Focus on CU Faculty Archive 2016

University of Colorado Boulder

Stephen Graham Jones has published more than 20 books and hundreds of short stories in genres ranging from literary fiction and horror to science fiction and crime. Jones, who grew up in West Texas, is a professor at CU Boulder. This month, the University of New Mexico Press will publish The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones, a compendium of critical essays about his work.

“It’s scary to think about reading it. I don’t know if I really want to know what’s inside my head,” Jones said. High Country News, Nov. 14

Walter Blankenship, or Uncle Walt as he’s known around campus, graduated from CU Boulder in 1989. He is the historian for the CU marching band and also leads an annual tour of the school’s haunted buildings. “The famous one is of course the murder in Mackey that happened in July of ’66,” he said. 9News, Nov. 22

“Many people thought, ‘If I vote yes, I’m voting to put this language in the Constitution,’ because it seemed inconceivable that it was already there,” said Melissa Hart, a professor at Colorado Law at CU Boulder. Even well-educated lawyers Hart spoke with were surprised to learn that not only was the language in the state’s Constitution, but it also remains in the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery when it was ratified in 1865. The New York Times, Nov. 18

“Lots of families in our community are afraid,” said Bethy Leonardi, co-director of A Queer Endeavor, an initiative out of CU Boulder’s School of Education.

“There are just a lot of questions,” Leonardi said. “We are trying to get resources and information out to the community.” Longmont Times-Call, Nov. 28

“It’s possible that at one time the impacts of the CBT (Colorado’s Big-Thompson) Project on Grand Lake clarity were thought to be just part of the price we pay for valuable water projects,” said Anne Castle, a fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at CU Boulder. “Now, we are more inclined to believe that the environmental values have significance, including economic significance, and that operations can and should be adjusted to better accommodate these values.” Aspen Daily News, Nov. 13

How groups make decisions is a major puzzle. Not just for pollsters. And not just human groups. CU Boulder’s Helen F. McCreery studies the process in the longhorn crazy ant, which is known for its cooperative behavior in certain tasks. Admittedly, it does not solve geopolitical or economic problems, but groups of these ants can join to take a giant chunk of food, way too much for one ant to move, back to the nest. The New York Times, Nov. 14

Understanding the circadian clock and its variations isn’t just important for sleep problems, said Monique LeBourgeois, assistant professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder.

“A mismatch between the timing of the clock and the demands that kids face (or even opportunities for learning and fun) could also result in behavior/emotional problems.” The New York Times, Nov. 14

“On Sunday, there were two (quakes) that people felt, but our seismographs showed there were probably 30 (earthquakes). It’s a big range of sizes, and only two were felt,” said Anne Sheehan, a professor at CU Boulder who has been leading studies of seismic activity in Weld County for the past two years.

“July through September, there were 150 events we were able to locate. It seems fairly episodic, meaning it comes and goes. But it has not stopped.” The Greeley Tribune, Nov. 7

At this point, the future looks pretty bleak for Twitter. But like millions of other hardcore tweeters, Nathan Schneider — a scholar-in-residence at CU Boulder who focus on media — doesn’t want the service to die. And he doesn’t want to change too much. So, he thinks that Twitter should sell itself to people like him. He thinks Twitter should be run by its fans, much like the Green Bay Packers. WIRED, Nov. 7

The $14.6 million collected in October, which reflects sales in September, was up 12.6 percent from October 2015 and is the third double-digit monthly increase in the past four months.

“This continues to be good news. We will have to wait and see if this continues into the new year. Many businesses are expanding and hiring, so I expect this to continue,” said Tatiana Bailey, director of the UCCS Economic Forum. The Gazette, Nov. 15

Gov. John Hickenlooper said he is in discussion with legislators to provide funding for UCCS to continue developing a national cybersecurity research center to boost research, which he said would “bring a lot of benefit to the state.”

While many Americans have been a victim of identity theft from cyber criminals or know someone who has, Hickenlooper said few people understand the importance of cybersecurity to a state or the entire nation and aren't willing to devote many resources to improve cybersecurity to prevent or stop hacks.  The Gazette, Nov. 15

Also: Suthers’ support for technology gets statewide notice, The Gazette, Nov. 11

Pam Shockley-Zalabak, chancellor of UCCS and widely regarded as one of the community’s more popular and influential leaders, was named the Business Citizen of the Year at the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance’s annual Business Gala. Shockley-Zalabak has led the fast-growing school since 2001. The Gazette, Nov. 13

Also: Editorial: Trump should call on Colorado’s top talent, The Gazette, Nov. 17

UCCS has been feeding its students local foods for a while now, from Red Bird chicken to bread from Denver's Harvest Moon bakery. Even the beer and wine at Clyde's comes from Colorado. Things they can’t do locally, they get as good as they can, such as Rainforest certified coffee. Now, they're adding one more item to their list of sustainably sourced eats: seafood. Colorado Springs Independent, Nov. 16

On Nov. 28, the UCCS community honored fallen officer Garrett Swasey and the region's first responders with a candlelight vigil and ceremony before a men’s basketball game between UCCS and Colorado College. The Gazette, Nov. 28

After Broncos linebacker Alfred Williams’ career ended, a new challenge was just beginning. Williams began suffering panic attacks. Kevin Everhart, a clinical associate professor of psychology at CU Denver, explains one in five people will have a panic attack at some point in their lives. He says medication can help manage panic attacks, but it isn’t a cure. Facing the fear works best. 9News, Nov. 20

While Denver and other police departments across the country have clashed with minority communities and families of those killed by police, Police Chief Nick Metz and Aurora took a different approach. The efforts benefit police by soothing hard feelings in their communities, especially during a period when there is so much tension between law enforcement and minority communities, said Mary Dodge, a criminology professor at CU Denver. The Denver Post, Nov. 14

Girard School and Kirkbride School are three South Philly schools that will be seeing some playground improvements. The Big Sandbox, Knight Foundation, TBS and students from CU Denver and Iowa State University put together this program to allow these schools and others around the city to receive assistance in reinventing their outdoor play and learning spaces. Passyunk Post, Nov. 7

CU Denver professor John Ronquillo was at Standing Rock and says what’s happening is a situation with many layers.

“In my field, we talk a lot about ‘wicked problems,’ which are problems where we see no foreseeable end in sight,” he said. “Do I think DAPL has gotten to ‘wicked problem’ status? I don’t. I do think there will be an end in sight. I think there are opportunities to coalesce around the issues and try and building a dialogue between or among all the parties involved.” 9News, Nov. 11

“It has been very divisive, obviously big unfavorables for both candidates,” said Paul Teske, the dean of the School of Public Affairs at CU Denver. “It’s just a challenging election for many voters.” Teske talked about the mudslinging from both sides during the campaign and pointed to high “unfavorable” ratings for both major party candidates as being things we saw more of during this campaign than others. 7News, Nov. 7

Did the third parties have a chance of tipping the vote for one of the front runners like Ralph Nader did in Florida back in 2000? Sure, said Tony Robinson, a professor at CU Denver who specializes in American political institutions and social movements. But in this election – especially in Colorado – the chances were small.

“The third parties would have to draw more from one candidate than the other. Right now they're drawing from both Trump and Clinton,” he said. But if third parties could tip the balance anywhere “it would happen in a state like Florida or Colorado.” International Business Times, Nov. 7

The 10 most arrested and cited people in Denver cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs, jail nights and emergency room visits. The 10 people, gripped by addiction and living on the street, underscore the devastating cost of homelessness in Denver.

“We spend a lot of money incarcerating these individuals, arresting these individuals,” said Lonnie Schaible, associate professor of criminal justice at CU Denver.  “That takes officers off the street – that prevents them from dealing with bigger problems and issues.” 9News, Nov. 21

Historic Denver and neighbors worked with the Center of Preservation Research at CU Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning to come up with a Krisana Park Pattern Book that identifies the principal home designs and floor plans and suggests complementary additions. Denverite, Nov. 21

Seventy-five doctors shared their stories of miracles. Each wrote an essay about clinical events that stunned them. The doctor responsible for the collection is Harley Rotbart, professor and vice chair emeritus of pediatrics at the CU School of Medicine and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. CBS 4, Nov. 16

A study conducted by researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus involved data on more than 53,000 Americans who were either current or former heavy smokers. The overall risk of an early death was roughly double if the smoker had diabetes, the researchers reported.

“Taking control of diabetes is important among smokers, whether they undergo screening for lung cancer or not, because diabetes is an independent risk factor for dying,” said lead researcher Kavita Garg, professor of radiology and diagnostics. HealthDay, Nov. 21

You worked hard to lose weight, and you aced it. Now comes the next challenge: keeping it off. An hour of moderate activity like brisk walking or recreational exercise such as riding your bike will keep the pounds off, says Holly Wyatt, associate director of the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.  An hour may feel like a lot, but that amount is necessary to maintain because it gives you something researchers call metabolic flexibility. Shape, Nov. 17

Ben Miller, director of the Eugene S. Farley Jr. Health Policy Center at CU School of Medicine, said there’s no complex reason as to why so many drugs are seeing such large price increases.

“It’s really up to whomever is selling, whoever is offering up the product, to decide how much you or I are going to pay,” he said. To put it even more bluntly, he said, “They do it because they can.” 9News, Nov. 12

The American Psychological Association is unofficially calling what you might be feeling post-election stress disorder. It’s not something you can actually diagnose, but psychologists in Colorado say the symptoms are very real.

“It's really been interfering with a lot of peoples’ normal functioning,” said Liz Chamberlain, a psychologist with the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. Fox 31, Nov. 9

Infectious disease experts agreed that they all get a constant stream of unsolicited, and usually unproven, advice.

“All the time,” said Daniel Olson, an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “You hear about treatments they read about on the web. Or they'll say, ‘I heard this thing works. Can we try it?’” USA Today, Nov. 3

Ben Honigman, professor of emergency medicine at the CU School of Medicine, said 25 to 30 percent of visitors heading to the mountains get acute mountain sickness. The risk is lower for trips to Denver, where only 8 percent to 10 percent of visitors get the ailment. Honigman shared his knowledge about how people are likely to get altitude sickness, and tips on how to avoid it. The Denver Post, Nov. 23

This year, Colorado was once again named the leanest state in the nation. But, according to some, the Pikes Peak region has a ways to go to become truly fit. Erik Wallace, director of the Colorado Springs branch of the CU School of Medicine, said obesity can cause other health issues.

“Obesity leads to higher rates of hypertension, higher rates of diabetes, which can lead to higher rates of heart disease and stroke,” he says. KRCC, Nov. 20

University of Colorado Boulder

Monique K. LeBourgeois, a psychologist in the department of integrative physiology at CU Boulder, said she regularly gets emails from parents around the world asking for advice about how to handle their children’s sleep cycles.

“It depends,” she said. Parents have to look closely at the child in question. “I ask them, you see your child when she has a late bedtime, when she misses a nap, when he struggles to wake up in the morning. How sensitive are they?” The New York Times, Oct. 17

“In Colorado, my first explanation is that it’s a ground-game issue,” said Anand Sokhey, an associate professor of political science at CU Boulder.  “Trump has a very, very poor ground presence in Colorado, so you’re going to see more Clinton signs in general. But Clinton also pulled some of her resources out of the state late in the summer, so you’re not seeing a lot of those, either.” The Denver Post, Oct. 23

Also: Talking with like-minded people creates extreme political views, CU Boulder research finds, Daily Camera, Oct. 2

Gerardo Gutiérrez, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at CU Boulder, recently completed Light Detection and Ranging mapping at Chimney Rock. The remote sensing maps will allow the Forest Service create three-dimensional images of the Great House to help identify previously unknown features and archaeological sites. Cortez Journal, Oct. 26

David Klaus, an aerospace engineer at CU Boulder who has been studying the relationship between gravity and bacteria for 25 years, said fluid shear (friction between fluid particles from fluid viscosity) could explain increased antibiotic resistance in space cultures.

“That physical trigger alters the chemical environment around the cell,” Klaus said. “And the altered environment around the cell changes the biological response. There’s no black magic there.” The Washington Post, Oct. 25

It just celebrated a Martian year orbiting the red planet, and now NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft has beamed back images of the ultraviolet glow of Mars’ atmosphere, unveiling details never before seen.

“MAVEN's elliptical orbit is just right,” said Justin Deighan of CU Boulder, who led the observations. “It rises high enough to take a global picture, but still orbits fast enough to get multiple views as Mars rotates over the course of a day.” Cosmos, Oct. 18

The reason Bakken methane emissions need more attention is because they are an ominous and less understood atmospheric mystery. Detlev Helmig, an atmospheric chemist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research laboratory at CU Boulder, has spent 10 years studying the strange ups and downs of gases in the atmosphere. And human activities appear to be one of the largest factors. As he explains it, carbon dioxide has expanded by about 33 percent since the industrial age began, while methane emissions have risen by 150 percent. Scientific American, Oct. 5

Also: Fossil fuel industry's methane emissions far higher than thought, The Guardian, Oct. 5

An international team of researchers has produced images of the Earth’s interior using a new method using magnetic fields.

“The really exciting thing is that we’re using satellite data, meaning nothing has to actually touch the planet to probe the interior of the Earth,” said Neesha Schnepf from CU Boulder and the National Centers for Environmental Information and a member of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. Nature World News, Oct. 3

On a recent visit to an unnamed government intelligence organization, Ed Rios spotted cybersecurity specialists using virtual reality to ferret out the bad guys. Another was monitoring 50 simultaneous chats. That led Rios, the new CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center at UCCS in Colorado Springs, to ask, “What jobs do you need the most?” The Denver Post, Oct. 19

“Colorado has been a leader in many areas,” said Rev. Stephanie Rose, a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and professor of women’s and ethnic studies at UCCS. “As a resident in this state, I would hope that we continue to lead the pack for others to recognize what human dignity looks like.”

The measure has garnered endorsements from local chapters of organizations covering a variety of issue agendas. No one has openly opposed the measure. The Gazette, Oct. 17

The matter is not necessarily cut and dried, said Laura Eurich, a senior instructor in the department of communications at UCCS. She cited a legal precedent that in 1988 determined that high school students are subject to a lower level of First Amendment rights and can in advance of publication be censored by faculty and staff. The Gazette, Oct. 18

College freshman Mia Barone’s fingers are flying in the campus library, her eyes closed as she signs the words on her study list — tomorrow, free, champion, flirting. The 18-year-old has a gift. Barone, who has Down syndrome, learned to sign as a baby and hopes that after she graduates from UCCS she will work as an interpreter or children’s sign-language teacher. The Denver Post, Oct. 4

The results of the poll were unsurprising, according to Jay Coakley, professor emeritus of sociology at UCCS, whose research has examined the intersection of sociology and sports.

