$308M grant allows renewal of NOAA, CSU weather research partnership

DENVER (KDVR) — The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration has renewed its over 40-year partnership with Colorado State University through a $308 million grant over five years to research and forecast Earth’s weather and climate systems.

Specifically, the grant will fund the operation of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at CSU. CIRA is the collaboration between NOAA and the university’s atmospheric sciences department.

“This award ensures that a strong, nearly half-century research partnership between CSU and NOAA continues without skipping a beat — providing a connection between academic and applied research that makes a difference in our everyday lives,” Steve Miller, CIRA director and a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science, said in a release.

Miller called CIRA a “game-changer” for getting scientific research and data into society.

According to CSU, the grant will allow the university to remain “one of the top atmospheric programs in the country, with shared research portfolio in key areas such as: satellite remote sensing, tropical storm research, carbon cycle and numerical model studies, fire weather forecasting and detection, and development of artificial intelligence tools.”

“This award sets the stage for CIRA’s direct influence on NOAA’s next-generation forecast models and satellite observing systems – our scientists strive to connect the two in a way that maximizes their positive impact to society and national interests,” Miller said.

CIRA research has provided advanced modeling and imagery of wildland fires and also resulted in partnerships with agencies like NASA, the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation.

“Atmospheric Science and CIRA have a symbiotic relationship in both atmospheric science research and education, and we look forward to strengthening this relationship over the next five years,” said Eric Maloney, professor and head of the Department of Atmospheric Science.

CIRA is one of 16 cooperative institutes that work with NOAA across the U.S., serving as a nexus for research involving the NOAA scientists and CSU research staff, faculty and students.