Walter Orr Roberts

Building HAO, NCAR, and a Foundation for Scientific Innovation in Boulder

Walter Orr Roberts wearing glasses and looking to the left.

Writings and Achievements

Provocations

In 1984, Roberts wrote this essay on the future of artificial intelligence. Roberts wrote hundreds of essays in this "Provocations" series designed to spark ideas, debate, and even controversy among his colleagues. In an introduction to the series of essays, Roberts said, "Some will deal with agriculture, some with forestry, some with aircraft operations. And some will be concerned simply with the mystery, legend and beauty of the sun, the clouds and the sky. Some will probe the enigmas of a civilization like ours in the vastness of a universe in which we may just possibly be unique, improbable as that may seem."

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Home High Altitude Observatory National Center for Atmospheric Research
University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, Colorado Writings and Achievements

Walter Orr Roberts was a renowned scientist, leader, and pioneer in the fields of solar-terrestrial study, astronomy, and climate science. He established and directed the High Altitude Observatory (HAO); founded the Department of Astro-Geophysics at the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder); served as the first director of the National Center for Atmopheric Research (NCAR); the first president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and led the Program on Food, Climate, and the World’s Future at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He was a tireless advocate for an active response to climate change, international scientific collaboration, and science education. Beyond these individual accomplishments, he built a scientific community in Boulder, creating long-lasting partnerships, including those between NCAR, HAO, and CU-Boulder that continue to grow and thrive today.

This exhibit brings together material from the NCAR Archives and the Special Collections, Archives, and Preservation at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries to tell the story of Walter Orr Roberts and his significant impact on the institutions he was involved with, and his lasting legacy in the scientific enterprise.