“Actions that disrupt the enjoyment and the fantasy that exists around the NFL and its games are going to be rejected by fans,” Coakley said. “Fans think of football as being separate from the rest of reality. If someone infuses reality into that experience, it’s jolting to the fans and they don’t like it.” SB, Oct. 13

UCCS instructor Zek Valkyrie has introduced gamification to his statistics students, as well as in such classes as sociology, digital humanities and gender and sexuality.

“These systems give students new options and experiences,” he said. “Teachers can operationalize a different sense of progression for students and encourage them to develop strategic thinking skills in a ‘gameful’ way.” The Gazette, Oct. 6

The seasonal hiring process typically begins in September and October. Many positions need to be filled by November, said Laura Argys, professor of economics at CU Denver. “Colorado’s tight labor market could make it difficult for some to fill positions.” Denverite, Oct. 27

 “The more people that engage in fake content and these various grandiose headlines that are just completely untrue -- it actually makes it worse,” said CU Denver social media lecturer Matthew . “If you engage, click, share, comment it just fuels the fire even more.” Fox 31, Oct. 12

To make change, one must know how to make it. That’s why the Center on Domestic Violence was created at CU Denver.

“The center was actually created as a result of a nationally recognized need to create strong leaders for the future of domestic and sexual violence movements,” Barb Paradiso, Center on Domestic Violence director, said. The center is giving out the Champion for Change Award, a national recognition for people who are pushing the fight against domestic and sexual violence. 9News, Oct. 27

“It’s relatively rare for a state to have an elected board that then appoints the commissioner without the governor being involved in any way, shape or form,” says Paul Teske, dean of the School of Public Affairs at CU Denver. Only Kansas and Colorado have partisan-elected boards and commissioners chosen by that board. That model, Teske says, historically makes for a “very politicized board.” Westword, Oct. 19

Kat Vlahos, director of the Center for Preservation Research at CU Denver, who specializes in historic ranch preservation, documentation and analysis, challenged her studio class to come up with design solutions. This July, volunteers from the HistoriCorps historic-structure preservation organization re-roofed the ranch’s bunkhouse and cookhouse. Westword, Oct. 20

“I would be hard-pressed to say that Colorado as a state has an action plan in place, but I think there are certain pockets of individuals who are very sensitive to this issue,” said Phil Strain, a CU Denver professor who heads the university’s Positive Early Learning Experiences Center. He’s part of the team leading the federally funded pilot, called the Pyramid Equity Project, which will take place at preschools in Tennessee and New Jersey. Chalkbeat, Oct. 5

Benjamin Miller, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the CU School of Medicine and the director, said the idea of an “unsick day” is fascinating. He said the top five conditions that drive employer costs are depression, anxiety, obesity, back and neck pain and arthritis. People call in sick because of them, or they come to work and aren’t functioning well and productivity goes down. CBS News, Oct. 12

Toxicology expert George Sam Wang, assistant professor at CU Anschutz, said the state’s poison control center has seen the number of kratom-related calls double from 2015 to 2016, although the numbers remain very low: five calls last year, rising to 10 so far this year.  Wang, also of Children’s Hospital Colorado, said medical professionals are obligated to sound the alarm when they see trends emerging, even if the overall numbers are low.

“This stuff is not regulated – we have no idea what’s in it.” USA Today, Oct. 26

One in 270 children had the gene mutations; others were identified through cholesterol levels alone.

“That’s a pretty common genetic defect,” said Stephen Daniels, chairman of pediatrics at the CU School of Medicine and a member of the U.S. expert panel. Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 27

Even if you’re not a big fan of seafood, you probably know that adding more fish to your diet can do a lot of good. Now, according to scientists at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, there is even evidence that the healthy fat can boost your chances of getting pregnant.

More research needs to be completed before omega-3 foods or supplements become part of treatment for infertility. But Malgorzata Skaznik-Wikiel, an obstetrician-gynecologist who led the study, is encouraged. TIME, Oct. 18

When scientists examined the oxygen-carrying proteins in volunteers’ red blood cells, they found multiple changes affecting how tightly it hung onto its oxygen load. Robert Roach, lead investigator and director of the Altitude Research Center at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, compares this to what happens when baseball players loosen their grip on a mitt.

“If I relax my hand, it will let go of the ball,” he says. The scientists also found that the metabolic processes producing these changes were complex and because red blood cells live for about 120 days, the changes last as long as the cells do. Science, Oct. 13

“What’s surprising to me is that we’re a society that is willing to live with this,” said Angela Sauaia, professor of public health, medicine, and surgery at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. She said that if gun violence were a disease, a one-in-three chance of survival would be considered an epidemic. “This would be a scandal if it was happening with breast cancer or heart attacks,” she said. Baltimore Sun, Oct. 14

University of Colorado Boulder

“People are very excited at actually getting a sample of such a primitive asteroid,” said Dan Scheeres, a professor at CU Boulder, who also heads up the Radio Science Working Group for OSIRIS-REx. “Every time the Earth talks to the spacecraft, we do this by sending radio signals out to the spacecraft wherever it is in the middle of the solar system.” 9News, Sept. 5

“These are valid claims and, as alleged, they are strong claims,” said Sarah Krakoff, a professor of environmental resource and Indian law at CU Boulder. “These [federal provisions] are intended to slow this process down so that they can make sure the right environmental decision is being made.” The Atlantic, Sept. 9

A quality that makes the Komodo an attractive research animal is its formidable size. Komodo dragons are large-bodied animals, which made them a “clear choice in terms of being readily available to sample at the zoo [and] practically safer than some other choices like gorillas or tigers,” says Valerie McKenzie, a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at CU Boulder.

CU Law School Professor Charles Wilkinson, who worked with Native Hawaiians on the issue in the 1980s, said their situation is highly unusual because "in almost all of the cases where tribes have been restored or recognized they have a tribal council, and that tribal council speaks for the tribal members the way governments do." The Washington Post, Sept. 23

“Biodiversity has to come from somewhere,” says the mammalogist Christy McCain, an assistant professor at CU Boulder. “But there are hundreds of hypotheses of what drives diversity.”

McCain said the main four mechanisms thought to do so are evolutionary history, climate, area and how things have changed over time; the impact of temperature, precipitation, weather; how much space animals have; and their place in the food web. The Atlantic, Sept. 8

“You expect large-bodied animals to have more biomass sharing back and forth, so you can detect stronger signals.” Smithsonian Magazine, Sept. 7

A team from CU Boulder studying giant mineral deposits that form on ice surfaces in the Canadian High Arctic found sulfur-metabolizing organisms living on the ice. The team looked for biosignatures that could help scientists look for life on Mars or the Jovian moon Europa, or even farther out. The team found a lot of what they called “extracellular structures” in the sulfur. But they also discovered that these microstructures “are capable of self-assembling...” In other words, what they thought was definitive proof of life was a non-biological process that just looked like life. Voice of America, Sept. 21

Douglas Duncan of CU Boulder has studied the impact that technology can have on the classroom. He has tried desperately to keep students off their phones during his astronomy class. About 70 percent of college students use their phones during class, according to his research, and grades for those students are about a half-letter lower on average than for students who don’t use their phones. Wall Street Journal, Sept. 20

CU Boulder senior climate scientist Roger Pielke Sr. said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should be embarrassed by its rush to release the research before conducting a peer review, accusing the agency of bias and calling the study a “dismaying example of manipulation of science for political reasons.”

“The models being used in the study have not shown the skill needed to make these definitive forecasts of changes in extreme rainfall statistics,” Pielke said. Washington Times, Sept. 8

McCord-Herbst Center is now open and available to any military members or vets who are looking for resources or simply a place to hang out.

“This type of place is tremendously important. It really provides a support mechanism for a unique group of students. Veteran and military students have been through a lot in the last 10 to 15 years, so we want to provide whatever support they need,” said Philip Morris, program director for veteran and military students. KRDO, Sept. 9

Thomas P.  Huber, a geography and environmental studies professor at UCCS, captured a vivid, panoramic photo to parallel the natural landscape features surveyors created with ink-drawn maps 150 years ago. Daily Camera, Sept. 29

Experts said that, if parents are mentally sharp and choose to accept the risks of living at home, it’s OK for their children to accept them, too. “Sometimes, you’re simply waiting for a medical crisis. You don't have any choice," said Sara Honn Qualls, director of the Gerontology Center at UCCS. Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 2

Shield 616 - a local nonprofit that supports law enforcement agencies - delivered tactical-gear kits to all members of the university’s police force and its chief, Mark Pino. The gear included a ballistic helmet, a specialized vest and optics designed to give officers a better view of an active shooter. The Gazette, Sept. 28

Joshua Dunn, chair of the Political Science Department at UCCS, said it will be critical for Trump to win over Cruz voters in Colorado this November.

“If he wants to win Colorado, not all of them, but a substantial percentage of those Cruz supporters and others who just didn’t like Trump . . . they have to vote for Trump,” Dunn said. KOAA, Sept. 22

Representatives from CU Denver, including civil engineering professor and bridge expert Kevin Rens, arrived in Jones County to conduct a survey and collect data on the limestone, three-arched bridge located outside Monticello. Rens said he plans to use the data to determine the state of the bridge and possible repair needs. He expects to have a report finished by the end of the year. The Gazette, Sept. 8

Jim Walsh noticed something odd. The clinical assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at CU Denver was researching the immigration of the Irish to the Rocky Mountain region during the Silver Boom of 1879-93, the kind of work that usually leads scholars to musty rooms full of bundled records, or library tables crammed with books and yellowed first-person accounts. But this time, it had led to a lonely Leadville graveyard. Westword, Sept. 27

“When you have private interests shaping the use of the public realm in significant way, I think there’s inevitably going to be tension,” says Jeremy Németh, associate professor of urban and regional planning at CU Denver. Németh is concerned that security patrols make decisions based on economic or racial profiling rather than on how a person is acting. Colorado Springs Independent, Sept. 20

Millions of New York residents received an alert on their phones telling them to look out for a suspect in the Manhattan and New Jersey bombings. Within three hours, the suspect was found. But some have criticized the message alert system.

Researchers who looked into how people interpreted alerts found that participants said the messages, which are limited to 90 characters, were fear-inducing. CU Denver Professor Hamilton Bean and his co-authors wrote in the paper the messages were “often deemed confusing, difficult to believe and impersonal.” Daily Mail, Sept. 20

Filmmaker Michelle Bauer Carpenter’s “Klocked: Women with Horsepower” is about breaking female stereotypes. Carpenter showcases three powerful female role models to destroy stereotypes of how women are portrayed in mainstream media.

“I think girls and kids growing up right now need to see that women don’t fall into some categories we see on television,” Carpenter said, prime example being Laura Klock — motorcycle racer, business woman and mother. Summit Daily News, Sept. 14

The Whitebark pine faces deadly threats on so many fronts that the species is a candidate for the U.S. endangered species list, according to CU Denver researcher Diana Tomback. It’s already on Canada’s version.

“And it’s declining fastest in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem,” Tomback said. Missoulian, Sept. 13

Amy Hasinoff, assistant professor of communication at CU Denver, said that one thing parents shouldn’t do when monitoring their children’s phones is to keep the software a secret from them.

“It can really damage trust between parents and kids. If the kids find out they’ve been surreptitiously monitored, they will stop trusting their parents and find other ways to do what they’re doing,” she said. The Denver Post, Sept. 3

Matt Vogl became the executive director of the National Behavioral Health Innovation Center at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus last February. Today, he’s addressing mental and behavioral health issues in creative ways, ranging from partnering with local businesses to bringing in animation company Pixar to build educational programs. Denver Business Journal, Sept. 2

Cancer patient Joyce Brown was referred to Jennifer Diamond, M.D., to discuss her options. Diamond enrolled her in a promising new clinical trial of combination immunotherapy using the drugs Nivolumab and Ipilimumab.

“For many people, immunotherapy is much better tolerated than chemotherapy” Diamond said. “This treatment can stop these cancer cells from hiding from the immune system – and allow your immune system to fight the cancer like it should.” 9News, Sept. 14

A class offered in nine Western Slope communities is looking to help people take charge of their health. The CU Anschutz Medical Campus has teamed up with the Western Colorado Area Health Education Center to offer a Mini Medical School program. “By bringing people together, so they can listen to doctors on various topics, we're hoping they’ll take charge in their health,” said WCAHEC’s Nicole Heil. 11 News, Sept. 7

“There may be a safety concern where the EpiPen may not contain epinephrine – the medication used for allergic response – and we may have a contaminated product since it’s being sold without a valid legal prescription,” said Joseph Saseen, PharmD at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 9News, Sept. 1

Don Elliman isn’t a doctor and he doesn’t play one on TV, either. But the surgical precision he has used as chancellor to turn the CU Anschutz Medical Campus into the beating heart of Denver’s health-care scene will benefit many lives that he’ll never touch directly. Denver Business Journal, Sept. 23

When used in appropriate doses, either levothyroxine or Armour Thyroid should result in a good health outcome. Yet results vary.

“Some physicians use it in most patients, others in patients who do not do well, and others, like me, very rarely consider using Armour Thyroid,” said Bryan Haugen, professor of medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “The people who use and support it claim that some patients feel better on thyroid extracts like Armour than levothyroxine therapy alone, and there is some weak short-term evidence to support that.” MedPageToday, Sept. 26

One glimmer of good news in finding a source and a cure for acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) came from Kenneth Tyler, chair of neurology at the CU School of Medicine. He and his colleagues have been conducting experiments to infect mice with Enterovirus D68 and have them develop loss of muscle control like that seen in AFM. The goal, he said, is to use mice to study how EV-D68 causes harm to the spinal cord and muscles, and to test potential therapies. The Washington Post, Sept. 21

“The kinetic energy carried by these spherules is colossal, about 20 million megatons total or about the energy of a one megaton hydrogen bomb at 6-kilometer intervals around the planet,” says CU Boulder geologist Doug Robertson. All of that energy was converted to heat as those spherules started to descend through the atmosphere 40 miles up, about 40 minutes after impact.

