Faculty Profile

Cyborg Jellyfish at 91��ý

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:12:40 +0000

Cyborg Jellyfish at 91��ý Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:12

Julia MacLean

It’s not uncommon for people to frequently stop in front of assistant professor Nicole Xu’s mechanical engineering lab, mesmerized by the giant aquarium of drifting moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). Inside, Xu’s team has created “cyborg” jellies, fitting them with tiny microelectronic devices that steer their movements with pacemaker-like pulses. The technology could transform deep-sea exploration by offering an energy-efficient way to gather climate data in remote waters — and inspire the next generation of ultra-efficient underwater vehicles.

500 million+ years

evolutionarily unchanged

20 years

captive lifespan

2 years

wild lifespan

Data Divers

Energy-efficient

Most efficient swimmers on earth.

Future upgrades

Sensors for temperature, pH, salinity.

Health and safety

of the jellies are prioritized.

Small cameras

enable the study of animals in their natural environments.

Data collection

Information can be collected by swarms of jellyfish at higher spatial and temporal resolutions.

Biohybrid Robots

Moon jellyfish fitted with tiny electronic devices.

Control and steering

Devices simulate swimming muscles like a pacemaker.

Safe

Stinging cells can’t penetrate human skin.

Small sensors

measure changes in the ocean to track climate change.

91��ý Program

Part of a Denver Aquarium partnership, which includes well-being checks on the jellies by aquarists.

Goal is affordable, sustainable ocean monitoring.

About Aurelia Aurita (Moon Jellyfish)

Size

As small as one centimeter (half of a penny) or larger than a dinner plate.

Environments

Found in a wide variety of ocean habitats around the world.

Diet

Zooplankton, crustacean larvae, small fish.

Anatomy

No brain, but sensory nerves for movement.

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa

Pioneering research helps us understand more about our oceans.

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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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Does Free Speech Have Limits?

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:10:01 +0000

Does Free Speech Have Limits? Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:10

Steve Vanderheiden

Should there be limits on speech and expression, and are the limits that we now legally recognize the right ones?

John Stuart Mill’s classic defense of free speech in his 1859 essay “On Liberty” endorses strong but not unlimited protections — but for reasons that many have come to question. Any silencing of what we now call political speech would be socially harmful, he wrote, in that it would deprive us of the opportunity to exchange error for truth. Truth, Mill was convinced, is essential for society to progress, and he thought that it emerged “in collision with error.”

But some speech can be divisive. “Hate speech” refers to highly offensive forms of expression designed to denigrate, divide or incite. Some now call for stricter limits on such speech. To the extent that speech potentially incites violence, Mill allowed for restrictions on the time, manner and place of its utterance, but not its content (a distinction now enshrined in First Amendment law). Mill thought people should be allowed to express ideas that others find offensive, including those that denigrate and divide. Silencing speech that is merely offensive would lead to repression of dissent and stifle diversity of thought, especially as those in power often take offense at challenges to the social order.

Few now believe that truth necessarily emerges from unfettered speech, as Mill thought it would. Too much contemporary speech is designed to misinform and mislead, or to foster animus and resentment. We as a society are less informed, and less civil, from having to hear speech of this kind. But, as Mill warned, when we try to silence this kind of speech, we often miss our target, repressing legitimate expression. Improving our ability to recognize and combat misinformation, while resisting and condemning speech laden with animus or resentment, offers a better solution than restricting its content.

Steve Vanderheiden is a 91��ý professor of political science.

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Illustration by Kara Fellows

Should there be limits on speech and expression, and are the limits that we now legally recognize the right ones?

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The Partnership that Shaped Boulder

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:07:57 +0000

The Partnership that Shaped Boulder Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:07

Thomas Andrews

As a Boulder-born Fairview High School graduate and one of just a few second-generation faculty members at 91��ý, it is nearly impossible for me to imagine either the town or the university in isolation. Looking back at CU’s first 50 years as we approach its sesquicentennial anniversary, however, it’s clear that nothing was inevitable about this marriage.

