College of Arts & Sciences

A Season of Buffs Giving at 91��ý

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:26:39 +0000

A Season of Buffs Giving at 91��ý Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:26

April Driver

Darla Thompson (Soc’92) is eager to support her alma mater. As a Forever Buffs Advisory Board member and Homecoming volunteer, she has long enjoyed participating in university happenings. After moving back to Colorado in 2021, she started volunteering to read student scholarship applications and became inspired to contribute even more.

Last March, during 91��ý’s annual giving day, Buffs All In, she donated to the university, citing her belief in the power of collective generosity.

“When so many people come together, even small gifts add up to something meaningful,” she said.

Thompson chose to contribute to scholarship funds to help make a 91��ý education more accessible to students.

The Buffs All In campaign runs throughout the month of March, allowing for the creation of a network of CU donors who can see their collective giving in real time, further emphasizing the value of their gifts.

In past years, Buffs have chosen to amplify their giving through challenge gifts, which unlock additional funds when the challenge reaches a milestone, such as a donor quota or collective giving threshold.

Scott (Econ’79) and Linda Flanders offer a $25,000 challenge each year for the College of Arts and Sciences. “Liberal arts schools are often underfunded compared to business and technology degrees,” he said. “My CU education positioned me for success in business and helped me relate to many different people over a long and varied career.”

The Flanders were inspired after attending an event where a donor matched all gifts received during the dinner, prompting them to give unexpectedly. Now, they create their own challenge during Buffs All In to support the college that shaped Scott’s future.

His advice to Buffs?

“Give what you can. It’ll make you feel good.”

This March, join thousands of Buffs making a difference. Every gift — big or small — supports student success and the programs that can make a real difference. Be all in.

Make a gift or learn more

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Photos courtesy 91��ý Advancement Marketing and Communications

Buffs All In unlocks potential at the university.

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CU Researchers Study Potential Links Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:19:01 +0000

CU Researchers Study Potential Links Between Hearing Loss and Dementia Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:19

Lisa Marshall

Can hearing loss cause dementia?

Professor Anu Sharma gets this question a lot. As an auditory neuroscientist in CU’s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Sharma has spent much of her career in a soundproof room on the Boulder campus, spying on volunteers’ brain activities as headphones pipe sound into their ears. Her small yet high-tech studies have produced some of the most detailed evidence that hearing loss, even in early, mild stages, reorganizes the way the brain responds to sound and other stimuli.

The findings complement a growing body of large public health studies linking presbycusis, also known as age-related hearing loss, and cognitive decline.

A seminal 2011 study from Johns Hopkins University found that, over the course of 12 years, people with mild hearing loss were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia, while those with moderate to severe hearing loss were three to five times as likely. In 2017, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention identified hearing loss as the “single largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia.”

Such studies have sparked worrying headlines, emboldened some hearing aid companies to claim their products can “prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” and prompted older patients to ask their audiologists about cognitive health.

“Ten years ago, almost nobody would come into the clinic asking about brain health,” said Dr. Vinaya Manchaiah, director of audiology at CU Anschutz. Now, it happens all the time.

Sharma and Manchaiah still respond cautiously.

“There’s a lot of fear-mongering going on, and that worries me,” Sharma said. While ample evidence shows that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, it’s still not clear whether it causes it — and if so, how and what can be done.

That’s where Sharma’s lab comes in. By studying the brain activity of adults in various stages of hearing loss, she hopes to shed light not only on what, precisely, presbycusis does to the brain, but also whether hearing aids can undo the damage.

Professor Anu Sharma

Rewiring the Circuit

Seated in her office, images of brain scans glowing red and yellow on her computer monitor, Sharma explains the concept that has inspired much of her 20-year career: cross-modal plasticity.

“One of the most remarkable aspects of our brain is its ability to adapt to change,” she said. “A basic tenet of this ability is that the brain will reorganize itself following sensory deprivation.”

She first saw this in children born deaf. Sharma found that because their auditory cortex (the brain region earmarked for sound processing) was deprived of sound, their brains repurposed that valuable real estate to assist other senses, like vision and touch, instead.

This elegant rewiring has its upsides.

For instance, studies have shown that, with multiple parts of their brains weighing in to process what they see and feel, some deaf individuals are better at recognizing faces and have a heightened sense of touch.

“It is a dynamic and elegant plasticity,” said Sharma. “And for a long time we had only seen it in children that were born deaf or adults that were profoundly deaf.”

In 2011, after reading the first news stories associating hearing loss with cognitive decline, she wondered: Could such rewiring occur in earlier, milder stages of hearing loss?

She and her students recruited dozens of people with hearing loss, along with age-matched participants with normal hearing. As flashing objects marched across a monitor or vibrations tickled their fingertips, an EEG (electroencephalogram) cap with 128 electrodes measured electrical activity in their brains.

When the first results came in, “I was shocked,” recalled Sharma.

Even among those with mild hearing loss, the brain had already begun to rewire itself, leveraging parts of its sound processing center to help make sense of sights and sensations.

But of greater concern was what happened when they tried to make sense of sound.

When the repeated sound “ba” was played for those with hearing loss, it prompted only limited activation in the auditory cortex. Meanwhile, brain regions responsible for working memory and other cognitive functions crackled with activity.

“Even as early as mild hearing loss, listening becomes effortful,” Sharma explained. “As a result, you do two things: You rely more heavily on other modalities, like vision, and you use parts of your brain designed for cognition.”

Some have theorized that this extra load on the brain’s memory centers eats up “cognitive reserve,” boosting risk of decline later in life.

And Sharma’s own studies show that those with untreated age-related hearing loss tend to perform worse on cognitive tasks.

“Anu has done some landmark research showing that, even with mild hearing loss, you can have changes in the brain,” said Manchaiah. “The big question now is: Can you do something about it?”

Hearing Loss by the Numbers

30%

Adults over age 50 who have age-related hearing loss

15%

Adults who could benefit from hearing aids in the U.S. and use them

7-10 years

Adults typically wait this long to seek treatment for hearing loss

$2,000 to $7,000

Average cost of prescription hearing aids

$1,000 to $2,000

Average cost of OTC hearing aids

Can Hearing Aids Prevent Cognitive Decline?

In 2020, Sharma published the results of a small but groundbreaking study.

Her lab found that when 21 adults with untreated, mild to moderate age-related hearing loss wore hearing aids for six months, their brains began to look more like those of people with normal hearing again. In essence, that cross-modal plasticity had reversed.

Most also scored better on cognitive tests than they had prior to getting hearing aids.

The study, while promising, came with caveats and prompted more questions.

For instance, participants were professionally fitted with state-of-the-art hearing aids and wore them for an average of 10 hours a day. Would people experience beneficial brain changes and cognitive improvements with less expensive hearing aids? How much does fit matter? And how long do they need to be worn?

Larger studies elsewhere have yielded mixed results.

One randomized controlled trial, published in 2023, showed that hearing aids did not reduce the risk of cognitive decline on a population-wide level, but they did in specific subgroups, including people with cardiovascular disease.

All this makes it hard for doctors to give patients a straight answer, said Manchaiah.

So, he and Sharma are working to fill the research gap.

