Professor Shuyi Chen, chair of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), was interviewed by The Seattle Times about the federal government’s plan to dismantle UCAR’s research center. The center, known as the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), has been criticized by federal officials, and they proposed to cut back its operations, including removing key resources like research aircraft and supercomputers. Scientists argued that the center has been essential for forecasting hurricanes, floods, atmospheric rivers, and other extreme weather events. Prof. Chen also mentioned that her projects would not be possible to continue without the resources from NCAR. UCAR is currently filing a lawsuit, claiming the shutdown of NCAR is “a direct threat to America’s national security, public safety, and economic prosperity.” While Prof. Chen declined to comment on the lawsuit, she shared that “there’s always an eye inside the hurricane.”
Read the full article from The Seattle Times.