Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University

Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
Name	Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
Established	1948
Type	Academic department
City	Fort Collins
State	Colorado
Country	United States
Parent	Colorado State University

Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University is a research and teaching department within Colorado State University located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The department provides graduate and undergraduate training in atmospheric sciences and conducts observational, theoretical, and modeling research on weather, climate, and atmospheric chemistry. Faculty and students collaborate with federal agencies, international research programs, and industry partners to advance understanding of storms, climate variability, and air quality.

History

The department traces its institutional roots to post‑World War II expansion at Colorado State University and formal organization in 1948, paralleling developments at University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, and University of California, Los Angeles during the mid‑20th century. Early faculty included scholars trained at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Chicago, Imperial College London, and University of Cambridge, linking the department to global centers such as National Center for Atmospheric Research, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The department expanded through collaborations with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Energy research initiatives, and participated in major field programs like Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment, Project Stormfury, and later campaigns such as DYNAMO and SHEBA. Over decades the department evolved alongside institutions such as University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and international consortia including World Meteorological Organization and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Academic Programs

The department offers graduate degrees aligning with programs at University of Washington, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Michigan, and Cornell University. Master's and doctoral curricula include coursework in synoptic meteorology, mesoscale dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and climate science, drawing on pedagogy developed at Princeton University, Harvard University, and Yale University. Joint degree options and cross‑listing connect students with centers at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Students participate in internships and fellowships with National Science Foundation, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA National Weather Service, and international programs such as European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and UK Met Office. The department maintains exchange and visiting scholar links with University of Reading, ETH Zurich, The University of Tokyo, and Peking University.

Research and Centers

Research themes mirror efforts at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory: severe storms, climate dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and remote sensing. Centers and groups include collaborations with Natural Hazards Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Colorado Climate Center, Western Water Assessment, and regional nodes connected to National Integrated Drought Information System. Faculty lead and contribute to multi‑institution projects funded by National Science Foundation, NASA, NOAA, and U.S. Department of Energy, and participate in consortia such as GEWEX, CLIVAR, SPARC, and GLOSS. Experimental programs have been coordinated with ARM Climate Research Facility, GOES-R Program, ICESat, and MODIS teams. Collaborative laboratory efforts align with work at Caltech, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, and Stanford University.

Faculty and Notable Alumni

Faculty have included leaders who trained at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Princeton University, and University of Cambridge and who have held positions with NOAA, NASA, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and World Meteorological Organization. Alumni have become directors and scientists at National Weather Service, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and private sector firms such as The Weather Company and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science affiliates. Graduates have been principal investigators on field campaigns with Hurricane Field Program teams, editors at journals like Journal of Climate and Geophysical Research Letters, and awardees of honors from American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, and Royal Meteorological Society.

Facilities and Observational Assets

The department operates instrumented facilities and field platforms comparable to assets at National Center for Atmospheric Research and ARM Climate Research Facility, including Doppler radars, lidar systems, and surface flux towers. Observational assets support collaborations with NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories, NASA Ames Research Center, and regional observatories similar to Sierra Nevada Observatory and Table Mountain Observatory. Field programs deploy instrument suites aboard research aircraft from National Science Foundation and partner with airborne facilities like those based at NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Johnson Space Center. Computational resources include high‑performance clusters linked to XSEDE and national supercomputing centers used in tandem with data from satellites such as GOES, Aqua, Terra, and Suomi NPP.

Outreach and Public Engagement

The department engages in public outreach modeled on initiatives by National Weather Service, American Meteorological Society, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Science Foundation education programs. Activities include community storm spotter training coordinated with Storm Prediction Center, school visits in partnership with Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and Poudre School District, public lectures in collaboration with City of Fort Collins and state agencies, and participation in state‑level climate assessments with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Water Conservation Board. Faculty contribute to media outreach through appearances on PBS, NPR, and national newspapers, and to policy dialogues involving United States Congress briefings and interagency working groups tied to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy initiatives.

Category:Colorado State University Category:Atmospheric sciences departments