Research Applications Laboratory (RAL) Records

Collection

Identifier: RAL

Staff Only

This collection consists of records created by the Research Applications Laboratory. This collection was processed with support from the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics.

Administrative records include various NCAR reports, committee meeting minutes, company retreat and workshop summaries, and review materials.

Aviation industry records include correspondence and reports, including ALPA (Airline Pilot Association), AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), and various aircraft incident reports and investigations.

Field Project records include reports, log books, graphs, data printouts, photographs and correspondence.

In addition, the collection contains onference and congressional hearing materials, grey literature, white papers, research materials, and general correspondence.

Some of the materials also include computer discs, video tapes, and films.

Dates

1960 - 2015

Conditions Governing Access

Not all of the material in this collection is in the public domain. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine copyright and obtain permission to use materials.

All records must be viewed in the Archives. The Archives does not have playback capability for some materials.

Extent

28 Boxes : 25 record cartons, 2 letter-size archival boxes,1 archival film reel box

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

The Research Applications Laboratory (RAL) has grown from a small research and development program (Research Applications Program, or RAP as it was then known) at NCAR in the early 1980s to its current status as an NCAR laboratory with six divisions focused on specific applications areas. The staff is currently comprised of over 200 persons with a diverse set of skills and experience in the physical sciences, social sciences, mathematics, software engineering, project management and administration.

The Research Applications Laboratory is one of five laboratories within NCAR. Its mission is to conduct directed research that contributes to fundamental understanding of the atmosphere and related physical, biological, and social systems; to support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the scientific community; and to develop and transfer knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth.

Arrangement

The materials have been arranged into 9 series. 1) Administrative Records; 2) Aviation Industry; 3) General Correspondence; 4) Conferences and Congressional hearings; 5) Field Projects; 6) Publications; 7) Research Materials; 8) Miscellaneous Files & Correspondence; 9) Audio- Visual Materials.

All materials have been arranged chronologically within the series as much as possible. Filed projects are arranged alphabetically within the series.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Roughly 20 standard banker's boxes of RAL materials were returned from the Iron Mountain storage facility when NCAR's contract with them ended around 2010.

Inger Barron, RAL secretary, submitted an additional 6 boxes of RAL grey literature, field project documentation, and administrative materials in July of 2015.

Corinne Morse, project Software Engineer on the JAWS Juneau project, submitted a box full of logbooks in September of 2015.

Inger Barron also submitted materials from Dan Breed upon his retirement. These materials consist of a project manual and microfilm from the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE) in October of 2016.

Lisa Goodrich, Research Assistant & Computer Tech, submitted four (4) films that were digitized; and 8mm videotapes that were not digitized; as well as 1 film called "July Hailstorm", which has subsequently been digitized in 2018.

Material was also transferred from Bob Barron, Kathleen Miller, William Mahoney, and Bruce Carmichael in 2017 and 2018.

Processing Information

All original materials were removed from ringbinders, folders, plastic fasteners, envelopes etc., and paper clips, rubber bands etc. were removed. All materials were re-housed in acid-free folders where appropriate. Duplicates were weeded.

As much as possible, the original arrangement of the files was maintained. Materials under one subject matter - e.g. Field Projects - were gathered and re-housed together, in a chronological order where the date was known.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Research Application Laboratory (RAL) Records
Author: Dirk Bos
Date: November 2018
Description rules: dacs
Language of description: English
Sponsor: This collection was processed with support from the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics.