The goals of UCAR's educational programs are to address national educational needs, including those benefiting the general public; to emphasize the education and training of women and minorities in the sciences; and to encourage young people to enter the fields of science and technology.

For the past 15 years, dedicated scientific and administrative staff members at UCAR, NCAR and UOP have conducted formal and informal education activities. Some of the examples of programs and activities are: Project Learn, an NSF funded teacher enhancement program; Global Change Instruction Modules, a teaching tool for undergraduate non-science majors; Science Saturdays, hands on demonstrations and tours, including Exploratorium exhibits at NCAR's Mesa Lab; web-based materials, such as through the UOP COMET Program; Science Now Newsletter for science teachers published quarterly during the school year; the Windows to the Universe, an award winning website about space and earth sciences; and Web Weather for Kids, a learning site for children.

The government affairs function monitors the activities of the U.S. Congress and keeps the UCAR community informed on budgetary, legislative, and policy developments involving the community, UCAR, NCAR, UOP, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies of importance to the atmospheric and related sciences. The office works to support community research and education programs through the federal budget process; to identify new research, training and outreach opportunities for the community; and to convey information on the atmospheric sciences directly to congressional and executive branch policy makers.

SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES IN ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AND SCIENCE (SOARS)
Rajul Pandya, Program Manager, (303) 497-8624
www.fin.ucar.edu/soars

UCAR in partnership with the National Science Foundation has established the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program. This five-year program began in the summer of 1996 providing education and training, stipends, and graduate scholarships for qualified students. Successful SOARS students will be affiliated with research activities in NCAR and UOP.

The SOARS program places emphasis on academic education and training, personal enrichment, and mentoring. It allows students the opportunity to explore different disciplines within the atmospheric sciences, to investigate graduate school options and to gain long-term support from a respected professional in the student's academic field of study.

SOARS' primary goals include: increasing the number of minority students enrolled in master's and doctoral degree programs in the atmospheric and related sciences; increasing minority representation in the scientific community of the future; and strengthening the undergraduate and graduate research programs of colleges and universities connected with the program.

VISITING SCHOLAR'S PROGRAM
William A. Cooper, (303) 497-1600

Through the Visiting Scholar's Program, scientists from throughout UCAR visit colleges and universities to lecture on and discuss a wide range of topics in atmospheric science with faculty and students. The idea is to help other institutions, especially smaller ones without broadly based atmospheric science departments, expand the range of topics available to their students. UCAR scientists participating in the program include experts in weather forecasting, ocean modeling, airborne radar, statistics in atmospheric science, economic value of forecasts, snow crystals, and hailstones, climate change policy issues, boundary layer measurements, stratospheric chemistry, and remote sensing.