“For several hours following the Chicxulub impact, the entire Earth was bathed with intense infrared radiation from ballistically re-entering ejecta.” Smithsonian, Aug. 9

A CU Boulder space physicist reports that the United States was possibly hours away from initiating hostilities against the Soviet Union on May 23, 1967, when jammed radar and radio communications were first thought to be the work of this nation's Cold War rival. It was only because of eleventh-hour information from military space weather forecasters that the communications breakdowns stemmed from a mammoth burst of solar activity that U.S. planes stayed on the ground and a potential nuclear exchange was averted.

“It had the potential to go horribly wrong,” said Delores Knipp, a research professor in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder and lead author of a new study on the episode. “And in the end, they went commendably right because the U.S. Air Force and the United States had invested in the improved forecasting technology of the day.” Daily Camera, Aug. 9

Most of us would assume that an athlete would be more pleased with silver than bronze, but the reason why this doesn’t happen can be explained by the phenomenon called counterfactual thinking, said Peter McGraw, a behavioral scientist at CU Boulder.

“People have a tendency to compare their state of the world and what happens to them with what could have been,” McGraw said. CNN, Aug. 18

Also:

• Emma Coburn, former CU star, makes history with Olympic bronze, The Denver Post, Aug. 15
• Jenny Simpson claims bronze medal in 1,500 at Olympics, The Denver Post, Aug. 16
• Who will out bolt Bolt? The Economist, Aug. 23
• The science behind Olympic competition, 9News, Aug. 17

Addressing the question of when and where we will find extraterrestrial life, Carol E. Cleland, philosophy professor and co-investigator in the Center for Astrobiology at CU Boulder, said, “If there is abundant microbial life on Mars, I suspect that we will find it within 20 years—if it is enough like our form of life. If an alien life-form differs much from what we have here on Earth, it is going to be difficult to detect.” Scientific American, Sept. 1

Former Denver Post editor-in-chief Greg Moore will teach CU Boulder this semester, the university announced. Moore, who resigned from the Post in March after 14 years as its top editor, will lead a five-week seminar called “Deadline and Disruptions: New Issues in the News” in CU's new College of Media, Communication and Information. Daily Camera, Aug. 23

Stefanie K. Johnson, an assistant professor of management at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and a researcher of workplace bias, says there’s something about blondes.

“Recent research has argued blond hair makes you appear more feminine, but also makes you appear less threatening,” Johnson tells Yahoo Beauty. “Blond is very childlike; few of us have naturally blond hair as adults.” Yahoo News, Aug. 23

A new study suggests that children might need a little more latitude with their free time instead of having their days packed with lessons, sports and structured activities.

“The more time kids had in less structured activities, the more self-directed they were and, also, the reverse was true: The more time they spent in structured activities, the less able they were to use executive function,” said study author Yuko Munakata, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder. Fox 31, Aug. 23

National monument designations that bypass Congress are hugely controversial. CU Boulder historian Patty Limerick says it’s not uncommon for a president to wait until the very last minute.

“Bill Clinton and his Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit had quite a realistic recognition that the Democrats were not going to be carrying Utah in the 1990s,” Limerick says. “So they could go ahead with national monuments, whether or not the people of Utah thought that was a cool idea or not.” NPR, Aug. 18

Also: Loved to death: The unintended consequences of Colorado tourism, KUNC, Aug. 22

If you’re online, you've seen it. The Twitter battles, the Facebook memes and the Snapchat trolling. Both candidates are doing it, but with very different strategies.

“Hillary follows a more traditional politician role," said Laura Eurich, a senior instructor for the UCCS Communication Department. “It seems like her information is vetted more, less off the cuff. I think that’s what people are looking for from Donald Trump right now, is that uncensored, in the moment communication that he’s putting out there on social media.” KOAA, Aug. 11

The moment Chan Bergen laid eyes on a mountain lion carved from white marble he knew in his heart that he wanted to help give the sculpture a permanent home at UCCS. The large sculpture now resides at the front of the El Pomar Center, home to the library and information technology services.

The lion, which artist Ernest Geolfos of Broomfield carved from Colorado marble, was placed on top of an 11,000-pound granite base, also funded by Bergen. The Gazette, Aug. 22

“A lot of the [college and university] emergency plans really stepped up after 9/11,” UCCS Police Lt. Marc Pino says. Asked when UCCS began preparing for an active-shooter scenario, Pino said, “Virginia Tech would be when we really started doing emphasis on active shooter, and also our campus developed a student response team as a response.” Colorado Springs Independent, Aug. 24

As faculty jobs have become more stratified with the growth of non-tenure-track, most gains for underrepresented minority groups have been in the most precarious positions. That is, not on the tenure track. Martin J. Finkelstein, a professor of higher education at Seton Hall University, wrote the study with Valerie Martin Conley, dean of the College of Education at UCCS, and Jack H. Schuster, senior research fellow and professor emeritus of education and public policy at Claremont Graduate University. Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 22

An experienced student affairs administrator currently at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, will be the next vice chancellor for student success at UCCS, officials announced. Sentwali Bakari, Drake’s dean of students since 2003, was selected following a national search. He will begin Oct. 3. The Gazette, Aug. 9

Joshua Dunn, chair of the Department of Political Science at UCCS, says this election does bring new twists — starting with Donald Trump seemingly sabotaging his own campaign.

“I think certainly Republicans are worried that it’s going to have an effect on the down-ballot races,” Dunn says. “But it’s not like Democrats are substantially enthusiastic about their candidate either.” Colorado Springs Independent, Aug. 10

Countries are meant to temporarily shelve political differences during the Olympics, but tense relationships between nations can nonetheless spill over into the sporting world. In the case of the U.S. and the former USSR, decades of mistrust and barely veiled antagonism influenced American and Soviet Union spectators’ emotions when their Olympic athletes went head to head, said Jay Coakley, a professor emeritus of sociology at UCCS.

“People perceive a rivalry in connection with their sense of the larger social and political issues between their nation and the nation represented by opposing athletes,” Coakley said. Live Science, Aug. 8

During the course of a murder investigation in 2012, the police turned to the National Center for Media Forensics at CU Denver for assistance. With the program’s specialized software, as well as the expertise required to extract evidence from audio recordings, CU Denver was able to help the Denver Police Department make a shocking discovery. A cleaned-up version of the recording revealed that the man they had interrogated had mumbled, “I did it.” Westword, Aug. 11

Ken Schroeppel, assistant professor with the CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning, said rail station development opportunities generally fall into three tiers: shovel-ready, midrange launch and long-term prospects. For those with a longer time horizon, such as Wheat Ridge, he said it’s important that city planners refrain from being too prescriptive with their blueprints.

“Good plans need to be flexible,” he said. “The market 10, 15, 20 years from now is certainly going to be different.” The Denver Post, Aug. 15

It’s important to put together a program the community trusts, said Lonnie Schaible, assistant professor of criminal justice at CU Denver. Schaible, who has testified about data collection programs on the state level, recommends bringing in a neutral party to design the program and write reports. “A classic issue with police analyzing police is a lack of trust.” The Denver Post, Aug. 7.

Plans for a new Fire Station 2 continue to evolve thanks to the help of CU Denver and a grant from the Department of Local Affairs. CU Denver student Jason Geving, project lead of the design team helping Pueblo West, gave an update to the Pueblo West Metropolitan District Board of Directors last week. Pueblo West View, Aug. 11

Research shows that investment decisions will largely depend on simply whether the investor’s favorite candidate wins or loses. The study analyzed extensive survey data gathered by Gallup and the trading histories of more than 60,000 individual investors at a major brokerage firm. The researchers— including Yosef Bonaparte of CU Denver and director of the Global Center for Political Finance – controlled for all the major demographic factors, such as age, race, gender, education wealth and income level. The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 7

Coloradans won't get a chance to vote on whether to impose tougher restrictions on the oil and gas industry in November because two proposed ballot measures failed to get enough signatures to make the ballot. But proponents of tougher rules will keep trying, said Tanya Heikkila, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver who studies fracking policy.

“I see this as a sort of chronic and long-term debate,” she said. Associated Press, Aug. 29

The American Heart Association says certain drugs can cause or worsen heart failure. The organization now suggests you talk to your doctor with a complete list of medications. Pharmacist Robert Lee Page from the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences was the lead on the study and stopped by 9NEWS on Saturday to talk about it. 9News, July 30

The Affordable Care Act explains some of the reluctance by staff at many hospitals to get patients moving, experts say. Under the law, hospitals are penalized for preventable problems, including falls. Researchers believe that hospital staffers, to ensure their patients don’t fall, often leave them in their beds.

“We are doing an awful lot to prevent falls, but there is a cost,” said Heidi Wald, an associate professor at the CU School of Medicine. “The cost is decreased mobility.” Kaiser Health News, Aug. 16

The highest mountain peaks in Colorado top 14,000 feet, while a move to Denver takes you up 5,000 to 6,000 feet. “The higher you go, the longer it takes to adjust,” says Benjamin Honigman, a professor of emergency medicine at CU School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 14

Ted Trimpa experienced depression brought on by surgery he had to repair a valve in his heart one year ago. Only after being on the brink of suicide did he learn that depression is common among people who get open heart surgery, though a top cardiologist in Colorado, John Rumsfeld of the CU School of Medicine, says the connection is not discussed enough or thoroughly understood. Colorado Public Radio, Aug. 18

“While restless sleep or persistent snoring may seem harmless, chronic sleep deprivation can reduce your body’s resistance to infection and increase your risk of a more serious medical conditions,” said Teofilo L. Lee-Chiong Jr., a professor of medicine at the CU School of Medicine.

“There are many consequences of disturbed sleep, such as impairments in attention, memory, response time and performance, increased risk of falls, and greater use of health care resources.” Mother Nature Network, Aug. 13

Researcher Huntington Potter, director of the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center and a CU professor, has been awarded $1 million to advance his clinical trial that focuses on treating neuroinflammation to slow or halt the disease. The funding is part of a $7 million investment by the Alzheimer’s Association and California philanthropist Michaela “Mikey” Hoag that boosts four promising approaches to addressing neuroinflammation — with another $3 million to be awarded to the trial that proves most promising. The Denver Post, Aug. 2

“People get really freaked out about it,” said Tania Schoennagel, a researcher at CU Boulder who co-authored one of the most prominent studies on the topic. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve spoken to foresters, the public, even other scientists, and they say, ‘What? Bark beetles don’t increase wildfire?’ They look at me like I’m crazy, and I’m like, here’s the data.” San Diego Union Tribune, July 6

“Part of the excitement is to go out there, look up in the sky, and start to see where they’re coming from,” said Fabio Mezzalira, manager of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory at CU Boulder. “It’s a beautiful night.” The Denver Post, July 27

“Michelle Obama gave a real nice speech in 2008. So nice it got repurposed a little in 2016,” said Elizabeth Skewes, a journalism professor at CU Boulder. Skewes says while speeches from political spouses tend to follow similar talking points, in this case someone on Trump’s speech-writing team should have caught and corrected the similarities. 9News, July 20

For CU Boulder Associate Professor for Ethnic Studies Hillary Potter, the subject of race relations has many facets.

“Race relations today are complex and complicated in a different way,” Potter said. “It’s also going to take our lawmakers to make sure that we are all protected as citizens and that we do truly all have equal rights.” 9News, July 15

Many summers David Grant, professor of mathematics at CU Boulder, spends a week teaching middle-school students in an enrichment program. He sees nothing unusual about that — he attended a similar program himself when he was in high school.

“If you look at what allows people to succeed at college-level math, you have to look at the foundation they receive from K through 12,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to be around these young people and help them develop.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 17

Contrary to what you might have heard, cycling does not cause erectile dysfunction. But that’s not to say you’re 100 percent immune from some problems below the belt. This includes bouts of nerve damage, numbness, and other more superficial issues such as saddle sores, said Andy Pruitt, founder of the CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center and medical consultant to numerous World Tour teams and riders. Bicycling Magazine, July 13

A paper co-authored by Shuan Zhang at CU Boulder took advantage of a 1958 policy that subsidized coal-based heating for people living north of the Huai River, which had the effect of raising pollution levels in the country’s north. The authors found that households were on average willing to pay some $190 to remove pollution caused by the policy over five years. The Wall Street Journal, July 13

“We know exactly what the fault is doing as it progresses toward the next earthquake,” said Roger Bilham, a geology professor at CU Boulder. The attention being given to the fixed Hayward curb is a “red herring,” he said. The real concern is the impending earthquake, which geologists predict could register as high as a magnitude 7.

“Eight million people in the area are going to be given a surprise, compared to the one or two geologists who are now missing a reference marker,” he said. The New York Times, July 11

The NASA spacecraft Juno was successfully inserted into Jupiter's orbit at 9:53 p.m. MDT July 4 — only 7 minutes before the big holiday display began at Folsom Field. For the team led by Fran Bagenal at CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, choosing between the two aerial shows was no contest. Daily Camera, July 5

UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak has withstood both the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, and the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression at the helm of the constantly expanding local CU campus. She’s seen state support shrink and student loans grow — and says that her biggest challenge is juggling educational quality with budgetary needs. Colorado Springs Business Journal, July 8

The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation has donated $1 million to the Galleries of Contemporary Art at UCCS. Part of the money will be used to establish an endowment to support arts programming and educational initiatives. The Gazette, July 7

A new cybersecurity center in Colorado Springs has changed its name, launched a national search for its CEO and will soon open temporary offices near the UCCS campus. The Gazette, July 7

The farm serves as a wellspring for educational programs on farming, nutrition and the benefits of healthy eating, allowing students to farm their own food and then cook it. One such course begins in August – leaving the program’s leader, Nanna Meyer, shaken. The course may now focus more on the challenges urban farms face.

“It’s a test and proof of a changing world,” said Meyer, a UCCS associate professor specializing in sport nutrition and sustainability. The Gazette, July 22

Everybody loves free food, college students especially, so why let good food go to waste? When Siyab Khan, 24, and Bryan Pattirane, 26, asked each other that question as college students three years ago, it sparked the concept of Hitspot. The college-focused mobile app, available for iPhone and Android users, is exclusively offered at UCCS. The team behind it, however, has bigger plans. The Gazette, July 17

“I feel that at present we have too little data to be able to make effective strategies to protect our vulnerable populations, which include children, victims of domestic abuse, and homeless youth, who tend to be common targets of sex traffickers,” said Aditi Mitra, UCCS executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.  The Gazette, July 10

Filmmaker David Liban tells the story of Jill Brogdon and other survivors in “Live Through This: Survivors of Sex Trafficking.” They spoke to Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner. Liban is chair of the CU Denver Film and Television Department. Colorado Public Radio, July 27

CU Denver political scientist Paul Teske can’t pinpoint one single reason for the surge of unaffiliated voters.  Yet he points out Colorado’s population is growing quickly and millennials may be expressing themselves.