In 2025, armed with a $3.5 million National Institutes of Health grant, they launched an ambitious five-year study.

The randomized controlled trial plans to recruit 280 people with early, untreated hearing loss and divide them into four groups: prescription hearing aids with professional fit; over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids with in-person support from an audiologist; OTC hearing aids with online support from an audiologist; and OTC self-fit groups.

All study participants will receive free hearing aids (to keep) and undergo EEG, cognitive and behavioral testing before and after use. They will complete questionnaires and surveys throughout the study.

“This is one of the largest hearing aid studies ever done, in terms of the number of different things we are measuring,” said Machaiah, who is leading the study along with Sharma. “There are many unanswered questions, but in a few years we will have a lot more answers.”

In the meantime, Sharma said there are many other reasons to seek treatment for age-related hearing loss, as research has shown it can contribute to social isolation and depression.

“Regardless of the cognitive issues, if you have hearing loss, it’s really smart to get hearing aids,” said Sharma. “They will enhance your quality of life.”

To inquire about participating in the study, email eeglab@colorado.edu.

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Illustrations by Petre Péterffy

A 91��ý lab is exploring how age-related hearing loss rewires the brain — and whether hearing aids can undo the damage.

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Celebrating 150 Years of CU People

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:16:07 +0000

Celebrating 150 Years of CU People Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:16

Julia MacLean

Over 150 years, 91��ý has been shaped by the vision, courage and tenacity of many students, faculty, staff and alumni. These Buffs have spurred change for the university and left an imprint on the legacy that propels it forward.

Joseph Sewall

1877 — Became CU’s first president

A 19th-century American physician, scientist and educator, Joseph Sewall served as 91��ý’s first president from 1877 to 1887. Before he arrived in Colorado, he trained in medicine and natural science and taught as a professor of chemistry at Illinois State Normal University. When CU opened on Sept. 5, 1877, there was only a single building — Old Main — which contained classrooms, a library, a chapel and the living quarters for the Sewall family.

Today, Sewall is remembered as the man “in at the birth” of CU, who directed its first steps and helped lay the foundation for what the university would become. In 1935, the university built Sewall Hall in his honor, which is the oldest continuously used residence hall on campus.

Mary Rippon in 1882.

Mary Rippon

1878 — Appointed CU’s first female professor

Mary Rippon’s distinguished career at 91��ý spanned over 30 years. Besides making history as the first female professor at CU, she is also believed to be one of the first women in the United States to teach at a state university. Beloved by students, Rippon taught language and literature, eventually earning a position as head of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature. She is honored today by the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre on CU’s campus. Rippon also lived a fascinating hidden life — in 1888, she secretly married a CU student, Will Housel, and gave birth to their daughter, Miriam Housel. She concealed this truth for decades to retain her position and support her family.

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones (Ger’1918)

1918 — Graduated from CU

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones was an educator and the first known Black woman to graduate from 91��ý. Born to parents who had been enslaved, she grew up in the Barnum subdivision of Denver, where her family became the area’s first Black property owners. Before attending CU, she broke barriers by becoming the first Black graduate to earn a two-year teaching degree from what is now the University of Northern Colorado. In 1918, she earned a bachelor’s degree in German from CU — however, due to racial prejudice, she was not allowed to walk across the stage at commencement or appear in the yearbook. Her diploma was handed to her off-stage, an act that led her to vow that she would never return to campus. Nearly 100 years after her graduation, CU formally recognized Buchanan’s achievement, and during the 2018 commencement ceremony, a diploma was symbolically accepted on her behalf by CMDI associate professor Polly McLean.

George Norlin

1919 — Appointed president of CU

George Norlin joined CU as a classics professor in 1899, became acting president in 1917 and began serving as permanent president in 1919, where he remained until 1939. Under his transformative leadership, CU underwent a dramatic period of expansion, despite the Great Depression: the student body more than tripled, several university buildings were constructed and architect Charles Klauder redesigned the campus in the Tuscan vernacular style. Norlin left a lasting moral and cultural legacy at the university. He is famous for resisting pressure from the legislature (influenced by the Ku Klux Klan), refusing to dismiss all Catholic and Jewish faculty. He also wrote The Norlin Charge, first read at the 1935 commencement ceremony, which remains a part of CU tradition today.

Byron White (Econ’38)

1935 — Earned the Buffaloes national attention

Byron “Whizzer” White is among the most celebrated student-athletes in the history of Colorado Buffaloes football. His senior year, he led the Buffaloes through a successful season, earning national attention and helping elevate the profile of the program. He was later inducted into the Buffaloes’ Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his elite play and impact on CU athletics. After his athletic career, White distinguished himself in public service, eventually serving as a justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Peggy Coppom (A&S ex’46) and Betty Hoover (A&S ex’46)

1940 — Began cheering on the Buffs

The “CU Twins” earned legendary status on campus through decades of unwavering devotion to CU athletics. The sisters first began cheering for the Buffs as Boulder High School students. They were loyal season ticket holders for CU football (beginning in the late 1950s) and basketball (late 1970s). Wearing matching goldenrod CU sweatshirts and waving pom-poms, Peggy and Betty became a fixture in the stands and remain one of the most iconic fan duos in school history. After Betty’s death in 2020, Peggy’s dedication to CU has remained as strong as ever. In recognition of her lifelong commitment, Peggy was honored with the 2025 Chancellor’s Impact Award.

David Bolen (Mktg; MBA’50)

1948 — Competed in the Olympic Games

After David Bolen served in the Army Air Force for two years during World War II, 91��ý track and field coach Frank Potts recruited him to the university. He then earned All-America honors. At 25, Bolen became the first CU student to qualify for the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team, where he placed fourth in the 400m race at the London games. After graduating, Bolen began a distinguished diplomatic career, serving as U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland beginning in 1974, and to East Germany beginning in 1977. He also was the first Black ambassador to a nation behind the Iron Curtain.

Billy Kidd

1964 — Won an Olympic alpine skiing medal

In February 1964, at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Billy Kidd became the first U.S. man to win an Olympic alpine skiing medal, a silver in the slalom. Over the next several years, he captured gold in the combined event at the 1970 World Championships in Val Gardena and became the first American man to win a world alpine title. He then went professional, claiming the pro world championship that same year. After graduating from CU, Kidd remained in Colorado and became the long-time director of skiing at Steamboat Ski Resort in 1970. Beyond instruction, he helped initiate ski-based outreach and inclusion efforts, supporting Special Olympics athletes, wounded veterans and Native American youth through ski camps and mentorship programs.

“Ralph”

1966 — Folsom Field debut

The first official Ralphie mascot, “Ralph” was the live buffalo that launched one of the most beloved traditions at the 91��ý. In 1965, CU freshman Bill Lowery was determined to bring a live buffalo to Buffs football games instead of a costumed mascot. With the help of his rancher father, he successfully brought a buffalo calf from northeastern Colorado to Boulder. Ralph made her debut at Folsom Field on Oct. 1, 1966, charging onto the field with Lowery and a few of his fellow students flailing alongside her in cowboy boots.

