Winter 2016 Edition

Dean's Letter
New core curriculum to serve today鈥檚 students, tomorrow鈥檚 world

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Features

Al Bartlett

Physics prof鈥檚 home, like the man himself, is now an icon

Albert A. Bartlett, the iconic physics professor, helped preserve the city he called home, and now the city has moved to preserve his home. In November, the Boulder City Council designated the longtime home of the University of Colorado Boulder professor as an historic landmark. The city鈥檚 move reflects the impact Bartlett had on both the university and Boulder.

Locally grown food

Thinking globally, eating locally

For decades in the post-World War II era, it鈥檚 fair to say that the diet of most Americans became less and less local. With innovations ranging from the interstate highway system to affordable home refrigeration and freezing systems, it simply became easier to eat food that came from a state 鈥 or even a country 鈥 far, far away.

Prison

Why are gang members disproportionately placed in solitary confinement?

Members of criminal gangs are disproportionately placed in restrictive housing when they are imprisoned in the United States, but the evidence supporting this practice is 鈥渨eak,鈥 says criminologist David Pyrooz, who advocates more rigorous research on whether widespread isolaton of gang members is based on the best evidence.

Cardio health

Diet-mimicking pill could reverse cardiovascular aging

CU Boulder researchers have successfully reversed vascular dysfunction in aging mice with a dietary supplement. The findings have implications for preventing cardiovascular dysfunction and disease during aging in humans.

News

Trump

Trump gestures infuse politics with comedic effects

Donald Trump鈥檚 use of comedic entertainment, scholars at CU Boulder contend, goes a long way toward explaining his success in electoral success. 鈥淚n Trump we find a Rabelaisian character that deploys bawdy humor to entertain his audience," they say.

Zyzda

More undergrad research, yes, research, in arts and humanities

There鈥檚 a reason you aren鈥檛 likely to see a Hollywood blockbuster featuring a laboratory dedicated to, say, American literature, philosophy, Italian languages or any other arts and humanities discipline: For the most part, researchers in those disciplines work as individuals, and not on laboratory teams.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival

Bard fest hosts reading of 鈥榯ranslated鈥 鈥楬enry VI鈥 plays

In 2015, the oldest Shakespeare festival in the United States announced that it would commission 36 playwrights to 鈥渢ranslate鈥 39 plays into 鈥渃ontemporary modern English.鈥 The Oregon Shakespeare Festival鈥檚 鈥淧lay On!鈥 project sparked instant, heated controversy and debate among Shakespeare aficionados. Now, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival has hosted a reading of two "translated" plays.

Power plant

Boosting power plants鈥 efficiency can cause emissions rebound, study finds

Increasing the efficiency of power plants鈥 efficiency is often assumed to be an effective means of reducing carbon emissions. However, an empirical analysis of plants鈥 efficiency and emission led by a University of Colorado Boulder sociology professor casts some doubt on that conventional wisdom.

books

CU Boulder to revamp doctoral studies in the literatures

In an effort to recruit the most talented students, the University of Colorado Boulder will fundamentally restructure the support for doctoral studies in its six literature Ph.D programs with the new Consortium of Doctoral Studies in Literatures and Cultures.

Natalie Ahn

Distinguished biochemist elected president of national society

Natalie Ahn, a professor of distinction in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder, was elected president of The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology last year and began her term as president-elect in July.

MASP

Miramontes program supports underrepresented, first-generation undergrads

Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program (MASP) has a mandate to support 鈥渕otivated, traditionally underrepresented or first-generation students who want to be part of a diverse academic community in the College of Arts and Sciences.鈥

diversity

New 鈥4+1鈥 program adds up for future teachers

The School of Education and Department of Ethnic Studies have partnered to offer a new program that will allow future teachers to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in ethnic studies and a master鈥檚 degree in education in five years. The new 鈥4+1 Ethnic Studies and Education Concurrent Degree Program鈥 will begin admitting students in spring 2017.

Arctic

CU Boulder launches cool certificate in Arctic studies

There probably is not a more suitable location for one of the world鈥檚 first interdisciplinary certificates in Arctic studies than the University of Colorado Boulder.

Donors

Megan Dulsky

Scholarship recipients and donors celebrate together

When Meghan Dulsky heard that she was going to study abroad, she was elated. Later, when she learned that most of her experience would be funded, she was brought to tears. Dulsky, a senior majoring in classics, is the recipient of the Ann Nichols Scholarship and the Herodotus Travel Grant.

Bison

There鈥檚 a Buff-to-Buff call on line 1

When you pick up the phone, you speak with a bright, enthusiastic student from your alma mater. Soon, you find yourself giving the caller career advice, learning about the latest developments on campus, laughing, and yes, talking about the importance of private donations to CU Boulder鈥檚 mission.

Alumni

John Warner at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (USPCC) Time Trial Awards. Photo by Jenise Jensen.

Dentist packs life with adventure, civic service, altruism

John Warner is a dentist who鈥檚 climbed and skied mountains in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe, raced motorcycles and mountain bikes, and, incidentally, served as a town mayor, search-and-rescue volunteer, orchestra backer, and dentist-of-mercy in Guatemala.

Italian alumna, lifelong learner experiences la dolce vita

Italian alumna, lifelong learner experiences la dolce vita

Simple twists of fate propelled Joyce Earickson toward the study of Italian, then English, divinity and psychology. She has taught Italian, French, English, and world religions; comforted families of those who were critically injured and gravely ill; and worked with autistic and disabled children.

Alexis Martin Woodall

Emmy winner honed storytelling skills at CU film program

Two-time Emmy-winning producer and University of Colorado Boulder alumna Alexis Martin Woodall (BFA-film production, BA-film studies 鈥02) says CU Boulder鈥檚 film-studies program gave her the power to craft compelling stories on the editing floor.

Dave Woodall and Alexis Martin Woodalll

Alum forgoes career in courtroom to become L.A. chef

Dave Woodall, once an aspiring lawyer, says CU Boulder education gave him the tools to open a from-scratch, comfort restaurant that 鈥榬ecalls glamour of mid-century Hollywood.鈥

Kudos

Team

CU students enhance global STEM learning with new iPad App

Thanks to a team of undergraduate students, the University of Colorado Boulder now has an innovative new iPad app for kids, extending the international educational footprint of the PhET Interactive Simulations project and its award-winning collection of science and math simulations.

Lienzo de Petlalcala

CU scholars named American Council of Learned Societies fellows

Three University of Colorado Boulder professors have won prestigious fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies. The three are among 69 fellows chosen from 1,100 applicants.

Tin Tin

CU lab鈥檚 fruit-fly work yields patented cancer treatment

CU Boulder and SuviCa recently received a patent for a promising chemical, SVC112, which helps prevent regrowth of cancer cells following radiation exposure. The chemical was originally identified through lab research with fruit flies 鈥 a process that is being shared with undergraduate students 鈥 and its synthesis helped create a collaborative pipeline for cross-disciplinary work through CU鈥檚 Technology Transfer Office.