NSF NCAR & UCAR Science Education

09/10/2026

Earlier this summer, we hosted our second annual National Ozone Garden Network Workshop! 🌎🌱

Partners from as far as the Denali Education Center in Alaska to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Mississippi came together to exchange ideas on programming and data collection, and learn from NSF NCAR & UCAR scientists about the impacts of ground-level ozone. Participants also had the chance to hear from local experts during a panel discussion on air quality.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this workshop such a great opportunity to learn, share ideas, and connect!

To learn more about the National Ozone Garden Network: https://research.cgd.ucar.edu/ozone-garden/?utm_source=sm

Center for Astrophysics l Harvard & Smithsonian

09/10/2026

09/08/2026

You’ve probably heard that El Niño is developing this year—but what does that actually mean? 🌊🌎

Join us this Thursday, September 10, for a free teacher professional development session that explores what El Niño is and how it might affect this year's weather.

In this virtual session, hosted by the National Science Teaching Association, you’ll learn how scientists monitor and predict El Niño events, hear from NSF NCAR & UCAR scientist Dr. Clara Deser, and discover free classroom resources you can use with your students.

📅 Thursday, Sept. 10 5–6 p.m. MDT
💻 Online
✨ Free!

Register or learn more here: https://scied.ucar.edu/educators/teacher-professional-development-el-nino?utm_source=sm

09/08/2026

📢 Fellowship opportunity! The NSF NCAR ASP Graduate Visitor Program Fellowship is accepting applications today through November 9 for the 2027 cohort of fellows. This program is intended for graduate students to work on their thesis, dissertation, or final project equivalent with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers in Boulder, CO.

Learn more about the qualifications and application process: https://bit.ly/4r44y9V

09/01/2026

Looking for a way to expand your students’ learning outside the classroom? Reservations for in-person field trips to the NSF NCAR & UCAR Mesa Lab for Spring 2027 are now open!

With options for PreK-12 students, our Learning Labs are a fun, hands-on way to get students out of the classroom and learning about weather, the atmosphere, the Sun and space weather, and more! Spots fill up quickly, so visit our website for more information or to book your class visit!
https://scied.ucar.edu/visit/ncar-field-trips/reserve?utm_source=sm

08/26/2026

We’re excited to highlight another stop in our Ozone Garden site visits! This time, we visited the South Dakota Discovery Center, where their Ozone Garden is helping connect local observations with a much bigger picture of air quality and our atmosphere. 🌱

Ozone Gardens, like this one, are part of a collaborative project bringing together community science, education, and satellite observations across the country. The project is made possible through our work with NSF NCAR & UCAR, the Center for Astrophysics l Harvard & Smithsonian, the NASA TEMPO satellite, and funding from NASA.

Thank you to all the partners, educators, and communities helping make the Ozone Garden project possible and bringing atmospheric science to life! 🌎🔬

08/11/2026

Attention homeschool families, co-ops, and small groups across the Front Range, you're invited to our Fall Homeschool Day: Career Connections 🧑‍🔬!

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a meteorologist, invent something new, or work with a supercomputer? Come explore the many ways scientists study our powerful planet and discover the exciting STEM careers that make it possible! Join us at the NSF NCAR & UCAR Mesa Lab for a day of free activities, hands-on learning, and fun!

🗓️ Thursday, October 1, 2026
📍 NSF NCAR Mesa Lab

Capacity is limited, so be sure to sign up in advance! For more information and to book tickets, visit the Homeschool Day page on our website: https://scied.ucar.edu/visit/ncar-field-trips/homeschool-day?utm_source=sm

08/07/2026

We are proud to receive the 2026 Advancing Environmental Literacy Award from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, recognizing the contributions of our organization and our Director, Becca Hatheway, to environmental literacy in Colorado and beyond.

Through educator professional development, hands-on learning experiences, exhibits, and free online resources, our team works to make Earth and atmospheric science accessible, engaging, and meaningful for learners of all ages. This recognition is a wonderful reflection of the collaborative work of our team and the educators, learners, partners, and communities who help make it possible.

Congratulations to Becca and the entire UCAR SciEd team on this well-deserved recognition! 🎉

08/07/2026

We have an exciting lineup of Explorer Series events this August, including a suite of webinars as well as local events in Colorado! Mark your calendar:
Science in the Spotlight: Air quality, smoke, and the health impacts of wildfire
🗓️Thursday, Aug. 13, 3 - 4 P.M. MT
💻 Online

Science in the Spotlight: Forecasting wildfire behavior
🗓️Tuesday, Aug. 25, 11am - 12pm
💻 Online

Keeping space safe: Understanding the impacts of space weather on satellite orbits
🗓️Wednesday, Aug. 26, 7:30 - 9pm
📍Frasier

From models to forecasts: Tools for better water operations
🗓️Saturday, Aug. 29, 1 - 2:30pm
📍Loveland Museum

More details:
https://edec.ucar.edu/public/ncar-explorer-series/2026

08/05/2026

We were grateful for the opportunity to attend the University-Led Research Institutes (ULRI) Research Symposium this July!

Members of our team enjoyed connecting with colleagues from across the science community, learning from innovative research and outreach efforts, and exchanging ideas about how research and education can work together to drive meaningful change.

Thank you to ULRI for the invitation and for hosting such a wonderful event!