Juan Espinosa (Jour’74)

1972 — Launched the newspaper El Diario de la Gente

As a 91��ý student, Espinosa launched the bilingual newspaper El Diario de la Gente in 1972 as a member of the United Mexican American Students, a campus group aimed at bringing cultural awareness to Boulder’s Chicano community. The Vietnam War veteran later moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where he co-founded the alternative community newspaper La Cucaracha and worked for 22 years at The Pueblo Chieftain.

Tom Cech

1989 — Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

A distinguished professor of chemistry at 91��ý, Thomas Cech is a renowned biochemist whose work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of molecular biology. After earning his doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975 and completing postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty of 91��ý in 1978. In 1982, he and his research group made a groundbreaking discovery that RNA molecules, specifically from the pond organism Tetrahymena thermophila, could splice themselves, acting as enzymes in cellular reactions without proteins. In recognition of this paradigm-shifting work, Cech was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989. Cech continues to lead research and education at 91��ý as the founding director of the BioFrontiers Institute.

Ceal Barry

2018 — Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

As head coach for over 22 seasons, Ceal Barry left an undeniable mark on 91��ý’s women’s basketball. In her time as coach, she accumulated a record of 427-242, the most wins by any head coach in CU sports history. Under her leadership, the program flourished. She had 13 seasons with 20 or more wins, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the Elite Eight. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 in recognition of her impact and achievements. After stepping down as coach, Barry served for 15 years in CU Athletics administration, including a year as interim athletic director in 2013. The university unveiled Ceal Barry Plaza in her honor in January 2026.

Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09)

2018 — Elected to Congress

At 91��ý Joe Neguse was involved in student government, served as co-student body president under the “tri-executive” system and worked on issues like diversity, affordability and higher-education finance. After graduating, he went on to serve on the CU Board of Regents, co-founded a nonprofit aimed at youth civic engagement and worked in Colorado politics. In 2018, Neguse was elected to represent Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Black Coloradan elected to Congress. During his time in office, he has focused on priorities like public-lands protection, affordable higher education, consumer protection and government accountability.

Wei Wu (MMus’13)

2019 — Awarded a Grammy Award

A bass singer from Beijing, Wei Wu has built a remarkable career in opera, earning international acclaim. Upon arriving in the U.S. in 2007, he auditioned for graduate work at 91��ý’s College of Music, officially enrolling in 2008. During his time at CU, he honed and perfected the vocal technique, diction and stage presence that became instrumental to his professional success. Wu received his big break after performing the role of Kôbun Chino Otogawa in the world premiere of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” at Santa Fe Opera. The recording won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.

David Ellsworth (Art’71; MFA’73)

2021 — Honored with the Smithsonian Visionary Award

David Ellsworth helped elevate wood turning from a utilitarian craft to fine art. While studying sculpture at 91��ý, he developed his signature approach, “blind turning,” a method using a set of bent tools that enables woodturners to hollow out wood into elegant, thin-walled vessels. Ellsworth taught his strategies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Anderson Ranch Arts Center, going on to found his own Ellsworth School of Woodturning. In 2021, he was honored with the Smithsonian Visionary Award by the Smithsonian Institution in recognition of his “ground-breaking, innovative and transformative career in wood art.”

Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17)

2024 — Played the violin in space

Sarah Gillis made history on Sept. 13, 2024 when she became the first person to play the violin in space, performing “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft more than 870 miles above Earth. Her crewmates captured her performance, which took place in zero gravity conditions during the Polaris Dawn mission, and sent to Earth via Starlink. Gillis first developed an interest in space in high school and went on to study aerospace engineering at 91��ý. After internships and work at SpaceX, she joined the Polaris Dawn crew as a mission specialist, where she became the youngest astronaut to participate in a spacewalk.

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Photo credits: In order of appearance: Courtesy Carnegie Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection (Mary Rippon); CU Heritage Center (Joseph Sewall); CU Heritage Center (George Norlin); Glenn Asakawa (Peggy Coppom and Betty Hoover); Courtesy the Buchanan Archives (Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones); Courtesy Tom Cech; Glenn Asakawa (Tom Cech); Polaris Dawn crew (Sarah Gillis); Glenn Asakawa (Wei Wu); Courtesy Juan Espinosa; CU Heritage Center (David Bolen); CU Heritage Center (Byron White); CU Athletics (Ceal Barry); Courtesy Joe Neguse; Roshni Gorur/Courtesy of Anderson Ranch (David Ellsworth); Courtesy Billy Kidd; Coloradan archives (Ralphie)

91��ý has been shaped by the vision, courage and tenacity of many students, faculty, staff and alumni since 1876.

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CU Research Finds Human Rights Under Threat

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:11:21 +0000

CU Research Finds Human Rights Under Threat Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:11

Yvaine Ye

Deforestation in the Maranhão state of Brazil, July 2016

More than 99% of the world’s 7.7 billion people face at least one threat to their environmental rights, according to a new study.

In 2022, the UN formally recognized that everyone on the planet has the right to a healthy environment. But according to the most comprehensive analysis of environmental inequality to date, 91��ý researchers found that nearly half of the global population lives in regions facing three or more of the five environmental threats analyzed: polluted air, unsafe water, extreme heat, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.

“Over the years, communities around the world have been fighting for local environmental justice,” said first author Naia Ormaza-Zulueta (PhDEnv St’25), a researcher in 91��ý’s Better Planet Lab. “We want to stitch their stories into a single, undeniable global tapestry.”

For their study, Ormaza-Zulueta and Zia Mehrabi, a data scientist in the Better Planet Lab, calculated whether an individual in a given location around the world is experiencing, or has recently experienced, any of the five environmental threats that violate their rights.

The team found that almost everyone on Earth lives in a place that has recently experienced at least one of these environmental threats. The report indicated that over 45%, or 3.4 billion people, have at least three rights threatened, and 1.25%, or 95 million people, experienced all five environmental threats studied.

Disadvantaged populations, such as those with lower incomes and those living on Indigenous lands, are far more likely to experience poor air quality, excessive heat and limited access to clean water.

Many of the poor environmental conditions around the globe result from the activities of wealthy nations, the study found. For instance, the large demand for products in the United States and Europe has caused biodiversity loss and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

“No matter where we live, our rights are inherently connected to those of people in other parts of the world,” Ormaza-Zulueta said.

The analysis was published in September 2025 in Environmental Research Communications.

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Photo by Ibama from Brasil

Billions live in environments that violate human rights.

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Deforestation in the Maranhão state of Brazil, July 2016

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Allergy Busters, Preserving Language and a Rare Dinosaur Tree

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:05:18 +0000

Allergy Busters, Preserving Language and a Rare Dinosaur Tree Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:05

UV Allergen Busters

91��ý researchers have discovered that low-intensity ultraviolet light can disable common airborne allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, mold and pollen. The light alters the structure of the allergen proteins so the immune system no longer recognizes them. Using 222-nanometer-wavelength UV lights in a controlled chamber, the team found that allergen immunorecognition dropped significantly within 30 to 40 minutes. Because allergens persist indoors long after their sources are gone, this approach could offer a simple, fast and portable way to reduce allergy and asthma triggers in indoor environments.