As Boulder postmaster and former newspaper owner Amos Bixby put it in 1880, the city’s founders understood that making the fledgling town the university’s home “would bring here the best class of citizens — the intellectual, the cultured, the moral, coming both for the education of their children and for the sake of the society that clusters about prosperous seats of learning.” Realizing this prescient vision, though, took time.

CU remained relatively small, underfunded and isolated through its early decades, though it did provide Boulder with its first high school, known as the “preparatory department.” Together with agriculture, mining and commercial development, CU also helped to fuel Boulder’s growth from 3,000 inhabitants in 1880 to more than 6,150 by 1900. By the turn of the century, the university boasted a faculty of 92, a student body of 850, and a full slate of athletic, artistic and social offerings. Perhaps the clearest illustration of CU’s significance to Boulderites, though, came in 1899. After a deep economic depression caused property values and tax revenues to nosedive statewide, local citizens raised $20,000 to keep CU afloat.

CU had already become Boulder’s main claim to fame. It also fueled development near its growing campus, particularly after the founding of the Texas-Colorado Chautauqua in 1898. Boulder’s first streetcar line connected town and gown. By 1905, enough people had moved to the area west of Broadway to support the construction of University Hill school for 1st through 8th grades; and by the 1920s, The Hill was assuming familiar form as a hub of student-centered businesses. Boulder and the university had grown together to such an extent that 50 years after CU’s founding, it was no longer possible to imagine the one without the other — much as it is today.

Thomas Andrews is director of 91��ý’s Center of the American West and professor of history.

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Photo courtesy CU Heritage Center

How 91��ý's early beginnings shaped the city of Boulder.

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Should You Be Funny at Work?

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:06:44 +0000

Should You Be Funny at Work? Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:06

Katy Hill

Tony Kong, left, and Peter McGraw, right, study humor in the workplace.

Humor has long been seen as a “soft skill,” useful for easing awkward Zoom moments or sharing a laugh with colleagues. But 91��ý researchers Tony Kong and Peter McGraw argue it’s far more than that. Kong, a professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business, views humor as a strategic leadership tool that can build trust, strengthen teams and elevate status — if used wisely. McGraw, a marketing and psychology professor and director of the Humor Research Lab, warns that most people overestimate their comedic skills, causing their jokes to backfire.

Can you each explain your views on workplace humor?

Kong: Humor has a lot of relational benefits. People bond easily when they laugh together, and it builds trust. Research shows it boosts creativity, helps people think more divergently and strengthens commitment. But a bad joke can hurt your credibility or status. It’s a double-edged sword, but the benefits outweigh the risks when used wisely.

McGraw: I agree, and I’d add that humor helps people cope with challenges and unpleasant situations at work. Where we differ is in advocacy: I’m more cautious. Most people aren’t naturally skilled at humor. In our research, we developed the benign violation theory: People laugh at things that are ‘wrong, yet OK’ — they’re threatening, but safe. Remove either element, and humor fails — it’s boring if the ‘wrong’ is missing and upsetting if the ‘OK’ is missing. Workplaces can be sensitive, so humor requires skill.

Kong: Context matters. To use humor effectively, you need to know your audience — what’s ‘wrong, yet OK’ varies across groups.

McGraw: Motivation matters, too. Benign violation theory says the ‘benign’ part is your intention, and the ‘violation’ is context-specific. Minor violations are tolerated if the motivation is understood; serious violations risk offense.

Kong: My favorite humor points out experiences we all notice but rarely articulate — like Ali Wong. Ali is fearless, brilliant, and incisive in talking about relatable and important topics such as careers, motherhood, cultures and relationships. Insightful humor resonates more than just showing off intellect. And humor is culturally specific — the ‘violation’ differs across groups. That’s part of why I became fascinated with it.

How did you each get into studying humor?

