The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, is a major institution performing research in the environmental sciences. After an open competition, the National Science Foundation gave its financial sup­ port to NCAR for the establishment of a much-needed statistics/probability program in the geophysical sciences. The result is the NCAR Geophysical Statistics Project (GSP). The primary mission of this program is: • To foster excellence in the use of modern statistical science in the geo­ physical and environmental sciences. • To attract and support statistical scientists for collaborative research. To fulfill its mission, GSP engages in research in statistical science and its application to the atmospheric and allied sciences. It supports a variety of collaborative efforts between statistical scientists and disciplinary scientists. Senior statisticians, both members of and visitors to GSP, work in conjunc­ tion with researchers at NCAR and elsewhere in the application of current statistical methods as well as in. the development of new statistical models and techniques. Senior GSP members and NCAR researchers also collaborate in the mentoring of junior members, typically post-doctoral level or statistics graduate students.