The Center for Space and Earth Sciences is the follow on of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP), an Institute with a long and proud tradition at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Originally formed as IGP (Institute for Geophysics) at the University of California Los Angeles in 1946, the Institute eventually expanded to include Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and a number of UC System Schools (UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UC Irvine). This system-wide IGPP was headquartered at UC Los Angeles and supported a large number (~9) of faculty at UCLA. IGPP started at Los Alamos with its first director, Paul Coleman, in October 1981, followed by Chick Keller (1986-2001), Gary Geernaert (2002-2010) and Harald Dogliani (2010-2015). End of oversight of Los Alamos National Laboratory by the University of California system terminated the formal relationship of Los Alamos National Laboratory IGPP with its counterparts in California.
The mission of the Center for Space and Earth Science (CSES) is to coordinate research and to foster innovation in six scientific focus areas – Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Geophysics, Planetary Science, Earth Systems, and Bioscience Research. CSES provides a gateway for collaborations with academic institutions in these science areas, provides external visibility, brings new ideas in these areas to the lab, and acts as a catalyst for new project ideas in support of the Laboratory’s mission.