Staff Notes Daily Announcements

Parents’ Night Out is a great opportunity for you and your significant other to go out to dinner and a movie!

Contact Stephanie Ivancic, Director of UCAR’s Child Care Center, to sign your child up from 6 pm - 8 pm ($30 for one child or $40 for two children) or 6 pm - 10 pm ($50 for one child and $60 for two children).

Children are welcome to wear their pajamas for a fun evening of movies and pizza! If your child has a video that he or she would like to share, bring it along! Please make sure it is labeled and let the fun begin! Siblings under the age of 7 are welcome, too.

We invite all UCAR employees to take advantage of this fun evening as your child does not need to be enrolled at the UCAR Child Care Center to partake! 

Please contact Stephanie Ivancic for enrollment as well as drop-in care rates.  Stephanie’s email address is sivancic@cclc.comand her phone number is 303-443-5595.

Comparison of methods for updating intensity-duration-frequency curves using regional climate data at multiple spatial and temporal resolutions

Lauren Cook
Carnegie Mellon University

Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves are a common input to engineering design, and are used to represent extreme rainfall in region. As rainfall patterns shift into a non-stationary regime as a result of climate change, these curves will need to be updated with future projections of extreme precipitation. Many regions have begun to update these curves to reflect the trends from downscaled climate models; however, few studies have compared the methods for doing so, as well as the uncertainty that results from the selection of the climate model, and its native grid scale and temporal resolution. This study will examine the variability in updated IDF curves for three locations (Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Phoenix) when the method for creation of future IDF curves is altered, as well as the underlying resolution (spatial, temporal) of the climate ensemble. Additional analysis will compare results using two emissions scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5), climate model data sources (e.g., NA-CORDEX and NARCCAP), and downscaling techniques (dynamical v. statistical). Metrics for comparison include the resulting intensity of precipitation, as well as the effort expended to create the IDF curve. Finally, the resulting intensities will be used to design a stormwater retention basin using the TR-55 method (24-hour duration) and 50-year return period, in order to determine how the basin size is altered as the methods, models, and native resolutions change. 

Thursday, July 6th, 2017
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Mesa Lab, Chapman Room
(Bring your lunch)

Effective 3/28/17, a new version 5-7 Travel (Concur) Policy and Procedures is applicable for all travel processed using Concur.  Revisions to the existing 5-7 Travel Policy & Procedures have been made to reflect new federal regulations, signature authority revisions, general updates related to the new software capabilities of Concur and the issuance of the new UCAR Travel Card.

To view a roadmap of changes from the existing Policy 5-7 Travel to the new 5-7 Travel (Concur) please read the UCAR Travel Policy and Procedure Changes.  The existing 5-7 Travel Policy & Procedure will remain available on the UCAR website until all travel booked using the old Travel Application has been completed and expensed.

WHERE TO GO FOR ASSISTANCE:

Please visit the Concur User Support Resources site for details on how to utilize our new cloud hosted web-based travel system (Concur) and for a detailed list of FAQs.  For additional guidance, please contact the Travel Office at concur@ucar.edu or call the Concur help desk at ext. 2121.

Clarifying the Role of Service Animals at Work: Policy Update 

In response to questions from staff regarding animals at work, the President's Council reviewed UCAR policy 4-3 on Facility Use at its May 22, 2017 meeting. The previous policy stated, “Canine companions for people with disabilities are permitted at all facilities; all other animals are banned.” At the meeting, the PC approved a modification to the policy that recognizes the role of service animals other than canines and includes the ADA definition of service animals as those trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. The PC also discussed the pros and cons of broadening the policy to allow non-service animals in our facilities. However, federal guidelines for government-owned facilities (in Boulder, this includes Mesa Lab, Marshall Field Site and the Research Aviation Facility) are specific and follow Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, including the definition for service animals. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals per the ADA definition. The updated policy that includes the ADA definition of service animals will ensure the policy is applied equitably to all UCAR and NSF facilities. For questions or concerns, please contact Melissa D. Miller, Vice President for Finance and Administration @ x8575 or e-mail at melissa@ucar.edu