Congressman Jared Polis toured the Alliance for Technology, Learning, and Society (ATLAS) on the CU Boulder campus. The Congressman, joined by his Colorado chief of staff and district education staffer, explored the inter-disciplinary institute, which includes artists, engineers, computer scientists, musicians, and policy scholars in October 2016. The group was shown the Blow Things Up (BTU) lab, where students experiment with new technologies; the Interactive Robotics and Novel Technologies (IRON) Lab, which focuses on developing human-robot interaction; and the Laboratory for Playful Computation, where fun programmable learning technologies are designed.

CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Terri Fiez, ATLAS Institute Director Mark Gross, and ATLAS Institute Associate Director Jill Van Matre Dupre briefed the Congressman on the growth of the Technology, Arts and Media (TAM) program and its bachelor’s, minor, and certificate tracks. The visit coincided with the 10-year anniversary of the building.  

On a separate tour, Congressman Polis toured the CU Boulder Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium (INC) to learn more about the facility. The visit was prompted by his interest in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. Dr. Marie Banich, lead principal investigator for ABCD, met with Polis on the Hill in 2016 to discuss the study.

Dr. Banich and Nicole Speer, Director of Operations, updated Polis on INC’s role in the ABCD study and local community outreach. The visit coincided with the five year anniversary of the INC opening.

Congressman Polis tours CU Boulder ATLAS Institute

Nick Sutcliffe, ATLAS Institute

Marie T. Banich, Ph.D., Executive Director, Congressman Polis, and Nicole Speer, Director of Operations at INC