“The millennials are seen as having many jobs in their careers and not necessarily staying with one organization for the entire time, it may be they think of political parties in a similar way,” Teske said. 7News, July 26

Also, Unconventional Republican National Convention, 7News, July 21

Depending on how you use the game, you should be aware of security risks Tam Vu, assistant professor at CU Denver, said. Vu, director of the school’s Mobile and Networked System Laboratory, was aghast about the Google intrusion even after Niantic’s apology. He warned that all users should be wary of any app asking for full access. The Denver Post, July 15

How much impact does the legalization of marijuana have on the city’s coolness factor among millennials? “Some have speculated that it helped put Denver on the map,” said Carrie Makarewicz, an assistant professor in the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver. “It got national news coverage and made people think of Denver as this more progressive place.” The New York Times, July 20

In the leaked clip, Swift appears to give approval of the lyrics West wrote about her for his “Life of Pablo” track. So does Swift have legal recourse? Stan Soocher, associate professor at CU Denver, says, “Not necessarily. If you’re on a speakerphone, you tell someone they’re on a speakerphone. But did he reveal it to her? Did she feel that nevertheless he was in the room by himself? That isn't necessarily clear.” Rolling Stone, July 18

“Don Newcombe could have been better if he’d been sober while he was playing,” says Sarah Fields, an associate professor in communication at CU Denver. “Newcombe himself thinks he could have been in the Hall of Fame. But when he started pitching he weighed about 225, 220, and when he finished, his weight had ballooned up to 250. He drank a lot.” WBUR, June 15

“It begins with the nature of his conviction, which is not guilty by reason of insanity,” said Robert Freedman, professor of psychiatry at the CU School of Medicine. “Under the laws of most jurisdictions, once he is no longer actively insane or a danger to reasonable, clinical opinion, he has to be released.” 9News, July 27

In July at the Cancer Center, Cancer League of Colorado presented Dan Theodorescu, CU Cancer Center director, with a check for $690,000—the highlight of a record fundraising year for the all-volunteer nonprofit organization. The Villager, July 27

 “We know in Colorado, 76 percent of our gun deaths are suicides,” said Emmy Betz, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the CU School of Medicine. Whether or not doctors should ask patients if they have gun is a different question – and according to a new study from CU’s medical school, some people don't like the idea. 9News, July 27

The roads that led Andrea Gerard-Gonzalez to the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes on the CU  Anschutz Medical Campus weren’t all eight-lane expressways. A few of them weren’t even covered in asphalt. But each can be seen as a metaphor in the journey that brought her to Colorado, where she is making an important difference in the health of youngsters of Latin descent who have Type 1 diabetes. The Denver Post, July 21

When construction occurs on an arsenic-contaminated site, the key issue is usually related to the safety of children on involved properties, including completed projects like Provenance, said Michael Kosnett, a medical toxicologist at the CU School of Medicine. 

“The concern is how much children will come into contact with the arsenic in hand-to-mouth activity,” Kosnett said. He added that a risk assessment study should be performed when affected residents are concerned. Chicago Tribune, July 7

Entering jail is an instantly dehumanizing process. “You get clothes that don't fit you, you get strip-searched, you lose any semblance of privacy, you don't get to make many decisions that we all take for granted,” said Jeffrey Metzner, a psychiatrist at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus who specializes in inmate mental health. Huffington Post, July 13

University of Colorado Boulder

Dalai Lama regales Coloradans, urges compassion, ‘global sensibility’

Tibet’s Dalai Lama built his case for a happier, friendlier world in sold-out appearances Thursday at CU Boulder, urging deeper self-study and compassion as remedies to rising tension — continuing a U.S. tour aimed partly at ensuring Tibetan survival. The Denver Post, June 23

Climate big player in Patagonian ice age mammal extinction 12,000 years ago

Research has helped to clear up a muddy image of now-extinct South American megafauna, according to CU Boulder senior analysis affiliate Jessica Metcalf.

“The DNA and age of bones from South American megafauna confirmed the extinctions occurred after human arrival there and coincided with local weather warming,” Metcalf said. “We discovered that members of the camel household, for instance, resilient survivors of the final ice age, suffered big losses in genetic variety.” News Today! June 21

Bronze buckle shows ancient trade between Eurasia and North America

Archaeologists John Hoffecker and Owen Mason of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at CU Boulder found metal objects while excavating six Thule houses on Cape Espenberg, a remote outpost on the Seward Peninsula jutting into the Bering Strait. Smithsonian, June 13

Why the marijuana business is appealing to female entrepreneurs

Women have deliberately waded into the pot industry because they want to prevent specific ills they’ve experienced in other industries, such as scientific research being closely guarded for personal and political benefit instead of being shared to drive more discovery. Daniela Vergara, an evolutionary biologist and researcher at CU Boulder, cofounded the nonprofit Agricultural Genomics Foundation to make sure cannabis research is publicly available to prevent big companies from taking over. The Atlantic, June 28

What a smell looks like

As I approach, John Crimaldi, professor of fluid mechanics, pushes open an eastern door so he can show me what these smells look like. We walk into Crimaldi’s shop to view his team’s massive creation: a 50-foot-long tank with lavender railings. As I glance at the water, I half expect salmon or tiny sharks to dart through the 5,000 gallons of water. PBS NewsHour, June 9

‘Wasteful’ galaxies emit heavy elements into deep space

Oxygen, carbon and iron atoms tend to exist in gaseous halos outside the galaxies instead of within them, according to a CU Boulder study. Once they are emitted, these building blocks of stars become wastes.

“Previously, we thought that these heavier elements would be recycled into future generations of stars and contribute to building planetary systems,” said Benjamin Oppenheimer, a research associate in the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy. “As it turns out, galaxies aren’t very good at recycling.” Nature World News, June 7

Do gorillas even belong in zoos? Harambe’s death spurs debate

Some deride most zoos as little more than amusement parks with educational placards that few people bother to read.

“There’s no good evidence that captive apes are having any positive effect on their wild relatives,” said Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist and professor emeritus at CU Boulder. The New York Times, June 6

Spinning comets can tear themselves apart, only to be reborn

Comet 67P is made up of two connected lobes. “It sort of looks like a rubber ducky, with a head and body,” said study co-author Daniel Scheeres, a planetary scientist at CU Boulder. Prior work suggested that five of the seven comet nuclei that have been imaged in high resolution, including 67P and Halley’s Comet, are two-lobed. This led the researchers to examine what might happen if these comets spun. Space.com, June 1

Michelle Ellsworth, CU professor, works on Guggenheim-funded project

Michelle Ellsworth says CU’s department of theater and dance has been supportive of her work and process and has been “profound to my productivity and evolution.” The New York Times named her on the Best Dance of 2015 list. Daily Camera, June 26

Why former Broncos player Jeb Putzier has turned to an array of therapies to ease his post-football pain

Sherrie Ballantine-Talmadge, a physician and pain-management specialist at CU’s Sports Medicine and Performance Center in Boulder, has an adage she shares with colleagues but admits is rarely said outside her clinic’s doors.

“Once you’ve seen one concussion, you’ve seen one concussion,” she explains, “meaning each concussion is different and each concussion within each person is different.” The Denver Post, June 17

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Public event explores impact of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism in Colorado Springs

“We thought it was very important to offer an opportunity for the community to learn more about the journalism and to have a chance to meet and hear from the photographers and reporters who produced the work,” said Joanna Bean, assistant director of communications and media relations at UCCS and former Gazette editor. “It's also about the people and topics and issues that journalism brings to the fore and a chance to give people some insight into how these projects come together.” The Gazette, June 12

KPWE supports nontraditional, ‘unstoppable’ women students at UCCS

Seven women are Karen Possehl Women’s Endowment scholarship recipients for nontraditional women students graduating from UCCS. The necklaces are graduation gifts from Possehl, who with her husband Jim in 1998 started the endowment for women facing tremendous obstacles to education and careers. The Gazette, June 9

How one college built an innovative degree program . . . in innovation

Connor McCormick feels at home at UCCS. In fall 2007, the school introduced a trademarked bachelor of innovation degree program, which administrators say is the first of its kind. Today, 384 students are enrolled to study innovation across 19 majors, ranging from digital filmmaking to chemistry to early childhood education. Terry Boult, a UCCS professor who founded the program, said that in running several of his own companies, he realized he wasn't finding recent graduates to hire with the skills he needed. The Week, June 10

UCCS program to highlight need and techniques for good sleep

Michele Okun, health researcher at UCCS, said a single night of shortened or poor-quality slumber can compromise an individual’s mood and performance the next day, affecting cognition, attention span, immune system and even the aging process, among other things. Despite a growing awareness of sleep’s role as an essential health behavior, many Americans still maintain poor habits and subsist on insufficient amounts of shut-eye, she said. The Gazette, June 28

Big plans grow for small Colorado Springs farm

UCCS is using a chunk of grant money to develop The Tiny Farm Nutrition Education Program to teach neighbors how to prepare and cook the fresh food in their own kitchens. Nanna Meyer, an associate professor of health sciences and one of the grant writers, is leading that part of the program. The Gazette, June 25

Training gap is a crimp in aerospace contractors’ plans

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at UCCS is ramping up efforts to meet the demand for engineers, information technology professionals and cybersecurity specialists, doubling enrollment in the school between 2010 and last year, said R. “Dan” Dandapani, dean of the engineering college. The Gazette, June 19

UCCS, Penrose-St. Francis team up to develop sports medicine and performance center

UCCS will partner with Penrose-St. Francis Health Services on its upcoming sports medicine and performance center, which is one of the projects in the City for Champions tourism initiative. The partnership adds clarity to a $40 million project that aims to draw athletes, troops and first responders from Colorado and beyond. The Gazette, June 17

University of Colorado Denver

You’re more likely to exercise if you have a sense of purpose

The study authors found that the people who reported having a stronger sense of purpose in their life were more physically active.

“Reminding yourself what gives your life meaning and purpose, and connecting that to why you want to be physically active, could improve the chances that you stick with it,” says study author Stephanie A. Hooker of CU Denver. TIME, June 14

It’s an employee’s job market in Colorado right now

Colorado overall is still waiting to see a significant uptick in wage growth, said Laura Argys, professor of economics at CU Denver. The link between wage growth and a tight labor market may not be as strong as it has been in the past, Argys said. The Denverite, June 24

In a dense downtown, making a neighborhood

Following the Second World War and through the early 1990s, there was a migration of middle and upper classes for the suburbs. Cities, realizing that they were dying, decided to start building major civic projects in their downtowns. Ken Schroeppel, a professor of urban planning at CU Denver, says those investments were key to today’s boom.

“A lot of cities went through the whole stadium, arena, convention center, museum, library kind of wave of development, largely focused in the urban core, as part of a broader strategy of allowing the center city to come back and be revitalized,” he says. “What was kind of key to a lot of these investments was urban tourism.” Newsworks, June 14

Marijuana legalization: Pot brings poor people to Colorado, but what’s being done to help them?

Marty Otañez, a CU Denver anthropology professor who has been studying the state’s marijuana industry, said he’s met multiple cannabis workers who are on their way to becoming homeless. It has left him convinced that it’s time for people in charge of the industry to address the problem. International Business Times, June 21

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

How doctors really die

A new study reveals that doctors die just like the rest of us. “We went into this with the hypothesis we were going to see very large differences,” said Stacy Fischer, a physician who specializes in geriatrics at the CU School of Medicine. “What we found was very little difference to no difference.” The Washington Post, June 6

Here’s why women get migraines more than men

 “It’s unlikely that the estrogen fluctuation alone causes a migraine, but it may a precipitating factor,” says study author Nanette Santoro of the CU School of Medicine. Santoro says men do not experience the same type of large hormone fluctuations with testosterone as women do with the hormones estradiol and progesterone each month.

“Women whose migraines are influenced by their hormone fluctuations—and most are—are just going to have more headaches than a man who does not experience hormone fluctuations,” says Santoro. TIME, June 1

Gunshot wounds are getting deadlier, one hospital finds  

Although the findings are from only a single hospital, they represent a trend that doctors elsewhere have reported anecdotally, the researchers said.

“Our study provides an objective measure of something trauma surgeons across the country already know: The firearms used in our communities are becoming more harmful and more lethal,” said study co-author Angela Sauaia, a professor of public health, medicine and surgery at the Colorado School of Public Health. Live Science, June 14

CU researchers find key to some symptoms of severe West Nile infection

“It helps us understand the mechanisms for something we’ve been seeing in patients,” said Kenneth Tyler, chairman of the neurology department on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “They’re things we actually have drugs for that are being used in other situations that may block some of the bad effects of these pathways.” Denver Post, June 23

Also: Colorado woman infected with Zika on trip to Mexico, 9News, June 22

Street doctor seeks out patients for free health care

A UCHealth doctor took her medical skills to the streets to help people who can't afford it. The group called Yahweh Health Care Clinic provides free health care to people without health insurance or who can't pay for help or medication to treat illness. YHC is headed by Kathryn Boyd-Trull, M.D. Doctors periodically set up in parking lots and invite people to see a physician for free. 7News, June 17

Families see better end-of-life care for cancer than other diseases

Too often, terminally ill patients don’t understand the trajectory of their disease, the potential benefits and harms of continued treatment, or the potential for integrating palliative care into their treatment plan, said Amos Bailey, M.D., of the CU Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical. Fox News, June 28

University of Colorado Boulder

CU students help with recent NASA discovery

NASA’s Kepler mission recently verified 1,284 new planets, the most ever discovered in one mission.

“A lot of this stuff is rewriting textbooks,” said Bill Possel, director of mission operations and data systems for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU-Boulder. Over the past few years, CU-Boulder students had a direct role in the mission that made this latest discovery. 9News, May 18

‘Two Worms in Love’ sparks dialogue about anti-bias curriculum in preschools

R.B. Sinclair says she was concerned when she heard the Denver school her 4-year-old attended read books about family and sexual diversity. She says her daughter is too young to understand it. Bethy Leonardi sees it differently. Leonardi is a co-founder and research associate at A Queer Endeavor, an early childhood education initiative at CU-Boulder. Colorado Public Radio, May 5

CU-Boulder study: Narcotic painkillers cause chronic pain

Results of a three-month CU-Boulder study show opioids, such as morphine, cause an increase in chronic pain in lab rats, something that could have  implications for people, too. Peter Grace, left, a CU assistant research professor, and Linda Watkins, a professor, led the study that they say shows lab rats exhibited long-lasting chronic pain after using morphine treatments for five days. The Denver Post, May 30

Cattle drugs could fuel climate change, study suggests

Researchers followed the trail of antibiotics in cattle and discovered that the trail did not stop at the cow’s rear end.

