HPO Director, Krista Laursen

I accepted the position of HIAPER Project Director in February 2002 and serve as the NCAR project manager of this exciting new NSF and UCAR/NCAR acquisition. I also oversee the activities of my colleagues here in the Project Office.Prior to becoming the HIAPER Project Director, I was an Associate Scientist IV and Project Manager at NCAR's Research Aviation Facility (RAF). Over the course of my almost ten-year career at the RAF, I managed numerous field projects conducted using the NSF/NCAR C-130, Electra, and King Air research aircraft. I also served as the project leader for the refurbishment of the NCAR/ATD Multichannel Cloud Radiometer (MCR) and conducted research in the retrieval of aerosol optical properties and boundary layer height information from dual-wavelength airborne lidar data. I have also served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology.

I came to NCAR in July 1992 as a scientific visitor after obtaining a M.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. I have a B.S. degree in Physics (with honors) from the University of Oregon.

My personal interests include running, hiking, camping, reading, cooking, and my two young sons.

HPO Engineering Manager, Dick Friesen

Dick has worked in the field of airborne research for over thirty years. Beginning with the NCAR sailplane he has developed instrumentation, data acquisition and display systems, and data processing software. Dick has held positions in NCAR and ATD as a instrumentation engineer, software engineer, project manager and acting manager of the ATD Research Aviation Facility. He has managed/supervised groups of software engineers and associate scientists as head of the RAF Data Management and Software Development Group and the Head of the RAF Project and Data Support Group. He has worked on the development of air motion sensing systems for measurement of turbulence and fluxes from aircraft for five different RAF aircraft and has consulted on the development of these systems on other aircraft including an NRL P-3, a Swedish Sabreliner, and the NOAA G-IV.

Dick has worked with investigators from many institutions during the preparation and execution of large field projects as the RAF Project Manager, most recently INDOEX and ACE-Asia, and assisted with the TOPSE, DYCOMS II and EPIC programs. He has been lead or co-author on several journal papers on instrumentation and data systems. He has a B.S. in Physics and Applied Mathematics and has done graduate work in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering and Atmospheric Science.

HIAPER Contract Administrator, Pat Munson

Pat joined UCAR in May of 2001 as a Contract Administrator. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Pat brings twenty years of experience in procurement and subcontract management to UCAR. She most recently worked at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., managing major subcontracts for NASA and DoD (classified) programs. Since most of these subcontracts contained new design and technology efforts, she feels right at home with the HIAPER program.

A nature lover, Pat cherishes her time hiking, backpacking, camping, and snow shoeing in the mountains.

HPO Budget Administrator, Geoff Cheeseman

Hello, this is Geoff Cheeseman, the Budget Analyst for the HIAPER Project Office. I view the HIAPER procurement as an exciting opportunity for the National Science Foundation, NCAR and the overall research community and am proud to be a member of the core staff. I hold MBA and MS-Finance degrees from the University of Colorado and have been with NCAR, in various capacities, since 1989. I am also the Budget Analyst for the Atmospheric Technology Division, often viewed as the most fiscally complex division of NCAR. I enjoy developing financial models, charts and spreadsheets. These are often used for rate development, the equitable allocation of funds and data analysis.

My personal interests include wakeboarding, horseback riding, in-line skating, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, tennis and weight lifting. I'm also an avid bicycle commuter. An endeavor, I'm thankful, NCAR supports.

HPO Administrative Assistant, Carla Hassler

An administrative assistant for over 20 years, I have previously worked in engineering, project management, and executive office areas for a major brewer/ceramics manufacturer, and with subcontractors at a U.S. DOE Superfund Cleanup Site. I am honored to be associated with NCAR and look forward to working with the HIAPER project staff and their colleagues in this exciting project. If there is any information or assistance I can provide you in regard to the HIAPER Project, please do not hesitate to contact me.

HPO Webmaster, Jennifer Oxelson

Jennifer joined the HIAPER Project Office as Webmaster in the spring of 2002. In addition to her HIAPER duties, Jennifer is also the Webmaster for the Unidata Program Center. Jen's original background is in chemistry and she worked as a chemist before coming to NCAR. When not at work, Jen is usually out roaming the Colorado Plateau. She also enjoys hiking, backpacking, running, skydiving (1300+ jumps), skiing, snow shoeing, mountain biking, and being outside in general.

HIAPER Principal Investigator, Dave Carlson

Dr. Carlson served on the graduate faculty in the College of Oceanography at Oregon State University. While at OSU, he authored or coauthored 25 refereed papers and chapters in the areas of marine chemistry, small-scale ocean physics and rheology, oceanic microbiology, and intertidal chemical ecology. Dr. Carlson designed and produced a highly successful ocean surface sampling system still in use in several oceanographic laboratories. He also developed new techniques for exploring molecular-scale rheology and for assaying photorepair enzymes.

Dr. Carlson joined the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in 1991 to lead the TOGA COARE International Project Office. Dr. Carlson and the TCIPO staff worked with leading international scientists to plan and implement this large air-sea interaction experiment in the tropical western Pacific Ocean. Dr. Carlson's responsibilities included preparing and publishing experimental designs and operational plans, securing observing system resources from atmospheric and oceanographic agencies of six nations, reporting regularly to international and national agencies and science advisory groups, arranging permissions, clearances, waivers, and communications systems among and within 13 nations, managing project funds and resources, and directing daily operations and an operations staff of 40 people for 125 consecutive days.

Dr. Carlson received a B.A. in Biology from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL and his Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Maine, Orono, ME. He served as an NRC Post-Doctorate Research Associate at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Dr. Carlson and his wife have two children.