Preserving Language

CU researchers hope that digital tools will protect and revitalize Arapaho, a language native to the Boulder area. Andrew Cowell, 91��ý linguistics professor and faculty director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, along with students, community partners and native Arapaho speakers, have created two online databases (one lexical, the other for in-depth text) to help these efforts. The free lexical database functions like a living dictionary with more than 20,000 entries, according to the Arts and Sciences magazine. The text database, not publicly released to avoid online exploitation, contains more than 100,000 sentences of spoken Arapaho, including natural conversations and stories recorded over decades.

Space Policy and Law

As space activity worldwide increases, CU will become a hub for connecting technical expertise with governance, highlighted by the creation of the Hatfield Endowed Professor in Space Policy & Law, which is held by Marcus Holzinger (PhDAeroEngr’11). Alongside the launch of the Colorado Space Policy Center, the university is fostering collaboration across academia, industry and government. These efforts aim to prepare students to apply technical knowledge to policy challenges and shape the future legal and regulatory frameworks for space exploration.

Campus Talk

“I can’t wait to lock arms, get to work, have some fun and build the future of Colorado Athletics.”

— Fernando Lovo, the new 91��ý director of athletics, after being introduced Jan. 5, 2026. Lovo comes to CU from the University of New Mexico. His predecessor Rick George will step into an advisory role and serve as director of athletics emeritus on campus in June.

Digits

Dinosaur Tree

91��ý is home to one of the oldest and rarest trees in the world

2025

Year Judy (PE’76; MEdu’06) and Rod McKeever (ChemEngr’76) gifted CU a Wollemi pine

30th

Street location of the Boulder greenhouse where the pine, “Wally,” lives

1994

Year the Wollemi pine was rediscovered in Australia after it was previously thought to be extinct

91M

the pine fossil’s records date back, in years

200M

age of Wally’s plant family

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Photos by Patrick Campbell (researcher) and Rachel Sauer (wollemi pine)

News and research from the 91��ý campus.

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The Reaches of 91��ý Research

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:17:21 +0000

The Reaches of 91��ý Research Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:17

Kelsey Yandura

At its core, research is the disciplined pursuit of a single question: “What if?”

What if measuring space dust could tell us something about our place in the cosmos?

What if we could grow whole human organs from just a few cells?

What if we could transform plastic into fertilizer?

These are the kinds of questions driving work within and among 91��ý’s 12 research institutes and more than 75 research centers, employing 3,000 researchers, students and staff whose fields span environmental studies to cognitive science. In 2024, their work contributed to more than $742 million in research support, including nearly $500 million in federal funding.

When paired with time, attention, resources and a serious tolerance for failure, these seeds of curiosity can develop into something revolutionary, sometimes well beyond their original vision. And while some of the finer points may be hard to grasp, the reach of this research is not abstract — it can be traced, quite literally, through the layers of our world. It moves inward, reshaping the delicate architecture of the human body. It arcs out into space, collecting data from distant planets. It extends downward, into the soil and water systems that sustain our ecosystem.

To capture even a hint of the scope of research taking place at 91��ý, we explore three different research projects that showcase a unique dimension of impact, both on campus and beyond.

At A Glance

>>One of 38 U.S. public research institutions in the Association of American Universities

>>5 Nobel Laureates since 1989

>>Only university to send space instruments to every planet in the solar system

>>12 research-based institutes and 75+ centers

>> 3,000+ faculty, researchers, students and staff support the institutes

Journey of New Horizons

>>Past

2006 _ Launch

2015 _ Pluto flyby

2019 _ Arrokoth flyby

2024 _ 60 AU milestone

>>Future

2050 _ Edge of heliosphere

>>The onboard Student Dust Counter is the farthest-operating dust detector in history

Exploring New Horizons <LASP>

When it comes to measuring the reach of research, the vision behind the New Horizons mission has always been far-flung.

Launched in 2006, the New Horizons spacecraft spent nine years hurtling through the darkest reaches of our solar system to capture the first-ever recorded glimpse of Pluto and its moons up close.

“The expectation was that it was going to be a boring chunk of dark ice,” said Mihály Horányi, physics professor and LASP scientist. “But we were in for a big surprise. It’s very active. It has flat regions, mountain regions and floating icebergs...all kinds of unexpected things.”

But for New Horizons, Pluto was just the beginning. The spacecraft pressed deeper into space. In 2019, the Hubble Space Telescope onboard captured what would become the most distant and primitive object yet to be explored by a spacecraft: a reddish, oddly snowman-shaped object called Arrokoth. Nothing like it has been found anywhere else in the solar system.

And it’s still going. As of October 2024, New Horizons passed 60 times as far from the Sun as Earth is — twice as far out as Pluto was in 2015.

But the reach of New Horizons takes on another dimension than just physical distance. Onboard the spacecraft is nestled a device called the Student Dust Counter (SDC), the first NASA science instrument ever designed, built, tested and operated almost entirely by students. Its impact has been both interstellar and interpersonal.

“At the time, the idea was unconventional,” explained Horányi, who has served as the instrument’s principal investigator for more than two decades.

Approval required long rounds of advocacy up and down NASA’s decision-making chain. The condition? Students would be held to the same rigorous standards as the professionals.

From the outset, students at CU rose to the challenge. In 2002, about 20 students (both undergrad and graduate) worked to design, engineer and build every piece of the dust counter, from building to testing to calibration.

When the time came for delivery and testing, the SDC was the first instrument completed and delivered to New Horizons. It underwent the same demanding NASA design reviews as veteran instrument teams.

“Sometimes,” recalled Horányi, “the students performed better than the professionals.”

Today, the spacecraft is over 60 astronomical units from the Sun — more than 5.5 billion miles away — making SDC the farthest-operating dust detector in history. And it is still operated by students.

The measurements have been full of surprises. Dust densities in the outer solar system turned out to be higher than expected, prompting new debates about the structure and extent of the Kuiper Belt, which contains Pluto, other dwarf planets and comets. SDC data now informs studies on whether there’s a “second belt” beyond Pluto, how far the Kuiper Belt extends, and how our solar system’s dust environment compares to those around other stars.

And while the science is groundbreaking, Horányi is just as proud of the human impact.

More than 30 students have served as SDC team members since its inception. Many went on to prestigious graduate programs and major research institutions. Others have followed entirely different paths, including one electrical engineer who became a Buddhist priest.

“They all did something important,” Horányi said. “Something bigger than getting an A in a class.”

The current lead, Alex Doner (Physics’26), will soon hand the reins to Blair Schultz (Physics’28), who will guide the mission’s next phase. The instrument will likely operate into the early 2050s, potentially detecting the edge of the Sun’s influence — the heliosphere — and the transition to true interstellar space.

Engineering Organoids <BioFrontiers Institute>

Meanwhile, across campus at CU’s BioFrontiers Institute, scientists are working to explore and traverse the limits of a different kind of landscape: the inner workings of the human body. The questions they’re asking sound like science fiction, but have immediate and vital application — what if we could reliably make miniature, lab-grown versions of human organs? The results could change the medical world as we know it, offering new ways to test drugs, study disease and someday possibly replace failing organs.

“There’s been a lot of excitement in the past few years about being able to take a patient’s stem cells and grow them into a miniature version of one of its tissues or organs,” said Kristi Anseth (PhDChemEngr’94), a 91��ý professor of chemical and biological engineering who is leading the organoid research. “Making complex mimics of organs would open doors for screening new types of drugs or trying to better understand the evolution of diseases, like cancer.”