Tobin Hammer from CU-Boulder said, “Most methane generated by cattle is actually released as burps, and we think that antibiotics are likely to increase burped methane as well – but in this study we weren't able to measure that directly.” BBC News, May 25

Researchers create a virtual version of Chimney Rock in S.W. Colorado

Researchers want to make it possible for everyone to walk through the ancient dwellings at Chimney Rock National Monument as the ancient pueblo people did. But modern visitors will do it virtually.

“We’re going to try to recreate the experience of how they perceived the archaeological site,” said Gerardo Gutierrez, associate anthropology professor at CU-Boulder. Gutierrez and his team of students collected data at the national monument. Durango Herald, May 18

Do genetics help determine your education level?

Scientists have found more than 70 genetic variations that might play a role in how much formal education people end up getting. But the actual genes involved have remained elusive, said Jason Boardman, professor of sociology at CU-Boulder. There are probably thousands of genetic variations that each have small effects on something as complex as education, he said. UPI, May 11

Surprising geysers on Saturn Moon Enceladus hint at plumbing mystery

A small water jet on Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, spews its fiercest eruptions when the moon is farthest from the planet.

“We had thought the amount of water vapor in the overall plume, across the whole south polar area, was being strongly affected by tidal forces from Saturn. Instead, we find that the small-scale jets are what’s changing,” said Larry Esposito, UVIS team lead at CU-Boulder.  Space, May 10

Transgender teen says running for prom queen brought positivity

Sj Miller, a professor of literacy studies at CU-Boulder, said the fact that Dakota Yorke made it as far as she did was pretty remarkable, especially in a state like Indiana.

“Any kid who can express themselves as the gender with which they identify without violence is great,” Miller said. “It doesn't necessarily mean tolerance, but it is an arrival and shows that we’re here, and we matter.” Chicago Tribune, May 8

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Hickenlooper formalizes state commitment to National Cyber Intelligence Center

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation during a ceremony at UCCS to allocate $7.93 million to renovate the former TRW manufacturing plant owned by the school into the home of the National Cyber Intelligence Center. The Gazette, May 20

How might cell phone signals cause cancer?

A U.S. National Toxicology Program study found that as the thousands of rats studied were exposed to greater intensities of RF radiation, more of them developed rare forms of brain and heart cancer. Jerry Phillips, director of the Science/Health Science Learning Center at UCCS, conducted research into the potential health impacts of cell phones during the 1990s.

“It’s a complicated issue. If you look at something as simple as smoking—for so long people had no clue what was in cigarette smoke that caused cancer. You could see when a smoker died that the lungs were different from those of a non-smoker, but at first it was hard to identify the mechanism causing the change in the lungs. It’s been the same sort of argument here,” he said. Scientific American, May 27

Former Rockies instructor takes job at UCCS

Dave Hajek left the Colorado Rockies organization to take on the challenge of coaching a new college baseball program at UCCS. Hajek will call his first team together in the fall and play its first season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference next spring. The Denver Post, May 24

The work of Osbornes nets Lifetime Entrepreneurship Award

Ed Osborne’s work at AMI and his wife Mary's 39-year career as accountant - including becoming the first female partner of a local accounting firm - netted the couple the Lifetime Entrepreneurship Award from the UCCS College of Business. The Gazette, May 16

New 'TinyFarm' in town wants zoning change to sell veggies from home

UCCS researcher Nanna Meyer got approval and funding for an exploratory study on how a tiny farm affects food literacy and nutrition in the neighborhood it feeds.

“We want to know: Do [participants] learn about where food comes from? Do they gain skills in cooking? Does that increase fruit and vegetable consumption?” Meyer told the Indy. “This is about having a lifelong impact on their relationship with food.” Colorado Springs Independent, May 18

Where is an $800,000 investment into DPS going?

The nearly million-dollar contribution will go toward implementing STEM lessons through additional resources such as 3-D printers and science kits partnered with teacher training.

“It would be irresponsible to say, ‘Here’s a curriculum. Good luck,’” said Vince Bertram, president of Project Lead the Way. Training will take place at UCCS and will walk elementary to high school teachers through lessons such as overseeing first-graders as they build the tallest bean stalk. The Denver Post, May 7

Steve Kirkham retiring as UCCS athletic director

Steve Kirkham, athletic director for UCCS since 2004, will retire June 30, completing an almost 40-year coaching and athletic administration career. The Gazette, May 11

University of Colorado Denver

The train that saved Denver

 “We’re still the most isolated major metro in the country, the only one for 600 miles in any direction,” notes Ken Schroeppel, an urban planning professor at CU Denver. “We’ve always had to be really self-reliant because we’re kind of out here in the middle of this vast part of the country by ourselves.” Politico, May 19

Globeville's Elementary School works for change

Garden Place Academy recently received a grant from Denver Public Schools that funded blueprints suggesting a $17 million interior remodel was needed. 

John Prosser, an architect and professor emeritus in CU Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning, estimates that the academy would need about half of the $17 million to install HVAC, new lighting, and paint.

“It’s in terrific shape,” he says. “We can make it sustainable, modern—preserve a wonderful building that’s beautifully built—and turn it into a holistic learning landscape inside and outside.” But in order to do that, the school needs funding—lots of it. 5280, May 25

Climate change may have finished off Neanderthals

In a study recently published in Journal of Human Evolution, Jamie Hodgkins, a zoo-archaeologist and assistant professor in the zoology department at CU Denver, studied bones from caves once inhabited by Neanderthals in southwest France. In particular, Hodgkins looked at how the carcasses of deer and other animals were butchered and used for food. Discovery News, May 12

Open-access index delists thousands of journals

Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at CU Denver who assembled a blacklist of open-access journals that he terms “potential, possible or probable” predatory publishers, fears that the index still contains weak publications. A problem with ‘whitelists’ such as the DOAJ’s, he says, is that they rely on data supplied by publishers, which might exaggerate or misstate information to make their journals look more attractive. Nature, May 9

North/East Denver change looks critically at development, gentrification

A team led by CU Denver professor Jordan Hill has launched North/East Denver Change, a website dedicated to nonpartisan information about developments and the neighborhoods being affected by development or gentrification. The site was assembled in a space on the Auraria campus, where Hill works with a mix of master’s students and undergrads on a project called ‘Critical Public Humanities.” Westword, May 2

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Hate exercise? How talk therapy may help

People learn to identify their core values and are encouraged to engage in behaviors that support these values. Identifying the value, or meaning, behind a behavior may help people commit to that behavior, said Emily Cox-Martin, an assistant professor of medicine and clinical psychologist at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus who conducted a 10-week study of ACT on sedentary adults. Live Science, May 20

Fatal fumbles seen with end-of-rotation handoffs

“After analyzing 230,701 hospital admissions, we estimate end-of-rotation house staff transitions were responsible for 718 additional deaths in the hospital,” said Joshua Denson, M.D., at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Increases in mortality risk ranged up to 20 percent depending on the type of transition involved.

 “These findings raise concern about the adequacy and quality of end-of-rotation handoffs and point to the need for systemic attention to this often overlooked critical transition in care,” he said. Med Page Today, May 18

CU taste study may lead to new treatments for eating disorders

In a recent study of 106 women suffering from anorexia nervosa or dealing with obesity, researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus found that both groups responded differently to taste, when compared with the control group.

The study’s lead author, Guido Frank, a psychiatrist and associate professor at the CU School of Medicine, said participants underwent brain imaging, while tasting sugar water or plain water. 7 News, May 17

Low and slow diet strategy may help 'Biggest Loser' metabolism

Doctors expected metabolisms to be slower after contestants had lost weight, but even after gaining weight back, their resting metabolism rate remained much lower.

Bonnie Jortberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the CU School of Medicine, said she was shocked by the results. She had seen research showing that people who had lost significant amounts of weight — more than 50 pounds — experienced a drop in their resting metabolic rate of 200 to 300 calories. However, she says: “When you see a 500- to 600-calorie shift, that’s very significant. I can’t even get my head around it.” Daily Camera, May 11

Doctors researching Zika ahead of Olympics

Ken Tyler, department chair of Neurology at the CU School of Medicine is part of a team doing research on the Zika virus using mice.

“Zika can affect the nervous system of newborn mice and interestingly as mice get older they seem to get less susceptible to infection both in our hands in others,” Tyler said. “So there does seem to be this window of vulnerability, especially strong during pregnancy.” 9News, May 29

University of Colorado system

CU system reaping the benefits of massive open online courses

Since September, online course certificates have generated roughly $110,000 across the CU system, a number that is likely to go up this spring with the launch of new multi-course units, said Deborah Keyek-Franssen, associate vice president for digital education and engagement for the CU system. Daily Camera, April 24

University of Colorado Boulder

CU study: Women who look feminine not pegged as scientists

Female scientists with longer hair and finer facial features are generally assumed to be nonscientists, the study found. People thought they looked more like teachers.

“What we find is that for photos of men, there is no impact of gendered appearance,” said Sarah Banchefsky, a social psychology researcher and author of “But You Don’t Look like a Scientist.” The Denver Post, April 7

YOU ASKED: Is it bad to be inside all day?

You miss a lot when you surround yourself with walls, and sunlight tops the list. Exposure to sun-strength rays helps calibrate your body’s circadian “clock,” which regulates everything from appetite and sleep schedules to mood and energy levels, says Kenneth Wright, director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at CU-Boulder. TIME, April 27

CU-Boulder dance professor wins Guggenheim Fellowship

CU-Boulder professor Michelle Ellsworth has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is among 178 scholars, artists and scientists from the U.S. and Canada to win the fellowship based on past achievement and exceptional promise. Nearly 3,000 people applied. Daily Camera, April 12

Lessons from underwater Miami

In Miami’s financial district, a slab of limestone juts out of the ground about 25 feet above sea level. But 120,000 years ago, this limestone outcrop was part of a white sandy shoal beneath a sea that covered the lower third of Florida.

“There’s definitely a difference between how paleoenvironmentalists view our situation, and how the climate modeling community views it,” said James White, a geologist and director of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at CU-Boulder. But the models are beginning to catch up with the geology, he said. The New York Times, April 23

Air pollution hurting U.S. plant diversity, CU scientists find

The problem with reducing plant diversity is that plants serve as ecological buffers against calamities such as drought, CU-Boulder evolutionary biologist William Bowman said.  “Many sites are at a tipping point where we are starting to lose species,” Bowman said. The Denver Post, April 25

Don't believe online user ratings, says CU profs’ study

Consumers increasingly are using websites and apps that provide user reviews and ratings to make buying decisions about a host of products. But that trust in online ratings is misplaced, says a new study by professors at CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

“The likelihood that an item with a higher user rating performs objectively better than an item with a lower user rating is only 57 percent,” said Bart de Langhe, lead author of the study and a professor of marketing. Denver Business Journal, April 28

Feel the burn: Islands set to get drier

“Islands are already dealing with sea level rise,” said Kris Karnauskas, a fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science at CU-Boulder. “But this shows that any rainwater they have is also vulnerable. The atmosphere is getting thirstier, and would like more of that fresh water back.” CNBC, April 11

Boulder scientists reap solar wind insights from New Horizons mission

Fran Bagenal, a research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in charge of the particles theme for the New Horizons Mission, said, “We’ve observed the solar wind before with Voyager, but what's interesting, what we're seeing with the SWAP data is, we’re actually seeing the material from interstellar space that has been coming into the solar system.” Daily Camera, April 6

Also:

• CU-Boulder spaceware headed for International Space Station, Daily Camera, April 7
• CU-Boulder researcher: Early collisions at Mars could have boosted life, Daily Camera, April 5
• CU scientists recover Kepler Space Telescope from emergency mode, Fox 31, April 11
• CU-Boulder discovers interstellar dust, 9News, April 15

Here are the five things you need to know about the deadly fighting in Nagorno Karabakh

Between Armenia and Azerbaijan lies a contested territory controlled by an unrecognized state called the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. In the early hours of April 2, violence exploded in this Armenian-supported statelet in the southern Caucasus. The violence came just hours after the end of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, hosted by President Obama in D.C., said John O’Loughlin, professor of geography at CU-Boulder. The Washington Post, April 6

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Demand for cybersecurity workers growing; too few students considering field

An unending war underway in the nebulous realm of cyberspace needs more troops to fight the bad guys and protect the innocent. With high-profile security attacks on big-box stores, hospitals and government agencies, “All of a sudden, people are finding out there’s a cyberwar going on,” said Edward Chow, a UCCS computer science professor. The Gazette, April 10

Also:

• House committee approves $8M to create National Cybersecurity Intelligence Center near UCCS, The Gazette, April 26
• Hickenlooper: Colorado has large role in cybersecurity, 9News, April 20

On unsolid ground: Risk grows as homes crumble in Colorado Springs landslides

About 80 homeowners seek federal emergency relief because of damage or potential damage to their houses. Of those homes, 28 have landslide damage totaling at least $6.4 million, according to the El Paso County Assessor's Office.

“It’s hard to predict what slopes will fail,” said Eric Billmeyer, an instructor in the geography and environmental studies department at UCCS. “With as much rain as we had last spring, the landslides happened in just a couple of areas. The next time, it could be someplace else.” The Gazette, April 28

UCCS, Air Force Academy entrepreneurs dream their way to competition success

Lot Spot Inc., a team of six current and former UCCS students that developed a method to determine whether parking lots have available spaces, won the top prize at Chapman’s California Dreamin’ Entrepreneurship Conference and Competition over teams from 28 other schools, including Purdue University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California. The Gazette, April 27

Ramsey: Bennet Omalu brings his crusade against football to UCCS

Bennet Omalu is the pathologist who helped discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy and began a campaign against football violence. He brought his crusade to UCCS, where he delivered a rousing, rambling 70-minute assault on football that doubled as a celebration of self. The Gazette, April 20

Elephants on the Quad

In “Passing on the Right: Conservative Professors in the Progressive University,” Joshua M. Dunn and Jon A. Shields — conservatives both, political scientists at UCCS and Claremont McKenna College – aim to understand conservatives who, despite being “widely stigmatized in academia,” have made a home in higher education. Wall Street Journal, April 3

Also: Liston challenges incumbent in a tense Republican primary, Colorado Springs Independent, April 13

University of Colorado Denver

Study: Historic buildings threatened by flood-prone areas

“Historic resources are a big part of the local economy,” said Andrew Rumbach, assistant professor of planning and design at CU Denver. “So losing those resources is not only bad for the character and identity of the place, but it’s also bad for the local economy.” 7 News, April 11

Want a bike-friendly city? Get ready to fail until it works

This “quick-build” method is a welcome break from the old way of doing transportation work, says Wesley Marshall, a civil engineer at CU Denver.

