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Science Reviews

CIRES regularly receives and seeks external review to maintain a high level of excellence and insure the rigor of its continuing research program. Formal research and academic peer review is conducted both by NOAA and the University of Colorado who jointly sponsor the CIRES cooperative agreement. A variety of other mechanisms also exist to provide feedback on the scientific contributions for units within CIRES.

A comprehensive NOAA review of CIRES is conducted every five years to assess the strength of current programs and provide guidance for future endeavors. External technical experts, NOAA management, and non-NOAA users of scientific/technical products conduct these reviews. A Science and Advisory Board (SAB) convenes to review science plans, activities, management, outreach and scientific results. Public sessions are included to receive input from both producers and users of scientific products. The eight local NOAA laboratories affiliated with and including CIRES employees also conduct their own reviews to provide additional input on the choice and conduct of their research. The most recent NOAA review of CIRES was completed in 2002.

The university also initiates an exhaustive Program Review Panel (PRP) every seven years under the direction of the Provost. It includes a unit self-study, an internal campus review, an external review, and synthesized recommendations from the entire process. CU reviews of CIRES were completed in and reports are available for the years 1992 (PDF, 1999 (PDF), and 2006 (PDF). Progress reports are submitted annually on efforts made toward achieving overall review recommendations.

Research Centers within the University of Colorado and CIRES must be reviewed every five years in order to maintain their campus status. These regular reauthorizations include an update and review of program plans, budgets, by-laws, strategic plans and the other instruments necessary to insure a vibrant and viable research center.

Other internal and external reviews of various research activities are completed on specific schedules or on an ad hoc basis. Examples include reviews of CIRES' Western Water Assessment and the National Snow and Ice Data Center [ About NSIDC ] . CIRES also recently created an Equity Committee to review recent recommendations, propose solutions, and then follow-up on progress made.

Regular planning meetings and reports provide additional mechanisms for achieving integrated efforts. Management and administrative meetings are held annually between Cooperative Institutes at national scientific meetings (such as AMS) or at the NOAA/OAR headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. Annual scientific workplans are further created and reviewed to establish a coherent trajectory for the coming year. These workplans include goals, approaches and milestones and are reviewed by local laboratory directors plus the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Annual scientific reports based upon this workplan are then submitted the following year to report on the accomplishments and impacts of that research.

A NOAA Science Advisory Board Review of CIRES in 2002 concluded the "ongoing and planned research of the CIRES/NOAA groups is judged by the panel to be of the highest quality. The strong and useful interaction between CIRES and NOAA scientists and the success of their research efforts are facilitated by several favorable features of the relationship," including CIRES' excellent leadership, the "unique position of CIRES/NOAA efforts to face crisis research", and the "education in environmental issues that CIRES provides teachers, students and the general public."