Weather watch
Colorado State University's Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, or CIRA, will receive up to $64.4 million from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration to improve the accuracy of weather forecast warnings. CIRA will continue to apply satellite technology to improve regional and global-scale weather forecasts, water-resource forecasts, and weather information for aviation and surface-transportation applications. The institute will work closely with NOAA researchers to improve satellite-based algorithms for weather forecasting; improve weather and climate models; develop techniques to integrate satellite, terrestrial, oceanic, and biological observations; and establish effective methods to distribute environmental and model data. NOAA supports 22 cooperative institutes across the United States to promote research, education, training, and outreach. For the first time in its history, CIRA was chosen through an open, competitive application process. The new agreement begins July 1 and continues through June 30, 2014.
Hurricane update
The Colorado State University hurricane forecast team in June predicted a slightly below average 2009 Atlantic basin season based on a cooler-than-normal tropical Atlantic and the greater potential for a weak El Niño during the bulk of the hurricane season. The team now anticipates 11 named storms forming in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30. Five of the storms are predicted to become hurricanes, and of those five, two are expected to develop into major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. The scientists reduced their forecast from April's prediction of 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. "We believe that there is a slightly greater chance of a weak Niño developing this summer/fall than there was in early April," says William Gray, who has forecast hurricanes at Colorado State University for 26 years.
Pedal-powered honors
Colorado State University mechanical engineering students recently won first place in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers human-powered vehicle competition. Twenty-seven universities competed for pedal-powered supremacy at the HPVC West competition held in Portland, Ore., in May. CSU seniors Dan Hipwood, Evan Jarvis, Mike Porter, Brett Schlueter, Christine Sednek and Matt Shirley took first place overall in the utility class and second place in the utility race. The team also earned first place in engineering design and fifth place overall for single-rider vehicles. CSU won first place three of the past four years and placed second last year. In a separate competition, a CSU student team finished second out of 30 teams in the 2009 SAE Formula Hybrid competition in Loudon, N.H., giving Colorado State its first formula-car competition trophy. That team of students — Joe Bixby, Kyle Butterfield, Matt Craft, Mike Gordon, Adam Havens and Alan Morine — scored fourth in the engineering design finals where the top four cars are judged best in engineering design, analysis, fabrication, assembly, and testing. The team placed first in two events — the 75-meter electric acceleration event and the 75-meter hybrid acceleration event.
Student affairs leader
Colorado State University’s Paul Thayer, associate vice president for student affairs and special advisor to the provost for retention, has received the 2009 Fields/Wolfe: Journey to Justice Leadership Award. The award honors extraordinary leadership and contributions to higher education and the student affairs profession. The award is named for Vivian Wolfe and Javad Marshall-Fields, two outstanding young CSU graduates who were slain in 2005 as Javad was preparing to testify as a witness in a murder trial. Their loss was deeply felt by the entire CSU community, including Thayer, who has dedicated his career to supporting the educational goals of young people like Vivian and Javad. Thayer was recognized for “years of profound leadership towards student retention and success [that] has fully enriched the undergraduate experience at Colorado State University,” writes Rhonda Fields, founder and president of Fields Wolfe Memorial Fund. In March, Thayer received the Cynthia Gayles Memorial Award, which acknowledges exemplary service in postsecondary transitions to help students access and succeed in college-level studies. Thayer serves on Gov. Ritter’s P-20 Education Advisory Council.
Continuing Ed website
The Colorado State University Division of Continuing Education has launched a new website for students, working professionals, and business leaders to access professional development opportunities online and at off-campus learning centers. The updated site features step-by-step admissions information; resources for students, faculty, and business professionals; frequently asked questions; and a video library where site visitors can hear from faculty and students about Continuing Education programs. Information about degree and certificate programs provides faculty profiles, curriculum descriptions, degree requirements, and career opportunities. Prospective students can browse degree and course offerings by areas of study, download the complete program guide and catalog, and register to receive regular e-mail updates on programs. The new website reflects Continuing Education's 40 years of experience with distance education. Visit www.learn.colostate.edu or call (970) 491-5288 or (877) 491-4336 for more information.
Winning scientist
Thomas Borch, assistant professor of environmental soil chemistry at Colorado State University, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation. The honor is considered one of the most prestigious for promising researchers in science and engineering. The nearly $500,000, five-year CAREER award will support Borch's climate change research on the interrelationship between iron cycling and organic carbon. Borch will investigate how climate change, and especially the projections of increased precipitation and flooding, can affect important biogeochemical cycles such as that of iron in the Earth's crust. Iron minerals are among the most important reactive solids in Earth surface environments, acting as natural filters of inorganic contaminants and nutrients, sorbents for organic matter, and poising the oxidation-reduction potential of groundwater. Any changes in iron chemistry may result in changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the global climate.
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