“You look at the history of transportation, and it’s more of a pseudo-science,” he says. “Guidelines and standards feel like they come down from the gods, but you realize how [they’re] based on standards built in the 50s, 60s.” WIRED, April 15

China factories face competition

Jian Yang, a professor at CU Denver said the traditional Chinese advantage in manufacturing – cost competitiveness – has been compromised because of rising wages and soaring land prices.

“This obviously contributes to the decline in manufacturing competitiveness. There is also room for China to further improve its productivity, particularly for some state-owned enterprises,” he said. China Daily, April 7

Tribeca film debate: Why the anti-vaxxers just won’t quit

“We know vaccines carry some risk, and we know that risk is very small,” said Jennifer Reich, an associate professor of sociology at CU Denver. “We also know that parents who distrust medical information are more likely to overestimate that risk and underestimate the risk of diseases.” Live Science, April 1

Donald Trump uses social media to power campaign

“He speaks in soundbites,” CU Denver Social Media Manager Matthew Kaskavitch said of Donald Trump. This is why Trump and Twitter might be a match made in political heaven, as Trump is using social media like no politician has before. CCTV, April 2

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Space mice suffer nascent liver damage

Researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus analyzed the livers of mice in space, and the analysis shows that the liver health of the mice was compromised.

“We saw the beginning of nascent liver damage in just 13.5 days,” lead researcher Karen Jonscher said. “The mice also lost lean muscle mass. We have seen this same phenomenon in humans on bed rest – muscles atrophy and proteins break down into amino acids.” United Press International, April 20

It’s not cancer: Doctors reclassify a thyroid tumor

The word cancer is a problem, said Bryan R. Haugen, a thyroid cancer specialist at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “If you keep cancer in there a lot of people are going to be aggressive,” he said. The New York Times, April 14

7 health questions every woman should know the answers to

Jacinda Nicklas, assistant professor and researcher at the Center for Women’s Health Research at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, says it’s crucial for women to be able to answer the seven health questions. She says they’re routinely asked by doctors, or used in risk factor assessments, to help figure out if something harmless—or potentially extremely harmful—is going on. Self, April

The average bystander won’t know how to control bleeding

The study findings highlight the willingness of ordinary citizens to intervene when strangers are severely injured, as well as the need for more widespread first aid training that includes lessons on bleeding control, said Peter Pons, an emergency medicine physician and a researcher at the CU School of Medicine. Reuters, April 19

How third-trimester exercise benefits your baby

“Prenatal exercise may reduce the amount of glucose and fats mothers make available to their babies, helping them grow more optimally,” says Dana Dabelea, associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, and author of the study. Fit Pregnancy, April

Denver newbies: What you need to know to stay healthy

Important information gleaned from a conversation with Benjamin Honigman, professor of emergency medicine at the CU School of Medicine, about staying healthy in the Mile High City. 5280, April 14

CU study: Medical jargon 'boot camps' can help ordinary people

“The most surprising thing to me has been how readily community members can learn a topic and translate that complex language into something meaningful to them," said Jack Westfall, family medicine program director at CU Anschutz, who authored the study. CPR, April 12

University of Colorado Boulder

Is the presidential campaign scaring you? That’s by design

With such a heated race for the presidency dominating the national discourse, it’s not hard to feel a bit of anxiety right now. But that might not be all bad. A current dominant theory among scholars who study political science and public opinion suggests a little bit of fear can open our minds to new ideas, said Anand Sokhey, associate professor in political science at CU-Boulder. The Denver Post, March 26

Women and minorities are penalized for promoting diversity

When women and nonwhite leaders advocate for other women and nonwhites, it highlights their low-status demographics, activates the stereotype of incompetence and leads to worse performance ratings, said Stefanie K. Johnson, right, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, and David R. Hekman, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at the CU-Boulder Leeds School of Business. Harvard Business Review, March 23

Howie Movshovitz to lead ‘Ebert Interruptus’ at CU’s Conference on World Affairs

Colorado film critic Howie Movshovitz will host this year’s “Ebert Interruptus” at the Conference on World Affairs at CU-Boulder and has selected the 1927 silent film “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans,” for a special focus on the event. Daily Camera, March 25

Your state could lose big bucks by stalling on clean energy

States buy and sell energy to each other all the time. Under the Clean Power Plan, states are left to their own devices to meet emissions targets set up by the EPA.

“The policy that one state adopts has implications for its neighbors, and there can be a first mover advantage,” says Jonathan Hughes, an economist at CU-Boulder who has researched the Clean Power Plan’s state-line economics. WIRED, March 28

Climate change could speed up groundwater seepage

High in the Rocky Mountains, at the headwaters of the Colorado River, Shemin Ge is studying water that flows at times when it shouldn’t. Ge, a geological science professor at CU-Boulder, is looking at subsurface water flows that are trickling into streams during late fall and winter — times when the ground should be frozen and water flowing beneath it nonexistent. Arizona Daily Sun, March 12

CU-Boulder study: Love trumps value in sentimental buys

Peter McGraw, associate professor of marketing and psychology at CU-Boulder, said that people often disregard the price of sentimental items such as engagement rings, cremation urns, or even desserts at a birthday party because it feels wrong to cut back on spending when making purchases out of love. Daily Camera, March 14

Comet flyby created chaos in Mars’ magnetic field, NASA’s MAVEN finds

When Siding Spring’s magnetosphere came in contact with Mars’ atmosphere, the planet’s magnetic field was thrown into chaos.

“We saw a significant impact at Mars,” said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN’s principal investigator from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU-Boulder. “It completely disrupted the Mars magnetosphere.” Daily Camera, March 11

Also: CU-Boulder’s student dust counter reports clean Pluto environment, Daily Camera, March 17

Researchers’ idea will blow you away: 656-foot long blades on wind turbines

“Two blades mean lower costs,” said Lucy Pao, team member and professor of electrical and computer engineering at CU-Boulder. The U.S. Energy Department is funding the project through its Advanced Research Projects Agency energy program at a cost of $3.5 million.

“The concepts have all looked very promising, but they’re all pure simulations. Now we’re actually going to build something.” Los Angeles Times, March 13

The only way to achieve anything is to become comfortable with rejection. Here’s how

Learning through failure is how rejection helps. It can spur you on to do it again and do it better. Anders Ericsson, a professor at CU-Boulder, observed the practice habits of violin students in Berlin from the age of 5 until they reached adulthood. He found that the most powerful predictor of success was how many hours of practice they put in and how determined they were to improve. The Guardian, March 28

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

UCCS professor’s Kickstarter plan wildly successful

A Kickstarter campaign by UCCS professor Michael Larson raised $675,184 from more than 3,200 donors. That is 27 times the campaign’s $25,000 goal to help lock in pricing from his Chinese manufacturer for his sleep-inducing headband and app. The Gazette, March 29

UCCS professor represents Colorado Springs at international events

Professor Aditi Mitra attended three international events in New Delhi hosted by the World Forum for Ethics in Business and the Art of Living Foundation: the Global Leadership Forum, Global Youth Leadership Forum, and World Culture Festival. She has attended many conferences to talk about her research and expertise in human and sex trafficking.  The Gazette, March 10

National Cyber Intelligence Center at UCCS hires interim director

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson has been named interim executive director for the National Cyber Intelligence Center while the national search finds a permanent leader for the Colorado Springs facility scheduled to begin operation in April. Anderson, 72, has spent the past five years as executive director of strategic, military, science, space and security initiatives for UCCS. The Gazette, March 15

UCCS professor serves Memorial Hospital families through Ronald McDonald Family Room

Margaret A. Scott, assistant professor of leadership, research and foundations at the UCCS College of Education, shares her experiences caring for the emotional and physical well-being of families staying at Memorial Hospital. The Gazette, March 30

University of Colorado Denver

Bird experts reflect on Randy Johnson hitting a bird with a pitch

Michael Wunder, associate professor at CU Denver, explained: “There are 30 teams, so about 700,000 pitches per year, just for the majors. If we consider the minors, then that’s about another three to four times as many pitches. This has only happened two times in my memory [once in the majors, once in the minors]. So the probability is like one in 50 million or so over the past 20 years.” Newsweek, March 24

Take3: How CU Denver is turning STEMs into STEAM

Caitlin Hendee visits students at the digital animation studio at CU Denver to see how the students, along with instructor Steve Baker, are combining the art of animation with the science of technology in the 18-month program. Denver Business Journal, March 21

The psychology behind the violence at Trump rallies

People tend to mimic the behavior of those nearby, said Stefanie Johnson, a management professor at CU Denver.

“There is evidence that emotional contagion flows from followers to leaders,” says Johnson. “It reinforces his energy and confidence. The more people are cheering, it makes sense that you are audibly yelling and reinforcing the power dynamic.” WIRED, March 18

Digital forensics: A new moving target for law enforcement

The importance of digital forensics and the cosmic clash of technology and law enforcement continue to increase. Jeff Smith, associate director of the National Center for Media Forensics at CU Denver, says the challenge is and has always been keeping pace with the technology that criminals and terrorists rely upon. WYNC Radio, March 23

What’s behind the pushback against Colorado’s teen sexting bill?

A bill moving through the Legislature to prevent sexting is facing opposition from groups that worry the measure being considered could do more harm than good.

“It’s just not the right approach,” said Amy Hasinoff, assistant professor of communications at CU Denver who studies the topic. The Denver Post, March 30

Hot stuff at Auraria’s Iron Art Festival Iron Pour

The magical alchemy of fire and molten metal put viewers and participants in touch with their primal cores over the weekend, when CU Denver’s College of Arts and Media Sculpture Program hosted an iron pour on the Auraria campus, filling sculpted sandstone tile molds with glowing-hot liquid iron for a fascinated audience. Westword, March 14

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Why we should all celebrate World Down Syndrome Day

The increase in life expectancy and overall well-being for people with trisomy 21 is because of research that revealed issues that can be treated with procedures such as surgery, thyroid hormone supplementation and ameliorate hypothyroidism, and tailored physical therapy to improve muscular-skeletal function, writes Joaquin M. Espinosa, professor of pharmacology at the CU School of Medicine and associate director for science at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. Huffington Post, March 21

CU gets $10 million pledge for mental health services training

A five-year, $10 million pledge by The Anschutz Foundation will help CU create a center dedicated to improving mental health services in Colorado. The new National Behavioral Health Innovation Center will be a “virtual center” to help people in Colorado and across the nation gain mental health training and expertise. Matt Vogl, MPH, is the center’s director. Daily Camera, March 24

Anschutz: City of Health — The DBJ special report

The CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora stands as one of the nation’s foremost medical complexes, delivering world-class health care and innovation. The Denver Business Journal’s special report looks at the campus — its growth, its achievements and what lies ahead. Denver Business Journal (numerous stories), March 25

Meldonium’s benefits remain a mystery

The drug that caused professional tennis player Maria Sharapova’s failed doping test sounds almost like a miracle potion. Published studies say the drug meldonium might be effective in treating heart ailments, strokes, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as in improving people’s moods. But some researchers aren’t convinced.

“Glucose is more efficient when you have limited oxygen,” said William R. Hiatt, a cardiologist and professor at the CU School of Medicine. The New York Times, March 9

Half of suicidal ER patients aren't asked about access to guns

Only about half of suicidal patients who wind up in American emergency rooms are asked about their access to firearms, despite national guidelines urging them to do so, and, well, the general obviousness of the question, researchers at the CU School of Medicine found. “Multiple ED (emergency department) visits appear to be a risk factor for suicide and many suicide victims are seen in the ED shortly before death,” the study explains. “ED-based interventions might help decrease suicide deaths by 20 percent.” Motherboard, March 21

Women who abuse stimulants lose gray matter; men don’t

Researchers at the CU School of Medicine found long-term stimulant abuse had more significant impact on brain volume in women compared with men. Results of a study by radiology professor Jody Tanabe showed that among people previously dependent on cocaine, amphetamines and/or methamphetamine, women showed significant loss of gray matter. The Denver Post, March 30

University of Colorado Boulder

Universe’s ‘Dark Ages’ might come to light with moon orbiter

With a little help from the moon, the Dark Ages Radio Explorer (DARE) mission would dodge Earth’s noisy, disruptive environment to peer back into the universe’s dark ages and cosmic dawn — the mysterious epoch just as the first stars and galaxies began to shine.

“The moon, in this case, is just a big blocking disk,” said Jack Burns, director of the Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research at CU-Boulder and DARE's principal investigator. Space.com, Feb. 5

A look into why the motorcycle expo shooting might have happened

The Mongols and Iron Order are two motorcycle clubs that made headlines after a gun fight broke out at a busy Denver motorcycle expo. CU-Boulder professor David Pyrooz, faculty associate at the Institute of Behavioral Science, said conflicts over territory aren’t uncommon between clubs.

“Even seemingly minor incidents of disrespect or calling out a person can result in very tragic events,“ Pyrooz said. 7 News, Feb. 4

Also: No surge in overall U.S. crime from ‘Ferguson effect,’ CU-Boulder study finds, Daily Camera, Feb. 4

CU-Boulder professors study plants, solve violent crime

Two CU-Boulder professors have been helping law enforcement solve crimes for decades by studying plants at crime scenes and linking evidence to convict criminals. Jane Bock and David Norris are retired botany professors at CU-Boulder. They’ve helped law enforcement analyze plants to catch rapists and murderers in lies, often leading to confessions and even conviction. 7 News, Feb. 5

One reason your hair is thinning? Some of it turns into skin

A study found that a transcription factor called Foxc1 could help regulate the hair growth cycle. Rui Yi, a biologist at CU-Boulder, and colleagues found when they bred mice without Foxc1 in their skin the activated stem cells didn’t go back into the dormant, or quiescent, state.

