The UCAR Office of Programs (UOP) consists of programs, which create, conduct, and coordinate projects that strengthen education and research in the atmospheric, oceanic and earth sciences.

UOP engages in three basic activities: (1) education and training, (2) facility management, data management, and research support, and (3) development and dissemination of new technologies for education, scientific research, and applications. These activities, combined with our philosophy of offering innovative and effective services to the scientific community, allow UOP to enable researchers and educators to take on issues and activities that require the combined and collaborative capabilities of a broadly engaged scientific community.

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM FOR OPERATIONAL METEOROLOGY,
EDUCATION AND TRAINING (COMET®)
Timothy C. Spangler, Director, (303) 497-8473
www.comet.ucar.edu

The COMET Program provides and fosters intensive education and training for operational meteorologists, increased collaboration between the operational and research communities, and improved formal university education. COMET provides classroom based education and training through courses, symposiums and workshops and develops computer based learning materials. Its Outreach program creates partnerships between the academic research community and operational weather forecasters. COMET is involved in activities to enhance meteorology education in universities and meteorological services throughout the world and finds innovative ways to enhance the performance of weather forecasters and improve the utilization of weather products to the public.

CONSTELLATION OBSERVING SYSTEM FOR METEOROLOGY, IONOSPHERE, AND CLIMATE (COSMIC)
Dr. Ying-Hwa (Bill) Kuo, Director, (303) 497-8658
www.cosmic.ucar.edu

COSMIC is a collaborative science project between the United States and Taiwan. The goal is to launch a constellation of eight microsatellites in 2004 that will collect atmospheric remote-sensing data for weather prediction, climate, ionospheric, and geodetic research. Each satellite will carry three science payloads, including an advanced GPS receiver, a Tiny Ionospheric Photometer, and a Tri-band Beacon transmitter. Approximately 4,000 atmospheric radio occultation soundings will be collected each 24 h under all weather conditions. The mission life of the COSMIC satellites is estimated to be about five years. The COSMIC data will be made freely available to international research and operational communities at the minimal cost of reproduction and dissemination.

GPS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM (GST)
Randolph Ware, Director, 303-497-8005
www.gst.ucar.edu

The GPS Science and Technology (GST) program develops and supports GPS applications in Earth sciences. Its GPS Research Group works on real time GPS sensing of atmospheric water vapor and refractivity structure, and high accuracy GPS surveying. The UNAVCO Facility, under the guidance of an international university consortium, operates facilities that assist researchers in areas including plate kinematics, earthquake and volcano processes, sea level change and atmospheric remote sensing. The Facility provides standardized GPS equipment, assistance in planning and execution of high-accuracy GPS surveying projects, support of continuous GPS tracking stations, testing and development, and data management and archiving.

JOINT OFFICE FOR SCIENCE SUPPORT (JOSS)
Karyn Sawyer, Director, (303) 497-497-8681
www.joss.ucar.edu

JOSS assists the national and international research community in the organization and implementation of research programs in the atmospheric and related sciences. JOSS staff provide specialized logistical and project management support required for implementing large, complex international field projects and for deploying equipment and personnel in the field. They provide support in field experiment, operations control, communications, and data management - including all facets of data collection, processing, archival, and distribution. JOSS also fosters and supports interagency cooperation and international protocols and agreements, and assists the community in planning and conducting meetings, workshops, and conferences of all sizes and at all levels.

DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR EARTH SYSTEM EDUCATION (DLESE) Program Center
Mary Marlino, Director, (303) 497-8350
www.dlese.org

The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) Program Center was established by UCAR at the request of the Earth system education community to provide support to the emerging national digital library agenda. DLESE offers services in the development and maintenance of the technical infrastructure of the library, and in the coordination of the community efforts required to produce, share, and assess on-line inquiry-based earth system instructional materials. DLESE will provide access to high-quality educational materials; Earth system data sets, interfaces and tools to use these data; and communication networks linking all interests in Earth system education.

NATIONAL SCIENCE DIGITAL LIBRARY (NSDL)
David Fulker, Executive Director (303) 497-8650
www.nsdl.org

NSDL is a digital library of exemplary resource collections and services, organized in support of science education at all levels. Starting with a partnership of NSDL-funded projects, NSDL is emerging as a center of innovation in digital libraries as applied to education, and a community center for groups focused on digital-library-enabled science education.

UNIDATA PROGRAM CENTER (UPC)
Mohan Ramamurthy, Director, (303) 497-8650
www.unidata.ucar.edu

The Unidata program enables universities to acquire and use atmospheric and related data. Nearly 200 departments nationwide have become participants, thereby gaining, at no cost: 1) Real-time flows of weather data, including surface and upper-air observations, satellite images, radar data and computer forecasts; 2) Comprehensive data sets from interesting past weather events; 3) Software to manage, analyze, and display these data, supported with documentation, consultation, training, and troubleshooting; 4) Membership in a virtual community of academicians, sharing information and common practices.

UCAR VISITING SCIENTIST PROGRAMS (VSP)
Meg Austin, Director, (303) 497-8630
www.vsp.ucar.edu

The UCAR Visiting Scientist programs support and expand education and research opportunities in the atmospheric, oceanic, environmental and related sciences. The programs provide postdoctoral fellowships and visiting scientist appointments to sponsoring government laboratories and host universities. VSP also provides support in establishing and maintaining steering and selection committees, scientific workshops, advisory panels and working groups.