Newsmakers Oct. 17-30: As budget stagnates, staff shrinks at NCAR

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), one of the world’s premier climate research institutions, has been struggling to maintain its ground-breaking scientific initiatives in an era of stagnant budgets and a staff that has shrunk to its lowest level in more than a decade.

This year, NCAR has 804 full-time staffers, down from its high of 880 in 2009. In 2013, it spent $165.8 million, down about 3 percent from $171.3 million in 2009, according to its budget and planning office.

However, the agency’s headcount and expenditure have…