“After the cells start to duplicate, they say, ‘mission accomplished, let’s go back to quiescence. Let’s wait for the next time,’” Yi says. This suggests that stem cells can sense their state and respond appropriately. Science, Feb. 4

Someone is tracking how much you ‘vape’ on Twitter

When you send a tweet about electronic cigarettes, you might unwittingly be taking part in a clinical study examining what Americans are saying online about vaping.

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” says Michael Paul, an assistant professor of information science at CU-Boulder who has tracked topics such as air quality, influenza and bath salts on social media. “Because these products are so new and government-run surveys take a few years to catch up, researchers are still trying to figure out the landscape.” The Washington Post, Feb. 24
 

CU-Boulder team opens eyes with world’s fastest optical microscope

The fastest optical microscope to date, 1,000 times more powerful than a conventional optical microscope, has been assembled by researchers at CU-Boulder, enabling them to probe and visualize matter at the atomic level with incredible speed. The image-frame rate captured by the team led by physics professor Markus Raschke is 1 trillion times faster than the blink of an eye. Daily Camera, Feb. 21

 

How a little-known federal agency has slowed new oil and gas drilling

Despite the complaints of industry and Republicans in Congress, falling oil prices have made the need for rapid-fire lease sales less necessary, and energy companies less interested in bidding for leases. Many leaseholders have sought to slow their development efforts to avoid stranded assets.

“Oil stocks are stumbling and the companies are hurting financially,” says Mark Squillace, a professor of environmental and natural resources law at CU-Boulder. “They’re seeing what’s happening to their coal counterparts and they don’t want to be stuck with a lot of assets that aren’t paying off.” TIME, Feb. 18

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Emerging Leaders Institute empowers, inspires

Stephany Rose, an associate professor of women’s and ethnic studies at UCCS and a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, led an all-day session for college students titled, “Recovering From Racism on Campus: Navigating College Challenges and Choices.” The group had frank discussions about the barriers they’ve faced in combating racism and strategies to keep fighting it. USA Today, Feb. 18

Four Colorado business schools named to Military Times’ ‘Best for Vets’ list

A supportive adviser and faculty members are the biggest key to helping military veterans get through business school, according to the Military Times’ new Best for Vets: Business School 2016 ranking. That data factored heavily in ranking the 77 best business schools for vets, including UCCS’ College of Business and Administration (No. 37 overall), which had 300 students – 40 military – enroll in fall 2015. Denver Business Journal, Feb. 11

Hickenlooper applauds cybersecurity center

Gov. John Hickenlooper praised Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers and UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak for their efforts to bring the National Cyber Intelligence Center to Colorado Springs. He said a nonprofit has been formed to operate the center and an executive director is expected to be hired by the end of March. The Gazette, Feb. 5

 

Students, colleagues mourn popular Colorado Springs professor

Michael Hackman, a popular UCCS professor who made freshman year less scary, inspired students to greatness and graciously accepted the role of a natural-born leader, died at the age of 55. He was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. A campus memorial service is at noon on March 6 in Berger Hall. The Gazette, Feb. 26

$40M UCCS sports medicine center part of City for Champions tourism initiative

A $40 million Sports Medicine and Performance Center is planned to begin construction in mid-2018 and open on the UCCS campus by the end of 2019. The center is part of the City for Champions tourism initiative – four projects designed to attract visitors to the Pikes Peak region that are being funded in part by $120.5 million in sales tax money provided over 30 years under Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act. The Gazette, Feb. 15

UCCS opens the doors to new Recreation and Wellness Center

UCCS opened the doors Tuesday to the new Recreation and Wellness Center. Administrators ditched the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony for a race to the finish line, in recognition of the facilities role in bringing together foundation of physical health, mental health and nutrition under one roof. KOAA, Feb. 29

Federal student loan holders on income-based repayment could face hefty tax bill

A part of the federal student loan income-based repayment plans allows the loan to be forgiven after 25 years.

“That remaining balance is taxable and you will pay taxes on the remaining balance they forgave. And I think that's where people don't quite understand that part of it,” said Michelle Toro-Dietz, UCCS assistant director of financial aid. KOAA, Feb. 17

University of Colorado Denver

Mixed marriages are changing the way we think about our race

New immigrants may be assimilating a lot faster than we had ever thought. A new study from economists Brian Duncan, CU Denver, and Stephen Trejo of the University of Texas, Austin, finds that the descendants of immigrants from Latin-American and Asian countries quickly cease to identify as Hispanic or Asian on government surveys. The Washington Post, Feb. 17

Experts urge stricter laws after surge in Colorado traffic fatalities

“It sort of speaks to our attitude toward safety measures in general,” said Bruce Janson, a civil engineering professor at CU Denver. Janson is skeptical about the realities of reaching zero fatalities because he believes human error is inevitable. He said a more realistic solution is to focus on technology in vehicles that can correct drivers’ behaviors. Denver Post, Feb. 29

Raptors once roamed in Colorado, CU Denver researcher found

Raptor dinosaurs, like the kind popularized in flicks such as Jurassic Park, once roamed Colorado, according to CU Denver researcher. Evidence of the prehistoric velociraptor and other two-toed relatives was uncovered at Dinosaur Ridge, just south of Lakewood, by geologist Martin Lockley and his team. The Denver Post, Feb. 17

Parking everywhere, not a spot to spare

The root of the parking problem goes beyond parking. “If you add density, you need transit,” says Ken Schroeppel, an urban planning instructor at CU Denver. “We’re getting the density, but so far not the transit.” 5280, Feb. 26

CU Denver chancellor says schools struggle with skyrocketing college costs

For many, completing a four-year degree and graduating with a job lined up is not guaranteed, and higher ed institutions are finding it difficult to cover the costs to be financially sustainable and a place young people want to be. Dorothy Horrell, chancellor of CU Denver, said it’s a struggle to battle the competition and keep her institution relevant and affordable for students. NPR, Feb. 10

 

Changes for language learning plans at Aurora schools limited

Leaders of five Aurora schools are finalizing plans in what could be the final try helping students who are learning English as a second language. Principals have released few details on how they will target those students, but experts say it must be a priority.

“You always need to bring to the table a language lens,” said Nancy Commins, a clinical professor at the CU Denver School of Education and Human Development. “I don't know what their ideas are, but most reform efforts are not going to be successful if you don't bring a language lens.” The Denver Post, Feb. 22

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Chins are a bit useless, so why do we have them?

One of the ways that scientists differentiate between an anatomically modern human and a Neanderthal skull is by looking to see if it has a chin.  “That is what makes the appearance of chins in anatomically modern humans so interesting. It implies that there was some sort of behavioral or dietary shift between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans that caused the chin to form,” says Zaneta Thayer, a researcher at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. BBC, Feb. 4

CU scientists make major discovery in Type 1 diabetes

A CU Anschutz Medical Campus research team has pinpointed one potential cause of the Type 1 diabetes. In the bodies of Type 1 diabetics, T cells are known to kill healthy insulin producing cells, called beta cells. Without the insulin producing cells, the body has trouble processing sugars. Thomas Delong, a research assistant professor at the CU School of Medicine, and his team wanted to know why the immune system attacks healthy, beneficial cells. “There has to be something happening in the beta cells that triggers the attack,” Delong said. “We found a new type of protein modification.” CBS 4, Feb. 11

How to survive the winter without getting injured

Although cold-weather-related injuries might seem inevitable, there are tips and tricks to staying out of the hospital this winter. Christopher McStay, chief of operations in the department of emergency medicine at the CU School of Medicine, and the former chief of service for the Bellevue Hospital Emergency Department in New York City, speaks on how to avoid injuries. WRVO, Feb. 20

 

Local patients taking part in groundbreaking diabetes research

The CU Anschutz Medical Campus is part of groundbreaking research that will provide future guidelines for treating Type 2 diabetes.

“The purpose of study is to find out what combination of medication works better with patients of Type 2 diabetes and can maintain glycemic control for longer period of time,” said Neda Rasouli, director of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinical Trial program. Rasouli says right now there’s not enough data to know what combination works the best. KOAA, Feb. 17

University of Colorado Boulder

CU-Boulder researchers use light-activated nanoparticles to kill antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs'

CU researchers are using new light-activated nanoparticles known as “quantum dots” to successfully kill 92 percent of drug-resistant bacterial cells in lab-grown experiments.

“They are bad for the bug, but they are fine for the host,” said Anushree Chatterjee, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at CU-Boulder. 7News, Jan. 19

Dying star Betelgeuse keeps its cool ... and astronomers are puzzled

“In the next million years, if Betelgeuse lives that long, it is going to shed about a quarter of its current mass. And the problem is we don't understand the basic physics of how that happens,” said Graham Harper, an astrophysicist and senior research associate at CU-Boulder. Harper presented new observations of Betelgeuse to the American Astronomical Society. Space, Jan. 25

Also: Rare galaxy with two black holes has one starved of stars; odd intermediate size or just dieting? U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 5

Fallen CU-Boulder astronauts honored

Air Force Col. Ellison Onizuka, left, died Jan. 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart above Florida. A failed booster destroyed the shuttle. Kalpana Chawla, right, died Feb. 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas during re-entry. The shuttle's heat-shield, damaged during launch, was blamed for the accident. KRDO, Jan. 28

 

Patty Limerick named state historian as History Colorado looks to future

As History Colorado continues to position itself for a more secure future, CU-Boulder’s Patty Limerick, professor of history, has been named the new Colorado State Historian. Westword, Jan. 11

Catching up on lost sleep really may reverse a few restless nights

You’ve averaged barely five hours of sleep each night. You may be able to catch up on those restless nights by sleeping in this weekend. A new study finds that only two days of make-up sleep reverses the metabolic damage from sleep deprivation — at least in the short term.

“You are going to improve your insulin sensitivity and giving yourself permission to sleep in , , , prevents your future diabetes risk,” said study author Josiane Broussard, assistant research professor at CU-Boulder. Today, Jan. 18

Gene editing breakthrough fuels Colorado research

CRISPR earned Science Magazine's award for the 2015 breakthrough of the year. It is a gene-editing technique that earned the award because it’s far cheaper, faster and more precise than other genetic engineering methods.  The development has scientists giddy with excitement. CU-Boulder Nobel winner Tom Cech, director of the BioFrontiers Institute, is among them. Colorado Public Radio, Jan. 14BioFrontiers Institute, is among them. Colorado Public Radio, Jan. 14

Cutting pollution from U.S. power plants cheaper than you think

A study suggests the U.S. can make the transition to lower-pollution power plants without a heavy investment in energy-storage technologies. “What the model suggests is we can get a long way, and wind and solar and natural gas can be a bridge,” said author Christopher Clack, a physicist at CU-Boulder. Bloomburg, Jan. 25

The El Niño has peaked. NowNiño has peaked. Now what?

Sea surface temperatures from the El Niño are going down slightly, which will energize the storm track – but not in Colorado. “The main thing with El Niño is that you get one storm after another,” said Klaus Wolter, a climatologist with CU-Boulder. “Any individual storm, it would be really hard to say if it is an El Niño storm. The fact that you get a lot of them makes all the difference.” KUNC, Jan. 6Niño are going down slightly, which will energize the storm track – but not in Colorado. “The main thing with El Niño is that you get one storm after another,” said Klaus Wolter, a climatologist with CU-Boulder. “Any individual storm, it would be really hard to say if it is an El Niño storm. The fact that you get a lot of them makes all the difference.” KUNC, Jan. 6

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Statistician: No one expects to be killed by a meteorite, but they imagine winning the Powerball

Few people in Colorado Springs understand Powerball odds better than Katherine Cliff. The Katherine Cliff. The UCCS graduate student is studying applied math with an emphasis in statistics, and she has researched the odds of drawing the winning numbers. The Gazette, Jan. 12
 

Colorado caucus: How it works

“You select delegates to go to the next convention, which would be the county convention here in Colorado,” said Josh Dunn, a political science professor at UCCS. “So you select delegates based on how much support each individual candidate gets in your caucus.” Fox 21, Jan. 4

Also: Donald Trump boycotts Fox News debate: Will it help or hurt him? KRDO, Jan. 26

Civilians, first responders honored for their actions on day of Planned Parenthood shooting

Amid standing ovations, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman shook the hands of dozens of Colorado Springs and UCCS police officers, El Paso County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who responded to the shooting. She applauded the agencies for their collaboration and calm in the face of evil, and she made special mention of one UCCS officer not there – Garrett Swasey, 44, who died trying to stop the rampage. The Gazette, Jan. 12

National cybersecurity center could become huge economic driver for Colorado Springs

Plans for the cybersecurity center started coming together last summer, when UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak and newly elected Mayor John Suthers began meeting with a group of business, military, government and educational leaders about ways to expand the cybersecurity industry in the Colorado Springs area. The amount of military and private-sector cybersecurity players in the Pikes Peak region make Colorado Springs a prime location for the center. The Gazette, Jan. 18

Colorado Springs group trying to get ahead of looming military base closures

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson said the possibility of base closings means Colorado Springs needs to ramp up its public relations campaign now. “You don't need to wait for someone to say there’s going to be base a closing before you decide what to do,” said Anderson, the executive director of strategic military, science, space and security initiatives at UCCS. The Gazette, Jan. 18

Competitions offer chance to show skills

Software developers got the chance to show what they can do in two competitions: Global Game Jam and the Go Code Colorado app challenge. Terry Boult, the El Pomar Chair of Innovation and Security at UCCS, was an adviser at the UCCS jam site. The Gazette, Jan. 28

University of Colorado Denver

Dinosaur love nests unearthed on local land by Colorado researcher

A skilled Colorado dinosaur tracker has unearthed 100 million-year-old dino love nests in Denver's backyard. The first evidence of dinosaur dating was discovered by Martin Lockley, a CU Denver geology professor who stumbled across large scratch marks in Colorado rocks. The Denver Post, Jan. 7

Broncos use technology to deepen fan support

Immersive videos are the trend for sports this year, said Matthew Kaskavitch, a lecturer in the Department of Communication at CU Denver. “A lot of professional sports associations are doing it, not just the NFL,” Kaskavitch said, pointing to the NHL partnering with GoPro cameras to get more immersive, up-close footage of hockey. “But I think (the Broncos) are in the top five echelon willing to take the risk of doing something cutting edge for their fans.” The Denver Post, Jan. 22

Meltdown 2.0 led by China selloff, again

Jian Yang, a professor of finance at CU Denver, said because of higher economic uncertainty, emerging markets like China are likely to experience added volatility, which means the Chinese exchanges are more likely to reach the 7 percent threshold more frequently than in developed markets such as the U.S. China Daily, Jan. 8

Gov. Hickenlooper’s engagement sparks talk about age-gap relationships

A study co-authored by Hani Mansour, assistant professor of economics at CU Denver, addressed age gaps in marriage. “We were surprised to find that when you look at the entire population, things look very different, especially if you look at age gaps in first marriages,” Mansour said. Researchers found that men and women in age-gap marriages of about 10 years have lower annual earnings, lower-wage occupations and lower cognitive skills. “We think it has to do with choices people make when they’re young,” Mansour said. The Denver Post, Jan. 14

Study: Sharrows don’t make streets safer for cyclingSharrows don’t make streets safer for cycling

A study by CU Denver researchers Nick Ferenchak and Wesley Marshall, right, examined safety outcomes for areas in Chicago that received bike lanes, sharrows and no bicycling street treatments at all. The results suggest that bike lanes encourage more people to bike and make biking safer, while sharrows – line designations that set street space apart for cyclists – don’t do much of either. Streetsblog USA, Jan. 14Ferenchak and Wesley Marshall, right, examined safety outcomes for areas in Chicago that received bike lanes, sharrows and no bicycling street treatments at all. The results suggest that bike lanes encourage more people to bike and make biking safer, while sharrows – line designations that set street space apart for cyclists – don’t do much of either. Streetsblog USA, Jan. 14

Colorado schools are heeding the call for rapid ROI

“Schools want their graduates to be employed, and I think there is probably a greater lens on it now than there has been in the past,” says Sue Wyman, director of business career connections at the CU Denver Business School. “Students and their parents are more aware of picking schools that have some results in this area.” Colorado Business Magazine, Jan. 4Wyman, director of business career connections at the CU Denver Business School. “Students and their parents are more aware of picking schools that have some results in this area.” Colorado Business Magazine, Jan. 4

Coal-dependent states lose jobs and gain drug addiction

It could be the cruelest quandary of all: to bless a region with a once-rich natural resource only to have it lose favor decades later to cleaner fuels. The resulting devastation is now occurring in Appalachia, not just economically but also emotionally, as drug addiction among local inhabitants is at dangerous levels.