One of the trickiest parts of growing organoids is their three-dimensional shape — they tend to grow unpredictably.

“It is a stochastic, or random, process,” said Anseth. “We were talking to clinicians and biologists who were growing these organoids, but each looked a little different, and these differences can lead to different behavior or function.”

This “snowflake problem” has been a major roadblock against some of the most exciting possibilities of organoid research — transplants, for example, wouldn’t work if the organ couldn’t be reliably grown to fit the patient.

Anseth’s team, in collaboration with stem cell biologist professor Peter Dempsey at the Anschutz Medical Campus, set out to make this random process into a predictable one, designing biomaterials — specifically, highly tunable hydrogels — that serve as scaffolds for these cells to grow in three dimensions.

“Being engineers, we thought, ‘Well, it’s going to be really important for the usefulness of these [organs] to make them the same way.’”

They started with the human intestine, where these hydrogel scaffolds successfully helped guide organoid growth into precise, reproducible sizes and shapes. That consistency means researchers can run large-scale, apples-to-apples experiments in a way that’s reliable enough for both science and medicine.

“We’re taking something that’s been unpredictable and making it precise, scalable and useful,” said Anseth. “You could use it to screen for new ways to deliver drugs. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take more drugs orally? Or get diagnosed at an earlier age?”

And while the team has made exciting progress, the crux of this work is still on the horizon. The ultimate goal of creating full-size replacement organs from organoids is likely years away.

“Now, we’re thinking of all the ‘what if’s,’” said Anseth. “It’s time to start solving the more complicated problems.”

For now, Anseth’s “mini-intestines” are helping illuminate a path toward more efficient drug testing and more accurate disease models. But she sees this as just the beginning.

“We already have ways to repair cartilage, to heal bones faster — things that didn’t exist a decade ago,” she says. “Now, the next direction is targeting complex diseases that happen in our hearts, our brains, our livers. That’s the promise of organoids...We’ll find interventions that can both improve and save lives.”

It’s time to start solving the more complicated problems.
Kristi Anseth, 91��ý professor of chemical and biological engineering, who received the National Academy of Engineering’s 2025 Simon Ramo Founders Award.

Organoids

Miniature versions of human organs grown from stem cells in labs

>>Goal

Improve and save lives by targeting complex diseases in vital organs

>>Uses

Drug testing, disease modeling, regenerative medicine

>>Challenges

Inconsistency in shape, behavior and function

The Plastics Problem

>> Part of nearly every aspect of modern life

>> 400M+ tons produced globally each year

>> About 11M tons end up in lakes, rivers and streams annually

>> Microplastics found in human tissue, oceans and soil

>> Most compostable plastics require industrial facilities

Plastics to Fertilizer <ATLAS Institute>

At CU’s interdisciplinary ATLAS Institute, researcher and assistant professor Carson Bruns is proving that the insights gleaned from the tiniest of molecules can change the very ground beneath our feet.

At Bruns’ Laboratory for Emergent Nanomaterials, the building blocks get the spotlight. By examining and structuring materials at very small scales, the team designs what he calls “molecular machinery” — new materials that, when scaled up, have the potential to display novel properties and functions.

Currently, thanks to a Research & Innovation Seed Grant, the team is applying these methods to one of the most controversial materials of our time: plastics.

From grocery bags to medical packaging, petroleum-based plastics are woven into nearly every aspect of modern life. But their convenience comes at a staggering cost.

“I believe we’re in a plastics crisis,” said Bruns. “We need to shift to a new paradigm, and the more people working on solutions, the better.”

Bruns explained that microplastics show up everywhere, even in human tissue. Plus, most plastics, even the “greener” compostable ones, are carbon-based — which means that, upon breaking down, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Most also require specialized, high-temperature industrial composting facilities to break down properly. In Boulder, these shortcomings prompted the city’s main composting partner, A1 Organics, to stop accepting biodegradable plastics altogether.

“Our aim is to create plastics that can safely biodegrade — eliminating the microplastics problem — but without heavy CO2 emissions,” said Bruns.

True to nanoengineering form, the team is rethinking the entire process, starting with source materials.

“We’re looking at agricultural waste as a raw material source,” said Bruns. By using runoff from vegetable washing or ash from burned plant matter, these new and improved plastics would biodegrade into elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur that already have value in the soil, releasing minimal carbon dioxide. The solution is cost-efficient, to boot.

“We know how to make high-performance plastics, but they’re too expensive to scale,” said Bruns. “Our goal is to make eco-friendly plastics that are as strong, tough and flexible as petroleum plastics.”

This research is still in its early stages, and collaboration has been key. To test biodegradability and soil impact, Bruns partnered with ecology professor Merritt R. Turetsky, director of arctic security. This cross-disciplinary work — melding nanotechnology, materials science and environmental biology — has already yielded promising early results.

“I’m excited about the collaboration,” said Bruns. “I think this problem requires many perspectives. Nobody can solve it alone, so working together across fields is really energizing.”

The team’s goal for the 18-month grant period is to develop at least one material that not only holds up in everyday use, but also demonstrably fertilizes soil. If successful, the applications could range from packaging films and plastic bags to plates, utensils and even foams that mimic Styrofoam.

In the long term, Bruns envisions a circular system: after use, the plastic could enter a specialized recycling stream for processing into fertilizer — or, ideally, degrade naturally in a backyard compost heap. Either way, it would close the loop between creation and decomposition, consumption and renewal.

“It’s about finding a better ending for these materials,” he said. “If we can make something useful in life and beneficial in death, that’s a win for both people and the planet.”

Our Shared Future

“My little part today, or this week or this month, is part of a bigger picture,” said Andrew Poppe (Phys’06; PhD’11) a research scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley who worked on the Student Dust Counter as both an undergraduate and graduate student.

“Do we want to be the type of society that just wakes up in the morning, goes to work, does the work, comes home, has dinner and repeats? Or do we want to be the type of society that is naturally curious about the world around us, whether that is the smallest things you put under a microscope or the biggest things that you can see through a telescope?”

These research projects are just a glimpse into the scope and scale of innovation taking place around campus. Individually, each has its own trajectory of impact. Together, they create a mosaic of possibilities for our shared future.

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Illustrations by John Provencher

CU researchers across space science, bioengineering and nanomaterials are turning “what if” questions into transformative discoveries.

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CU Ceramics: A Living Legacy

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:10:11 +0000

CU Ceramics: A Living Legacy Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:10

The ceramics program at 91��ý has a long and storied history, shaped in part by the late Betty Woodman, a CU professor and master potter whose work garnered international acclaim in the 1970s. Woodman’s work is displayed in prominent museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Her legacy endures through Scott Chamberlin, a former colleague, and two of her former students, Kim Dickey and Jeanne Quinn, who have taught together in the department for 25 years.

In September, the trio unveiled an alumni showcase exhibit: “Shaping Time: CU Ceramics Alumni 2000–2020.” The exhibit is open to the public at the CU Art Museum until Dec. 19.

To support the Betty Woodman Fund, visit cubuffs.org/woodman.

