College Day tour features Air Resources Laboratory

September 25, 2025

Last Friday, the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP) hosted about 80 college students from around the D.C. Metropolitan area for the second annual NCWCP College Day event. Four groups of students moved around throughout the afternoon between four stops. Locations included a resume workshop, NOAA’s Science on a Sphere, the National Center for Environmental Prediction and of course, the Air Resources Laboratory (ARL).

Students visited ARL’s lab for an overview of the work we do, got to see a hands-on demonstration and then went out to see ARL’s Air Resources Car (ARC).

A group of students in a lab gathered around a man gesturing to a monitor.
Howard Diamond, ARL's Atmospheric Sciences and Modeling Division Director, giving an overview of ARL's work to one of the groups of college students. Credit: Xinrong Ren (NOAA)
View looking into a lab room, towards a man speaking towards a large monitor displaying maps of the U.S. A handful of students can be seen in attendance.
Howard Diamond talks about ARL's observation networks and how they contribute to ARL research. Credit: Xinrong Ren (NOAA)
Man stands in front of a monitor and a metal rack holding metal boxes. There are a handful of students gathered around him.
ARL scientist Xinrong Ren demonstrates one of the instruments commonly used in fieldwork, that measures ambient carbon dioxide levels. Credit: Tracey Bien-Aime (NOAA/ORAU)
A group of people in a lab, looking at a monitor
The students watched to see how breathing into the instrument spiked the carbon dioxide level from ambient levels. Credit: Tracey Bien-Aime (NOAA/ORAU)
Group of people gathered around a black SUV with the doors open and a poster taped to the side. There are antenna-like instruments mounted on the roof of the car.
ARL scientist Phillip Stratton talks about the ARC and how it is used to take measurements. Credit: Xinrong Ren (NOAA)
Man wearing a mask stands next to the open back door of a black SUV. Three women stand facing him, with their backs toward the camera. You can see a small monitor displaying data in a pink graph on a black background.
Phillip Stratton talks about how the sensors mounted on the SUV's roof capture data that is then fed into the instruments inside the back of the SUV. Credit: Tracey Bien-Aime (NOAA/ORAU)