September 23, 2009 | The Boulder County Business Report has honored UCAR with a Health Hero Award. The award recognizes companies and individuals in a variety of health care categories, from emergency workers to administrators.

UCAR's award is in the contest's business category, which recognizes an employer's wellness program, healthy work environment, ergonomics program, or other health-related activities. Eligible companies must be in Boulder or Broomfield counties.

"We are honored to receive this award," says Katy Schmoll, UCAR vice president for finance and administration. "Wellness activities are an important part of our overall benefits package and demonstrate our commitment to our employees' well-being."

UCAR's extensive wellness program includes fitness centers, showers and locker rooms, onsite cafeterias, exercise classes such as yoga and Pilates, support for bicycle commuting, and corporate discounts on fitness centers and ski passes. The onsite health fair draws around 700 employees and family members each year.

UCAR provides one-on-one ergonomics consultations, at the request of any staff member, to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries connected to computer use. Ergonomist Bob Wiley (HESS) averages 200 such evaluations each year. Over the past 10 years, the ergonomics program has reduced workstation injuries by 73%, despite yearly increases in computer work time.

September 15, 2009 | In early September, UCAR passed the Open Access Policy, heralding in a new era of community access to our scholarship. Under the new procedures, all UCAR authors who publish peer-reviewed articles or other scholarly materials will deposit final versions in an NCAR Library repository known as OpenSky.

OpenSky will give UCAR staff and the broader community enhanced access to the organization's wealth of research. The full OpenSky website will be launched in June 2010 as part of NCAR's 50th anniversary celebration. NCAR Library staff will visit individual labs and divisions to discuss changes, invite input, and ensure that this new policy will not be overly burdensome.

The open access movement is a response to multiple drivers, including the accelerated pace of scientific research, new vehicles for scholarly communication, significant increases in journal subscription prices, and the limits on access imposed by those subscriptions. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the National Institutes of Health have enacted similar policies to ensure greater access to the scholarly record.

"This updated policy is especially timely because it will not only support broader access to, and the impact of, our scholarship, but it will do so at a critical time for atmospheric science research," says NCAR Library director Mary Marlino. "I can think of no better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of NCAR than to formalize our longstanding commitment to open science, open access, and open data."

August 17, 2009 | Nine eager journalists will arrive at NCAR on August 17 for the second annual NCAR Journalism Fellowship.

The week-long, residential program is a whirlwind tour of the atmospheric and Earth systems sciences, covering everything from climate modeling to cyberinfrastructure to space weather. Participants will meet scientists, tour the supercomputer room, check out the design and fabrication lab, drop in on other Boulder labs, and attend a variety of receptions and seminars.

The fellowship, which is sponsored by the NCAR Directorate, is open to professional writers, producers, and editors working in print, broadcast, radio, and online media. “Our goal is to enhance communication and understanding between scientists and the media,” says Rachel Hauser (Director’s Office), who organized the program. “By increasing reporters’ awareness and understanding of research in the atmospheric sciences, we can help them better inform the public.”

 This year’s fellows, selected competitively from more than 100 applicants, include:

• Ernest Cho (editor, Equinoxe Television in Douala, Cameroon)
• David Fogarty (climate change correspondent in Asia for Thomson-Reuters)
• Christy George (producer, Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Craig Miller (editor, Climate Watch, KQED)
• Christopher Mims (freelance writer for Scientific American, Popular Science, Technology Review)
• Oliver Morton (former editor at Nature who will cover energy, climate, and environment for The Economist beginning in December)
• Jodi Peterson (editor, High Country News)
• Yereth Rosen (freelance writer for Reuters, Christian Science Monitor)
• Lily Whiteman (senior science writer, National Science Foundation)

June 26, 2009 | On June 24, 243 UCAR/NCAR staff showed up for work via alternative transportation, collectively commuting 4,188 miles. Many did so without the help of the internal combustion engine, although they did benefit from a good breakfast.

As part of Bike to Work Day, an annual event sponsored by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, more than 40 Boulder businesses offered free breakfasts and other goodies to thousands of cyclists participating in the event. The UCAR cafeteria also gave $1 credits (paid for by Transportation Services) to staff for each day of walking, biking, or taking public transportation during the week of June 22–26.

“On my way in to Center Green, I stopped at three breakfast stations and could feel the excitement in the air as Boulder employees enjoyed the bright sunny skies and starting off their day with a little exercise,” says Kimberly Kosmenko, UCAR’s sustainability coordinator.

On June 17, UCAR provided staff free bike tune-ups at Foothills Lab. Mechanics from Community Cycles were on site over the lunch hour to tighten, tweak, patch, and lubricate bikes in advance of Bike to Work Day. In two hours, the crew tuned 27 bikes.

Resources for alternative transportation (biking, walking, carpooling, and taking the bus) for UCAR/NCAR staff can be found here.