Ashley Jude Jonas, “sailing bare breasted with a gun,” 2023, ceramic, strapping tape, found table, found wood.

Grace Potter, “Desire Stone I,” 2025, stoneware with clay slip.

Liisa Nelson, “The Glorification of Signifiers,” 2025, ceramic.

Rebekah Myers and Tim Berg, “...in plain sight,” 2025, glazed ceramic and maple.

Erica Green, “California King,” 2022, knotted fibers on mattress.

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Installation photos by Wes Magyar, © the artists and CU Art Museum

91��ý’s ceramics program is celebrating its enduring impact with the alumni exhibit Shaping Time: CU Ceramics Alumni 2000–2020.

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The Age of AI Ghosts

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:04:41 +0000

The Age of AI Ghosts Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:04

Lisa Marshall

People can experience a digital afterlife with a loved one.

Each day, AI plays a greater role in our lives. Soon, it could also transform the way we interact with the dead.

“Today, you might interact with a Facebook memorial page for grandpa after he dies. But what would it feel like to actually sit down with grandpa by the fire and have a conversation with him?” asked 91��ý information science professor Jed Brubaker.

In a spring 2025 research paper, Brubaker predicts a future in which individuals routinely create custom “AI agents” to interact with the living after they’re gone. And he and his students have already begun beta testing their own “AI ghosts” to gauge how people feel about them.

Rudimentary versions have been around for years, he noted. After musician Lou Reed died in 2013, his life partner created a text-based chatbot (trained with Reed’s writings, songs and interviews) that she still, reportedly, converses with. And, in 2019, a grieving mother famously used a virtual reality set-up to play with an AI version of her young daughter, who had died years earlier.

Startups like Re;memory and HereAfter AI already help the living create posthumous digital versions of themselves, using pre-recorded video and audio clips.

But Brubaker is most intrigued by what’s coming in the next innovation wave: Powered by tech features that enable autonomous next-gen bots to understand language, remember and make decisions, forthcoming “AI ghosts” could do far more than regurgitate old stories.

For instance, they could have a live conversation about current events, write a new poem or help their kids manage their estate. But along with promise comes peril.

Can interacting with an AI ghost become unhealthy? How can one be sure no one will make a ghost out of them, against their will? When and how should a generative ghost die?

Brubaker doesn’t have the answers yet, but he hopes his research will get tech companies and policymakers thinking.

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Illustration by Hokyoung Kim

Researchers are exploring the potential for “AI ghosts,” digital versions of the deceased that can hold conversations and even make decisions.

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How a Fish Proved a Mathematical Breakthrough

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:06:33 +0000

How a Fish Proved a Mathematical Breakthrough Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:06

Alison Van Houton

On a March day in 2023, Ben Alessio, then a research assistant at 91��ý, was wandering around the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California, when he clocked a surprising sight: a male ornate boxfish undulating in the water, tessellating with violet and tangerine hexagons. It was dazzling — but more importantly, it was vindicating.

The rare fish’s markings were a real-life example of something that he and Ankur Gupta, 91��ý assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, had previously only modelled mathematically. It confirmed that they were onto a scientific breakthrough.

Turing Patterns

To understand Gupta’s research, one must first understand morphogenesis. Morphogenesis is the process by which cells, tissues and organisms develop their shapes.

Nearly 75 years ago, the famed British mathematician Alan Turing published a paper titled “The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis.” Since then, Turing’s work has been key to our understanding of how many — but not all — patterns form in nature.

“That’s sort of the foundational thinking, mathematically speaking, for this area of work,” said Gupta.

Turing had an uncommonly innovative mind — his ability to think beyond the status quo and make connections between various fields of thought led to breakthroughs in electronic computing, artificial intelligence, code breaking in WWII and, in this case, mathematical biology.

When it came to morphogenesis, Turing was interested in how heterogeneity, or diversity, arises out of homogeneity, which is when something is composed of all one type of thing. In other words, why does a zebra have both black and white stripes instead of a coat with hairs that are all one solid color, like gray?

The reason is diffusion — which is central to Turing’s theory. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration; molecules tend to spread out until there’s an even distribution (much like people in an elevator). In chemistry, diffusion often dominates systems, especially when particles are tiny.

“Diffusion essentially promotes homogeneity,” said Gupta.

What he means is that if you drop blue dye into clear, still water, for example, it will slowly diffuse, in a gradient, until the whole container is equally blue. Similarly, when mixing red and blue dye in a diffusion-dominated system, one expects the colors to blend, ultimately yielding a homogenous purple hue. However, when a chemical reaction also occurs, something different may happen. In certain conditions, even a diffusion-dominated system can promote heterogeneity from homogeneity.

“Essentially, what [Turing] argued was that under the right conditions, if there is diffusion as well as [a chemical] reaction between different components — if I have five or six dyes, or three or four dyes, and they’re reacting with each other — then essentially it’s just a delicate dance between these two processes.”

These days, the term “Turing pattern” is generally applied to any reaction-diffusion pattern. This natural pattern forms when chemicals react with one another and spread out, often resulting in wavy lines or spots. A notable example of a Turing pattern in nature is the sparkling blue zebra fish, a slender creature that’s gilded with horizontal, blurry-edged golden stripes.

However, some wild animals feature very crisp markings.

“Why would a diffusion model describe something that is so striking and sharp?” Gupta wondered.

An Accidental Discovery

Gupta didn’t initially set out to answer that question. His focus was on diffusiophoresis, which is the combination of diffusion, described earlier, and phoresis, which describes how ultra-small dissolved particles — around a tenth or even a hundredth the width of a single human hair — can sometimes drag other things along with them in a solution. So, if diffusion is the way that blue dye spreads through clear water, phoresis is the movement of particles that happens because they’re temporarily dragged by that dye.

Alessio, who was doing computational research at the time, had been running mathematical simulations of reaction-diffusion systems that also had a diffusiophoretic element. The resulting visuals were notably defined, unlike the fuzzier ones that emerge from reaction-diffusion models (as seen in the zebrafish). And it was the striking violet and tangerine hexagon boxfish pattern that caught his attention in the Southern California aquarium.

“I was just literally simulating something like this on my computer,” thought Alessio when he saw it. He snapped a slew of photos and messaged Gupta excitedly. “I have something exciting to show you.”

Until that point, Gupta and Alessio had the models, but they didn’t have an example of them in nature.

“I didn’t have any sort of idea about this fish or anything like that,” said Gupta. “He showed me this, and then we sort of reverse-engineered the missing link.”

They dove into existing research and realized that chromatophores — cells that create pigment in the bodies of fish, reptiles and some other animals — can be carried by dissolved chemicals. In other words, they can move diffusiophoretically (like the particles temporarily dragged by dye).

In late 2023, Gupta and Alessio published a paper titled “Diffusiophoresis-Enhanced Turing Patterns” in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances. Their research advances Turing’s theory by describing how more precise patterns — like the one seen on the ornate boxfish — come to exist.

While Alessio is now working on a PhD in mechanical engineering at Stanford, Gupta intends to continue researching how diffusiophoresis factors into Turing patterns.

“On the pattern-formation side, it would be useful to see if we can replicate some of this synthetically,” he said.

It’s a tall order, but more investigation can potentially help us understand how to control things synthetically.

