Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
General Information About the Department or Program
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) was created in 1967 to facilitate interdisciplinary research in a broad range of environmental sciences between scientists at the University of Colorado and those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While the mission is research, CIRES is strongly engaged in education at all levels, from elementary to postgraduate; but it is not an academic or degree-granting department or college, and does not offer courses.
Involvement in Environmental Education and Research
CIRES scientists and faculty members teach undergraduate classes in several affiliated departments and participate in the Environmental Program, the Geophysics Program, the Hydrology Program, and in certificate programs in Environmental Policy, Remote Sensing, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and Geophysics (http://cires.colorado.edu/depts.html). CIRES associates at NOAA and CU employ undergraduate and graduate students who are engaged in environmental research relevant to their degree pursuits, and which is often an important contribution in a diverse variety of environmental sciences.
In an effort to better communicate CIRES' broad scope of environmental research, six research "themes" have been identified (http://cires.colorado.edu/themes):
- Advanced Modeling and Observing Systems: Effectively characterizing and predicting the state of the Earth system on all scales using direct observations and techniques for projecting outcomes mathematically.
- Climate System Variability: Studying climate changes that occur both in the short term - seasons to decades - and those that occur across millennia.
- Geodynamics: Gaining a better understanding of convection within the Earth's mantle, and of how convection affects the surface of our planet.
- Integrating Activities: Boundary-crossing pursuits and policy studies that communicate CIRES' science mission to the public.
- Planetary Metabolism: Investigating the complex web of biochemical and ecological processes that occur within the biosphere, and the interaction of these processes with the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere.
- Regional Processes: Understanding the role of climate information used in regional decisions concerning natural resources.
Researchers
CIRES, founded with the mission of studying the environment, is entirely dedicated to this pursuit. Members of CIRES Council of Fellows are many of the finest University of Colorado and NOAA scientists. They drive the varied research and make decisions about the scientific foci and direction of the Institute. To meet them, please visit the Fellows pages at http://cires.colorado.edu/fellows.
Almost all of the students employed by CIRES, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, are engaged in some sort of scientific research. All students are enrolled at CU through one of the academic departments or programs (see http://cires.colorado.edu/depts.html). Funding for student employment comes primarily from individual project grants, and some unpaid internships are also offered. Open student positions are listed at http://cires.colorado.edu/jobs and at job centers on campus.
Other Information
Students conducting research with scientists at CIRES benefit from unique opportunities to study many different topics with other undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty members, and junior and senior scientists at government laboratories. Whether at a campus venue or at one of our NOAA partner laboratories (http://cires.colorado.edu/labs) the research is stimulating, relevant, and diverse. Funds are dedicated each year to innovative research topics, and facilities on campus and at the NOAA campus are some of the newest in the region, supporting state-of the-art scientific research.
How to Learn More
Please visit our website at http://cires.colorado.edu to learn more about CIRES. You are also encouraged to contact faculty Fellows for information about departmental majors, and more detailed information about applying to the University of Colorado.
Contact Information
CIRES216 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0216
PHONE: 303-492-1143
FAX: 303-492-1149
info@cires.colorado.edu
