The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) is run by Colorado State University. The vision for CIRA is to conduct interdisciplinary research in the atmospheric sciences by entraining skills beyond the meteorological disciplines, exploiting advances in engineering and computer science, facilitating transitional activity between pure and applied research, leveraging both national and international resources and partnerships, and assisting NOAA, Colorado State University, the State of Colorado, and the Nation through the application of our research to areas of societal benefit.
The mission of CIRA is to serve as a nexus for multi-disciplinary cooperation among CI (cooperative institute) and NOAA research scientists, University faculty, staff and students in the context of NOAA-specified research theme areas in satellite applications for weather/climate forecasting. Important bridging elements of the CI include the communication of research findings to the international scientific community, transition of applications and capabilities to NOAA operational users, education and training programs for operational user proficiency, outreach programs to K-12 education and the general public for environmental literacy, and understanding and quantifying the societal impacts of NOAA research.
To visit the CIRA web site click the link http://www.cira.colostate.edu
Source: Colorado State University. 2011. Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. Accessed on 9 September 2013. Available at http://www.cira.colostate.edu