Gupta is now investigating this phenomenon at an individual-cell level, which he likens to studying a single human versus a population of people.

“If I’m thinking about a population, then one option is to track individual people, and one is to say, ‘What is the population density?’” he said. “It was the population density approach that we were taking in our first paper. But now, we’re examining individual cells, and that has been interesting, because now what we start to see is imperfect Turing patterns.”

While mathematical models tend to be perfect, in reality, you often see imperfections: deformed hexagons or hexagons sliced in half. Taking an individual-cell-level approach to diffusiophoretic Turing patterns could provide more insight into why patterns sometimes don’t appear as expected based on mathematical models.

“We think it’s exciting, because real systems actually are not perfect,” Gupta said.

A Pilgrimage

In October 2023, before the “Diffusiophoresis-enhanced Turing patterns” paper was published, Gupta’s wife was traveling to a conference in San Diego. With anticipation, he packed his bags, hoping to set eyes on the ornate boxfish that inspired their discovery.

Inside the Birch Aquarium, he did a lap around the right side, where most of the fish seemed to be. But he wasn’t sure exactly where to look, and he struggled to spot its telltale scales.

“I couldn’t see it,” he said. “It was hidden.”

Ten minutes passed, then 20. Increasingly worried, he considered enlisting a staff member to help him track it down. Finally, in a last-ditch effort, he ventured off in the direction of the children’s area, toward the other side of the building. There, at long last, he caught his glimpse of the elusive fish.

Eureka.

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Illustration by Petra Péterffy

91��ý's Ankur Gupta’s discovery of sharper, more precise natural patterns expands on Alan Turing’s mathematical theory.

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Five CU Innovators Changing the World

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:04:07 +0000

Five CU Innovators Changing the World Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:04

91��ý is teeming with innovation, curiosity and thought leadership. And the people who comprise the university — CU Buffs — make global impact.

We’re highlighting five stellar Buffs — 91��ý students, alumni and faculty whose work is relevant, leading-edge and promises to create ripples out into the world. Their stories were written by five equally outstanding CU affiliates, who personally know and understand the importance of their work.

As journalist Tom Costello (Jour’87) wrote in his essay on his NBC colleague Savannah Sellers (Jour’13), she “breaks through.”

Many Buffs are breaking through — they bridge traditional silos, strive to think differently, and take huge risks. And just as many credit the university for equipping them to pursue their passions. 91��ý is more than its stunning location — this university is the people who push for more.

Idowu Odeyemi (PhDPhil’27)

Charting New Paths as a Rising Philosopher

Idowu Odeyemi came to 91��ý to refine his philosophical acumen while carving a path for young Africans like him who aspire to study philosophy.

Beyond his research, he said, “I want to challenge and expand the traditional boundaries of the discipline so that the philosophical community must either engage with African thinkers or justify why not.”

Idowu’s work — centered on oppression and blame — delves into how oppressive systems like patriarchy, colonialism, Nazism and slavery affect moral agency. He invites us to consider haunting questions such as why a battered wife doesn’t simply leave while her husband is out, illustrating how the threat of severe harm to one’s welfare can override considerations of morality and compel individuals to remain in oppres-sive circumstances.

Consider a battered wife who faces an oppressive double bind: resisting her abuser risks her safety, while compliance perpetuates the very system that oppresses her. This leads to an untenable situation where she is damned if she revolts, and damned if she doesn’t. In Idowu’s view, this dilemma complicates blaming oppressed individuals for not revolting.

Another facet of Idowu’s scholarship introduces the term “epistemic disgust” — a neglected psychological response that prompts us to reject certain beliefs and utterances because they repulse us. If someone says, “All white men smell like hot dog water,” for instance, many listeners feel revulsion that blocks such an utterance from entering our belief system. Idowu’s ground-breaking theory on how disgust can shape belief formation was published in the prestigious journal Episteme.

He also ventures beyond academia: His essay “On Accent and Confidence” in Isele Magazine was nominated for the 2025 non-fiction prize and recognized as one of the 50 notable essays from Africa in 2024, and another piece, “Living in America, Leaving Nigeria” (published by The Republic), was named among the 18 notable essays by a Nigerian in 2023.

As a graduate student, Idowu has published four peer-reviewed papers in leading journals — an achievement typically expected of faculty. Recently, he delivered a philosophy colloquium at the University of Missouri — uncommon for a graduate student. He was a Harper PhD Fellow at the Benson Center, a fellow at the Center for African and African American Studies and, in 2023, a fully funded fellowship took him to the University of Oxford. This summer, he will be visiting the National Archives in London through a research award from 91��ý’s Center for African and African American Studies.

Through Idowu’s compelling research and prolific achievements, he exemplifies how 91��ý’s nurturing environment fosters tomorrow’s transformative thinkers.

91��ý philosophy associate professor Ajume Wingo serves as Odeyemi’s advisor. Ajume is a member of the royal family in the Nso kingdom, located in the northwest region of Cameroon. In addition to being widely published in political and social philosophy, he is the founder of several NGOs, including PridePads Africa and Pathfinders4peace.

Photo by Alastair Norcross

Savannah Sellers (Jour’13)

Serious, Fun, Whimsical — and Never Dull

As the face of “the Generation of Now,” Savannah Sellers co-anchors the streaming morning newscast of NBC News NOW, then reports for The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. She demonstrates how a journalist can break through a saturated news market and reach a new generation of consumers who crave accurate information on their own terms.

While transitioning from 91��ý to NBC News in New York could have been daunting, Savannah quickly established herself as smart and determined, yet easy-going and relevant. This rare combination made her a natural choice to help lead NBC’s outreach to younger viewers, where they are — on social media.

She helped map a new look and pacing for NBC News. The target age: 20-to-40- somethings who want news on the go for their 24/7 lifestyle. Almost immediately, the audience was there. The newscasts moved fast. They were serious, fun, whimsical — and never dull.

Savannah took Snapchat viewers to Parkland, Florida, hours after a former student murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Her coverage was raw and real. A record 18 million people tuned in: mostly kids seeking information about a tragedy affecting other kids they didn’t know, but who were their age.

She has documented America’s heroin epidemic with an Emmy award-winning Nightly News series, revealing that the victims are not always stereotypical drug addicts — they could be your own neighbor or family member.

She has detailed and explained the confusing fight over banning TikTok, the app-of- choice for her younger audience, led honest discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion, and shared the deeply personal and painful struggle she and her husband have faced with fertility.

To meet Savannah is to discover a person of tremendous warmth, charm and insatiable curiosity who wants to know your story — what motivates you, and why. Those are the traits of a great broadcast journalist.

As one NBC exec put it, “She breaks through! She pops!”

It delights me to see a fellow CU alum become such a trusted voice and valued colleague at The Peacock. Go Buffs!

Tom Costello (Jour’87) is the senior correspondent at NBC News. With nearly 30 years of experience at CNBC and NBC News in London, New York and Washington, D.C., he reports daily across all NBC News platforms.

Photo by Nate Congleton

Dania Arayssi (MPolSci’22; PhD’26)

Vital Work in Transnational Politics

Dania Arayssi doesn’t just care deeply about the big social and economic problems that affect people’s everyday lives — she rigorously studies them and takes action.

