Welcome to the 2007 NSF Facilities User Workshop Website!

Dear Colleagues

On behalf of National Science Foundation (NSF), the University of Wyoming (UWY), Colorado State University (CSU) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research Earth Observing Laboratory (NCAR/EOL), I would like to invite you to the 2007 NSF Facilities Users’ Workshop, September 24-26, 2007, at the CG1 conference facility at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO.

The main objective of the Users' Workshop is to engage facility operators and the science community in a constructive dialogue concerning NSF’s current suite of measurement capabilities, reaching out to new and old users alike. We strongly encourage the participation of early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students in this workshop. One of the most important outcomes of the workshop will be to discuss whether NSF facilities are well positioned to meet upcoming science challenges.

Planning activities for the 2007 NSF Facilities User Workshop are in full swing. We have split the workshop into four distinct events that are closely interlinked:

Open House: On Sunday, 23 September 2007, NCAR, WYO and CSU will hold an open house to showcase existing NSF facilities at several locations along the Front Range. The C130, GV and WY King Air will be displayed at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (formerly Jefferson County Airport) in Broomfield. Visitors interested in radars have a choice to either visit S-Band Dual Polarization Doppler Radar (SPOL) at the Marshall site south of Boulder or the CSU CHILL site in Fort Collins. Staff from the Design and Fabrication Services facility will give a tour of the NCAR/EOL “shop” at the NCAR Foothills Laboratory. EOL will display the Raman Shifted Eye-safe Aerosol Lidar (REAL), an Integrated Sounding System (ISS) and an Integrated Surface Flux Facility (ISFF) in the NCAR Foothills Lab parking lot. Facilities’ staff will be on site to show visitors around and to answer any question.

Session I: Informational Session - With primarily new users, early-career scientists and students in mind, the Monday, 24 September 2007 morning session will provide a wealth of information regarding available NSF facilities, how to request them, and what to consider when installing airborne instrumentation on one of the NSF aircraft. Bob Rauber from the University of Illinois, a long-time user of NSF facilities and one of four Principal Investigators of the RICO project, will share his experience and advice with respect to organizing a complex field campaign involving many investigators, multiple facilities, two locations, and various logistical challenges. We highly recommend attending these sessions if you are new to the facility request procedures or if you are planning a large field experiment. The latter part of the morning session will be especially relevant for those interested in installing airborne instrumentation on an NSF aircraft.

Session II: Setting the Stage - We have invited four keynote speakers who will be presenting their take on important scientific challenges and the key observational measurements that will be needed in the future. One of the expected and probably most important outcomes of the workshop is to determine whether the NSF facilities are well positioned to meet these challenges. Keynote speakers are Dr. William Brune (Pennsylvania State University), Dr. Walter Dabberdt (Vaisala, Inc), Dr. Alexander MacDonald (NOAA) and Dr. Raymond McCord (DOE/ARM/ORNL).

Session III: Science Perspective - Tuesday, 25 September 2007 will be dedicated to discussing observational needs within various areas of atmospheric science. Each breakout session will define outstanding science questions and key hypotheses, what observational facilities are needed to address them, and what new technologies would make a difference. While the initial set of breakout sessions is comprehensive, the final list of sessions will be dependent on the number of participants and the interest expressed. Accordingly, it is very important that you identify the sessions that you wish to participate in when you register. This information will be used to determine the final agenda. There will also be an opportunity for you to provide comments on what you would like to see/hear during the workshop. We will do our best to accommodate your request. The day will adjourn with a reception for attendees at Center Green.

Session IV: Facilities Perspective - Using input from the previous science sessions, Wednesday, 26 September 2007 will be spent focusing on how existing capabilities match identified scientific needs, what new capabilities may be needed, and what role NSF could play in creating these new facilities. We will again work in breakout sessions focusing on observational platforms and services. The afternoon will be spent in plenary, with focus on data issues such as analysis tools, visualization and data management.

The NSF Facilities User Workshop is immediately followed by the Facilities Assessment Workshop , which starts on Thursday, 27 September 2007. This panel was charged with reviewing US atmospheric science instrumentation across government agencies, universities, national laboratories, international organizations, and private companies, including systems that are currently under development. On Thursday morning, the subcommittee chairs will present the status of US facilities available. We hope that all Users' Workshop participants will be able to stay an extra day to attend this important assessment that has never been previously undertaken.

For planning purposes, we ask that you register on line as soon as possible. Registration fees are $90/person until 17 August, $120/person after 17 August and $40/student. Due to space constraints, registration is limited to 275 participants and will be on a first come, first serve basis. A small stipend to help with travel expenses will be available to students upon request.

The draft agenda is posted. Please check the final agenda closer to the meeting date for a final list of sessions and locations of these events. It promises to be a very interesting week.

We hope that you decide to participate in these two workshops and to actively contribute to the future of NSF facilities. Please share information concerning these workshops with anyone who may be interested in attending. A workshop announcement for posting in your departments is available here.

If you have questions regarding either the NSF Facilities Users' Workshop or the Facilities Assessment, please send an email to nsfuw@eol.ucar.edu or faw@eol.ucar.edu respectively.

We look forward to seeing you in Boulder in September.
Best regards,

Brigitte Baeuerle on behalf of the NSF Facilities Users' Workshop Organizing Committee

William Cooper (NCAR), Frank Flocke (NCAR), Vanda Grubisic (DRI), Robbie Hood (NASA/MSFC), Barry Huebert (U. of HI), Jim Huning (NSF), Cliff Jacobs (NSF), Steve Oncley (NCAR), Bob Kelly (UWY), Pat Kennedy (CSU), Linda Miller (UCAR), David Parsons (NCAR), Bob Rauber (UIUC), Al Rodi (UWY), Steve Rutledge (CSU), Karyn Sawyer (NCAR), Roger Wakimoto (NCAR)