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In the NoCo

Why a federal judge handed NCAR’s supporters a (temporary) victory in court

The National Center for Atmospheric Research, above Boulder. Dec. 20, 2025.
Kevin J. Beaty
/
Denverite
The National Center for Atmospheric Research, above Boulder. Dec. 20, 2025.

Scientists in Boulder at the National Center for Atmospheric Research study everything from storms to wildfires to drought.

But recently, the Trump administration has worked to dismantle NCAR – and to hand over its supercomputer, a core piece of NCAR’s technology. The powerful supercomputer helps study weather and climate.

The administration wants the University of Wyoming to manage the supercomputer. It’s currently managed by a group of more than 100 universities that oversee it at NCAR’s headquarters in Boulder. Last week, a federal judge paused that transfer.

Colorado Sun reporter Michael Booth talked with In The NoCo’s Brad Turner about the judge’s reasoning, why the supercomputer was on the table and how the uncertainty around NCAR’s future has taken a serious toll on the staff.

As KUNC's Interim Senior Managing Editor, my job is to find out what’s important to northern Colorado residents and why. I seek to create a deeper sense of urgency and understanding around these issues through in-depth, character driven daily reporting and series work.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.