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DOC Boulder 70th Birthday Party! May 8th

DOC Boulder: the Younger Years

Early construction photos circa 1951-1952, exact date unknown. Photo courtesy of the Boulder Labs Library Archives

$70,000 was raised in eight days, as the citizens of Boulder in 1949 pulled together to ensure that their city would be the location for the National Bureau of Standards' new radio propagation research laboratory. After breaking ground in 1951, what we know as Building 1 was officially dedicated by President Eisenhower in 1954, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president visited Boulder, Colorado.

70 years later and there are countless stories these grounds could tell. We hope you can join us on May 8th to mark the platinum anniversary of our shared workplace -- and, more importantly, celebrate the scientific breakthroughs that have come from our beautiful, historic research campus. There will also be cupcakes.

Serving the three distinct DOC agencies housed here, Boulder Labs Library is a space open to everyone. But please note that NOAA employees can only CAC into Building 1 on the main East-facing Broadway side entrance.

Elevation of the Library at the Front of the House under Construction, June 2,

1953 (photograph courtesy of Department of Commerce Boulder Laboratories)

Photo courtesy of the Boulder Labs Library Archives

May 4th

National Weather Observer's Day / Star Wars Day

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

May 4th is National Weather Observers Day, a day to honor everyone with a passion for keeping the rest of us informed about the weather -- especially dedicated citizen scientists. The National Weather Service has long utilized volunteer weather observers to support its mission, starting with the Cooperative (Co-Op) Observers, a program which dates back to the late 19th century. The younger (by comparison) SKYWARN showed up on the scene in the 1970s and now boasts anywhere from 350,000 to 400,000 trained severe weather spotters in communities across the country. Fast forward to 1997, when disco has long given way to grunge rock on the airwaves, and the CoCoRaHS program is formed by a small group of volunteers on the Colorado Front Range. There are now 26,000 precipitation observers contributing their data to the NWS through CoCoRaHS, with a reach that extends beyond the U.S. to Canada, the Caribbean, and Guam. Read more about the history of CoCoRaHS.

For anyone finding our lack of another May 4th holiday disturbing here, don't worry, we didn't forget that May 4th is also Star Wars Day. These 65 facts about the Star Wars universe might make you the Jedi master of any trivia contest or viewing party -- but we'll never tell you the odds. Whether you do or do not celebrate (there is no try), May the Fourth be with you, always. Just remember that the following Monday brings the Revenge of the Sixth.

Photo by Otto Rascon on Unsplash

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