Before coming to 91��ý, she participated in the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the U.S. State Department and earned multiple advanced degrees. She then founded the Gleam of Hope Group, which works with thousands of young people and women to address food and health needs. For many, these accomplishments would constitute an entire career. For Dania, this was just the beginning.

Dania brought her passion for understanding pressing socioeconomic and political issues to 91��ý in 2021. Her dissertation work centers on remittances, money sent by those working abroad back to their families in their home countries. Remittances are an important source of income for families around the world. Dania’s research seeks to explain how these remittances affect people’s incentives to be politically active. Does the added economic security make people more likely to pressure the government for change? Or does economic security dampen any potential dissent, making people less likely to vote or protest? What issues do people who receive remittances care about the most?

Dania uses a rigorous combination of interviews, focus groups and original survey data to study these questions in her home country of Lebanon. Her work helps us understand how diaspora communities affect politics around the world. In an era of transnational politics, her work is vitally important.

Dania represents the best of 91��ý. After completing her dissertation, she plans to work at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington, D.C. During these politically contentious times plagued by myriad challenges, I personally find enormous hope that CU alumni like Dania will be out in the world contributing their expertise, knowledge and wisdom.

Sarah Wilson Sokhey works as an associate professor in 91��ý’s Department of Political Science, a faculty associate at the Institute of Behavioral Science and the founding director of the Studio Lab for Undergrads in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her current research focuses on the local provision of public services in Ukraine during wartime. In 2024, she was inducted into the President’s Teaching Scholars Program, one of the highest CU teaching awards.

Photo courtesy Dania Arayssi

Jun Ye (PhDPhys'97)

Using Quantum for High-Tech Innovation

My friend and colleague Professor Jun Ye is an ever-flowing fountain of scientific and technological innovation.

One of the greatest laser scientists in the world, he and his students have built several generations of record-setting optical clocks. The technology has advanced to the point where Jun’s clocks would gain or lose less than a second in the whole age of the universe. These highly accurate clocks are tied into technology improvements to support better navigation, communication and the ability to sense unseen things (for example, small changes in gravity associated with objects buried underground). Additionally, his lab created the world’s first nuclear clock.

Through his research at JILA, Jun uses lasers to detect slight traces of unusual elements in gas samples. His group is now examining the air exhaled by people with various diseases to find tiny traces of certain chemicals associated with a particular disease. If this works, one day cancer testing might be as easy as puffing some air into a soda straw.

Much of his research is built around using the properties of quantum mechanics to do high-tech research — precision measurement, secure communication, exotic material design — that eludes the reach of “old-school” classical mechanics.

Perhaps as impactful as anything else he does, Jun has trained an entirely new generation of elite scientists and engineers, who are now the beating heart of Colorado’s, and the nation’s, high-tech industry. When I visit high-tech Colorado companies, it often seems that the technical leadership are 91��ý alums who earned their degrees while working in Jun’s group.

On top of his research, Jun is working with me on a joint project to understand why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe. It sounds like a very abstract topic, but it is part of a bigger question: How are the conditions in the universe such that the development of humankind is possible? I feel very privileged to collaborate with Jun. I’ve learned a lot from working with him. Sometimes I wonder if the man ever sleeps!

Eric Cornell has been at CU for 34 years and wears many hats. He teaches first-year physics for the 91��ý Department of Physics; he is a JILA fellow; and a scientist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2001, he and 91��ý professor Carl Wieman won the Nobel Prize in Physics for creating Bose-Einstein Condensation, the “world’s coldest stuff.”

Photo courtesy Jun Ye

Steve Swanson (EngrPhys’83)

Space Commander Gains and Gives Respect

Steve Swanson was one of the most highly respected members of the NASA astronaut office during the Shuttle and Space Station Programs in the 1990s and 2000s.

Steve and I met in the late 1980s when we were both in the aircraft operations division at Johnson Space Center. I was an instructor pilot in the space shuttle training aircraft. Steve was a software wizard and the flight simulation engineer responsible for managing the computer that enabled a Gulfstream II business jet to fly like a space shuttle. We were both interested in becoming astronauts. I was selected in 1992, and

Steve was named an astronaut in 1998 after obtaining a PhD in computer science from Texas A&M University.

Steve excelled right away in the astronaut office and was selected as one of the four extra-vehicular activity (EVA) crewmembers to install one of the four solar array elements of the station. It was considered an honor to be chosen for such a significant mission on his first flight — he was clearly a rising star!

I began working at 91��ý thanks to Steve. He talked to me after his post-flight trip to Boulder to visit with the students and return items he had flown for the university. CU asked him to consider a professor position in the CU aerospace department, but he wanted to fly more for NASA and so asked if I might be interested instead.

Steve also led the EVA team to install the final solar array element two years later. His final mission in 2014 was serving as a station crewmember and the mission commander.

That fall, I was proud to arrange a live video conference in the Fiske Planetarium so Steve could talk to the students while he was on the Space Station. Today, Steve shares his experiences at Boise State University, leading and advising student teams participating in NASA’s Artemis Challenges, inspiring them to do great things in science and engineering.

Joe Tanner is a retired NASA astronaut, Navy pilot and 91��ý teaching professor. During his 16-year career as an astronaut, he flew four missions on the space shuttle, one to the Hubble Space Telescope and two to the International Space Station. He also mentored astronaut Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17) when she was a CU student; Gillis traveled to space in fall 2025 with SpaceX.

Photo courtesy NASA

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From quantum science to journalism, these five 91��ý students, alumni and faculty are making bold, world-shaping contributions.

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College of Arts & Sciences

A Season of Buffs Giving at 91��ý

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CU Researchers Study Potential Links Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Rewiring the Circuit

Can Hearing Aids Prevent Cognitive Decline?

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Celebrating 150 Years of CU People

Joseph Sewall

Mary Rippon

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Jones (Ger’1918)

George Norlin

Byron White (Econ’38)

Peggy Coppom (A&S ex’46) and Betty Hoover (A&S ex’46)

David Bolen (Mktg; MBA’50)

Billy Kidd

“Ralph”

Juan Espinosa (Jour’74)

Tom Cech

Ceal Barry

Joe Neguse (Econ, PolSci’05; Law’09)

Wei Wu (MMus’13)

David Ellsworth (Art’71; MFA’73)

Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17)

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CU Research Finds Human Rights Under Threat

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Allergy Busters, Preserving Language and a Rare Dinosaur Tree

UV Allergen Busters

Preserving Language

Space Policy and Law

Campus Talk

Digits

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The Reaches of 91��ý Research

Exploring New Horizons <LASP>

Engineering Organoids <BioFrontiers Institute>

Plastics to Fertilizer <ATLAS Institute>

Our Shared Future

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CU Ceramics: A Living Legacy

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The Age of AI Ghosts

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How a Fish Proved a Mathematical Breakthrough

Turing Patterns

An Accidental Discovery

A Pilgrimage

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Five CU Innovators Changing the World

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Idowu Odeyemi (PhDPhil’27)

Savannah Sellers (Jour’13)

Dania Arayssi (MPolSci’22; PhD’26)

Jun Ye (PhDPhys'97)

Steve Swanson (EngrPhys’83)

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