya.  Other topics include Schnell’s involvement in Project METROMEX and DUSTSTORM, his discovery of biological ice nuclei, and his coming to work for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.

In the third interview session on April 6, 2022, he traces his career paths and details his various positions over the years.  Schnell worked as a postdoc for NOAA in 1975, then CIRES [Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences], as Director of the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, then as Director of Global Observatory Operations in Boulder.  In 1981, Schnell became a certified consulting meteorologist with the American Meteorological Society.  He also discusses his management style, developing the “Schnell’s Laws,” and discovering a brain tumor that was successfully operated on.  Other topics include technological advances, his various publications, the COVID pandemic, and family life.  
 
In the fourth and final interview session, on August 9, 2022, Schnell discusses his involvement with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, being recognized as a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, and his work with the Naval Research Lab.  He also talks about his life and activities during retirement and helping Ukrainian refugees settle in Boulder.