“The coal industry provides employment opportunities and income, but our results suggest that those opportunities come at the price of overall long-term income growth,” said economists Anne Walker, assistant professor of economics at CU Denver, and Stratford Douglass of West Virginia University. Forbes, Jan. 3

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Storm chasers converge on Norman over weekend to discuss safety tips

Speaking on “We’ve Got Cows: Exploring the Injury Patterns of Severe Weather,” Jason Persoff, assistant professor of internal medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, combined medical expertise with storm-chaser humor to present serious topics of concern to health and safety. Persoff also has a love for storm chasing and for keeping chasers safe. Norman Transcript, Jan. 24

Zika virus unlikely to hit Colorado

Doctors in Brazil recorded a rise in both Zika and microcephaly – an abnormally small head and brain in children. However, Daniel Pastula, assistant professor in the department of neurology, said doctors can’t say for sure if Zika is responsible: “There has been concern that could be associated with Zika virus, however that link has not been proven.” 9News, Jan. 28

The best way for teens to recover from overuse injuries

“Overuse injuries should never happen in first place, or they should be caught when they are so minor that rest can prevent them from turning into a medical issue,” says study co-author Dawn Comstock, associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Because coaches may discount overuse injuries and athletes may hide them for fear of missing competition, she says, it is important for athletic trainers to intervene. Wall Street Journal, Jan. 18
 

Denver doctors visit Nepal

Frederick Grover, of the cardiothoracic surgery division at the CU School of Medicine, made his ninth Nepal trip. He said the plan is to build a relationship, “Not just come in and do one or two visits and then blow out to somewhere else.” Nepalese doctors and nurses who Grover helped mentor years ago have come into their own and are thriving, he said. The Denver Post, Jan. 3

5 reasons why people jump off cliffs for fun

Omer Mei-Dan, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at the CU, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, conducts scientific studies about cliff jumping. Mei-Dan looks at mortality rates and whether there is something mentally different about those who find plummeting like a brick a fun pastime. What makes Mei-Dan unique is that he’s a BASE jumper, as well. CNN, Jan. 15

Colorado study finds teens who tan indoors more likely to abuse drugs

Robert Dellavalle, associate professor of dermatology at the CU School of Medicine, looked at the 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey of health data from Colorado public schools and found the correlation between indoor tanning and substance abuse.

“Heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol; all of them are used at higher rates in high school students who are indoor tanning,” Dellavalle said. CBS Denver, Jan. 20

Tornadoes’ aftermath puts some at risk for PTSD

The stress of having a home destroyed or damaged, having to move and worries about money can put children at increased risk at the hands of grownups who care for them, said Desmond Runyan, a pediatrician and child abuse specialist at CU Anschutz Medical Campus. In the six months after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Runyan found a spike in very young children admitted to hospitals for a traumatic brain injury. Dallas Morning News, Jan. 25

As boomers age, Alzheimer’s research picks up

Researchers first tested a drug called Leukine on mice with Alzheimer’s. They say it reversed the deposits of a key protein found in plaques linked to the disease and reversed cognitive problems. Jonathan Woodcock, clinical director of the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center at  the CU Jonathan Woodcock, clinical director of the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center at  the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, is helping to lead the clinical trial. “We’re hopeful” the research will yield positive results, Woodcock said. Colorado Public Radio, Jan. 25

University of Colorado Boulder

Study: Religion has been a source of conflict for more than 2,000 years

Researchers at CU-Boulder and the University of Central Florida studied several Mexican archaeological sites dating as far back as 700 B.C. and found that religion was the cause of tension even back then. Professors Arthur A. Joyce, CU-Boulder, and Sarah Barber, UCF, spent several years conducting field research in Mexico’s Pacific coast, where they discovered that local religious rituals played a big role in helping small communities there develop connections. International Business Times, Dec. 22
 

How to succeed in business with hip-hop

Adam Bradley, a professor of English at CU-Boulder who frequently studies hip-hop, believes that a hip-hop-inspired businessman is a product of the times.

“We live in a time in which there are hip-hop everybodys — hip-hop architects, hip-hop doctors, hip-hop businessmen. . . . They are all children of [the music], bringing that renegade spirit that animated hip-hop at its birth into all sorts of endeavors,” Bradley said. Westword, Dec. 22

Loss of Arctic ice may mean more precipitation

Julienne Stroeve, senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at CU-Boulder, said previous studies have suggested a link between less September sea ice and an increase in snow in the Siberian Arctic.

“At least statistically there’s a correlation between less sea ice and more precipitation in certain parts of the Arctic,” she said. CBS News, Dec. 21

CU-Boulder researchers part of team promoting light for faster processing

Faster, more powerful computing systems and network infrastructure are on the horizon thanks to collaboration between CU-Boulder researchers and others in developing a groundbreaking microprocessor chip using light — instead of electricity — to transfer data at rapid speeds while consuming minute amounts of energy. Milos Popovic, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, is a corresponding author of the study. Daily Camera, Dec. 25

CU-based Takács Quartet, assistant prof are nominated for Grammy Awards

A recording by the Takács Quartet, based at CU-Boulder, has been nominated for a Grammy. Abigail Nims, an assistant professor of voice, also has been nominated for a Grammy for her part in the Boston Baroque’s recording of Claudio Monteverdi's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, the College of Music announced. Daily Camera, Dec. 17

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Why Obama might be wrong about freedom being more powerful than fear

“Fear and freedom are an ongoing battle in life,” said Tom Pyszczynski, a psychology professor at UCCS. “To be free involves facing your fears. But at times, fear prevents people from exercising their freedom. Freedom is nobler — it’s a core value of American culture. But when people are terrified, they are typically willing to give up their freedoms.” Washington Post, Dec. 12

UCCS grad, Pulitzer Prize winner returns to Colorado Springs for ceremony

Yusef Komunyakaa, the only UCCS graduate to win a Pulitzer Prize, returned to his alma mater to give a public poetry reading and deliver the keynote address at graduation. Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak praised Komunyakaa for providing examples of the kind of accomplishments alumni of the university can achieve. The Gazette, Dec. 15

Colorado Springs college students collaborate on startup ideas

A group of Colorado Springs college students believes collaboration is key. And they hope an event called Student (Ad)Venture Day planned for early in the new year  will help foster the city’s entrepreneurial environment. UCCS sophomore Justin Hein, one of the event organizers, said the goal is to build on the community of young entrepreneurs by bringing students together to exchange ideas, solve problems and make connections. The Gazette, Dec. 24

UCCS students, religious studies professor weigh in on Trump’s controversial Muslim comments

Donald Trump argues his plan would keep the American people safe by keeping terrorists off U.S. soil. But religious studies professor Jeff Scholes believes such rhetoric demonizes millions around the globe and is unconstitutional. 

“It runs so counter to the Founding Fathers’ ideals to the separation of church and state,” Scholes said. “Any religious litmus test on the grounds of this kind of prevention of entering the country is incredibly troubling to me.” KRDO, Dec. 8

Governor, Colorado Springs mayor celebrate university’s 50th anniversary

Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado Springs Mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers were among the guests at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of UCCS. Neal Lane, a former chancellor who advised former President Bill Clinton, and Colorado legislators also attended the event. The Gazette, Dec. 2

Does matcha beat green tea in health benefits?matcha beat green tea in health benefits?

Some companies who sell matcha claim that, since people consume all of the leaf, they ingest more healthy catechins. A 2003 study by researchers at UCCS found the concentration of EGCG available from drinking matcha was 137 times as great as in one brand of green tea. Wall Street Journal, Dec. 14

University of Colorado Denver

Marijuana employees ask to be treated with the same respect as their merchandise

Marty Otañez, a CU Denver anthropology professor, has immersed himself in the marijuana industry, obtaining a state-issued marijuana employee badge and attending Green Mountain Harvest’s Trimmer Training School. He has concerns about workplace conditions and the lack of federal efforts to address them. International Business Times, Dec. 18
 

Think traffic is bad around the Denver area? Just wait a decade or two

By 2040, the daily traffic lull could seem as bad as today’s morning rush hour, according to a report from the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

“DRCOG does a great job at projecting traffic levels,” said Bruce N. Janson, a civil engineering professor at CU Denver. “They’re one of the most progressive metropolitan planning organizations in the country with regard to their traffic forecasting methodology.”  But with the traffic trouble spots known well and limited funding, it is up to state and local officials to prioritize projects. The Denver Post, Dec. 20

Also: Highway injustice in Denver’s Latino neighborhoods, High Country News, Dec. 21

Can fracking affect your homeowners’ insurance policy?

 “There is a lot of variation from state to state, in terms of how vigorously regulators seek to prevent damage in the first place, whether homeowners have administrative remedies and what burden of proof a homeowner must carry in court if initiating a damages claim,” said Lloyd Burton, a professor at the CU Denver School of Public Affairs. NerdWallet, Dec. 22

CU Denver Chancellor Wartgow leaves with new projects on the horizon

Interim Chancellor Jerry Wartgow is retiring for the third and final time, but leaves behind a legacy at the university. Wartgow worked closely with the students, fighting an “uphill battle,” and in April 2015, students voted 61 percent in favor of raising credit hour prices by $6 to fund a wellness center. The regents followed suit, voting 7-2 in its favor April 17. Denver Business Journal, Dec. 17

Burning natural gas can be as bad as coal

Coal recently was eclipsed by natural gas as the nation’s top source of energy for electrical power generation. That might seem like a good development, because gas has a reputation as a cleaner fuel that contributes about half as much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when it’s burned as coal does. But that could be misleading if even only a small amount of the gas — less than 5 percent of what is removed from the Earth — leaks into the atmosphere while it’s being used to produce electricity, according to a study by CU Denver researchers. Discovery News, Dec. 6

Chaffee County sheriff investigating three Buena Vista High sexting cases

“The problem is we kind of lack a middle range of laws that deal with what’s actually happening, which is really a privacy violation,” said Amy Hasinoff, an assistant professor of communications CU Denver. “Child porn laws are not meant to deal with a privacy violation but a horrific form of abuse.” The Denver Post, Dec. 14

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

As mass casualties continue, hospitals keep honing their preparedness

Barbara Blok, associate professor of emergency medicine, who was on duty at University of Colorado Hospital, had heard over the emergency dispatch system about the Aurora theater shooting. But it wasn’t until one of the first patients came in by car with minor pellet wounds that Blok got a sense of the scale.

“We had physicians that had never seen trauma,” she said. “I told them, ‘Look [the victims] over from head to toe and come back to me and tell me what you see.’ It worked, but it’s not the ideal situation.” The Washington Post, Dec. 25

Being smart about your child’s brain

Professor Dawn Comstock of the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz was interviewed by The New York Times columnist Frank Bruni about concussions ahead of the release of the major Hollywood movie starring Will Smith, Concussion, which opened in December. The New York Times, Dec. 20

CU Anschutz students create care kits for the homeless

Students at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus created hundreds of care kits for the homeless in Denver. The kits include items such as washcloths, toothpaste, tissues, winter accessories, snacks, Band-Aids and soap. The students held a donation drive to get the items in November. This is the second year the students have done this project. 9News, Dec. 11

How much should you exercise? Try an exercise prescription

Iñigo San Millán, director of sports performance at the new CU Sports Medicine and Performance Center, said, “People go on this drastic diet, they go to the gym and just kill themselves . . . and we know that people drop out of these programs in six months. They fail at losing weight. Many even get injured.” Denver Post, Dec. 19, 2015

 

Targeted therapy keeps pedal to life’s metal

Matt Mikulich, 73, was diagnosed with stage 3B non-small-cell lung cancer in February 2009. Following chemo and radiation therapy, his cancer spread, and by April 2010, the diagnosis worsened to stage 4. To no small degree, Matt Mikulich owes his presence to another British export: Ross Camidge, the Joyce Zeff Chair in Lung Cancer Research at the CU Cancer Center. Chaffee County Times, Dec. 17

The tricky business of treating altitude sickness

Robert Roach, director of the Altitude Research Center at CU Anschutz, talks about ways of coping with altitude sickness when traveling in the mountains of Colorado and beyond. The New York Times, Dec. 13

CU doc partners with Boulder Valley on concussion recovery

Sherri Ballantine, a CU School of Medicine sports medicine doctor and assistant professor of orthopedics, helped develop the new concussion protocol for Boulder Valley School District and serves on the district’s Brain Injury Resource Team.

“The teachers are with the kids every day,” she said. “They can see if the kid is tanking at the end of the day.” Daily Camera, Dec. 21