Friends of the National Center
Thanks to the generous support of Friends of the National Center, SciEd has been able to complete the following projects:
NSF SOARS 2025 Cohort
Friends of the National Center Projects |
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| Exhibits | |
| My Mesa Lab Guide app | Supported the co-creation of a wayfinding and information app for the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab Visitor Center for visitors who are blind or have low vision |
| NSF SOARS | |
| Undergraduate Support |
Friends supports the Summer Student Conference, bringing together undergraduate and graduate students from NSF NCAR, UCAR, and UCP, including NSF SOARS Proteges, to share their research and build community. Friends host Undergraduate and Graduate Networking Events, fostering meaningful connections between students, mentors, and staff. In addition, Friends provides general support to help students thrive during their time at NSF NCAR, UCAR, and UCP. |
| Conferences | |
| National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) | Attending and exhibiting at the NSTA Conference, Denver, 2024 |
Friends of UCAR Past Projects |
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|---|---|
| Exhibits | |
| Mesa Lab Theater Touch Screen | 80-inch energy efficient touch screen that displays multiple videos for visitors to the NCAR Mesa Lab to view |
| I. M. Pei: Creating an Architectural Masterpiece | An exhibit that opened in 2009 featuring the original I. M. Pei architectural model of the Mesa Lab and richly illustrated exhibit panels about Pei, the building, and its significance to the history of architecture |
| The Walter Orr Roberts Trail | Interpretive signs on the weather trail behind NCAR explaining typical Front Range weather phenomena |
| Guide-by-Cell Audio Tour | Audio tour that provides English and Spanish-language narratives interpreting the Mesa Lab exhibits, serving nearly 3,000 people annually |
| Atmospheric Odyssey* | Exhibit celebrating NCAR’s 40th anniversary |
| Earth Bulletins* | Large screen video projections in the Climate Discovery Exhibit |
| Weather Kiosk* | An interactive exhibit presenting daily updates of weather and environmental data and images |
| Digital Sphere* | An interactive globe that displays climate models and satellite images |
| * These exhibit components were on display at the NCAR Mesa Lab for 10+ years and have since been removed. | |
| Educational Resources | |
| Teacher’s Guide to NCAR Exhibits | Lesson plans designed to extend learning about the NCAR Mesa Lab exhibits to K-12 teachers and their students |
| Web Weather for Kids | Web-based, hands-on science activities, information, and animations about dramatic weather events for middle-school students |
| Events | |
| Super Science Saturday | An annual fall event at the NCAR Mesa Lab that celebrates science with thousands of children and their families |
| Bilingual Science Teacher’s Annual Resources Symposium (BSTARS) | An event that brought together over 100 bilingual educators to learn about science resources, network, and collaborate on projects and programs |