McGraw: I came from behavioral economics, studying emotions like regret and embarrassment. Humor wasn’t on my radar until I gave a talk and my audience laughed unexpectedly. Curious, I started researching what makes things funny, and that led to benign violation theory.

Kong: I focus on humor as a resource — how it builds relationships, improves leadership and enhances performance. So our research is complementary: Peter studies the nature of humor; I study humor consequences.

Can you give examples of humor that works at work — and when it’s best avoided?

McGraw: Humor works in close relationships, when joking about a common challenge or competitor, and when punching up instead of down — rather than the boss making the joke down to an employee, it’s nicer if the employee can make the joke up to the boss. And avoid joking about absent people; it becomes gossip.

Kong: Humor is also useful to relieve stress. Joking about tasks, deadlines or shared experiences works; joking about individuals without rapport may not.

McGraw: Emotional intelligence matters. Skilled people can leverage humor; less skilled people might focus on enjoying humor rather than performing it.

What should people know about humor in general?

Kong: Humor is social information — it signals something to others. How it lands depends on the context, the audience and who’s delivering it. That’s why perspective-taking is key: Put yourself in their shoes. Humor is risky, but when done for others’ benefit, it can be really powerful. And when a joke fails, the only recovery may be sincere apology.

McGraw: Or better yet, avoid telling bad jokes. Stop being unfunny, don’t stop being funny.

Learn more about 91��ý-related humor research at humorresearchlab.com or cubuffs.org/tony_kong.

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Illustration by Celina Pereira, video by Taylor Keating

Two 91��ý humor researchers weigh in.

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91��ý's Jolly Rancher-Influenced Vaccine

Anna Tolette — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:02:41 +0000

91��ý's Jolly Rancher-Influenced Vaccine Anna Tolette Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:02

Amber Carlson

Rabies remains a major public health threat — 60,000 people die annually — especially in developing countries where vaccines are in short supply and challenging to store. Current vaccines need to be kept refrigerated or frozen because the proteins in them start to degrade at warmer temperatures. When the proteins go bad, the shots become ineffective. For this reason, it’s been challenging to administer traditional rabies vaccines in regions that lack electricity or specialized cold storage equipment.

But 91��ý researchers are looking to change that, thanks to recent innovations from the university’s chemical and biological engineering department, where scientists have discovered a new way to keep these shots viable at warmer temperatures and combine multiple timed-release doses into a single injection.

These new, temperature-stable shots don’t degrade in warmer environments and can be stored in bulk powder form until they’re ready to be used.

To make the vaccines, the research team sprays the vaccine proteins with a sugar solution that hardens to a candy-like texture. The candied particles then get a nanoscopic coating of aluminum oxide (the same chemical that makes up sapphire jewels) that protects the sugar-coated vaccine particles for days to weeks before dissolving in the patient’s body.

“We’re basically making sapphire-coated Jolly Ranchers that deliver vaccines,” said Ted Randolph (ChemEngr’83), 91��ý professor and lead study author.

Rabies shots typically require three to five doses to be effective, so combining the doses into one shot is more efficient and cuts down on unnecessary health care visits.

Randolph believes the same process could also be used to create vaccines for other viruses, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

To bring this technology to market, Randolph and Robert Garcea, professor emeritus in 91��ý’s molecular, cellular and developmental biology department, formed the startup VitriVax. In October, the company announced it had raised $17.25 million in series B funding.

“It’s been 25 years of lots of talented grad students adding little bits and pieces to the puzzle,” Randolph said.

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Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath

New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access.

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Andrew Mayock Joined CU to Accelerate Climate Solutions

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:08:00 +0000

Andrew Mayock Joined CU to Accelerate Climate Solutions Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:08

Christie Sounart

In March 2025, Andrew Mayock joined 91��ý as its first vice chancellor for sustainability. Mayock previously served as chief sustainability officer for the United States government, where he led the Biden administration’s efforts to decarbonize federal operations and accelerate clean energy adoption.

What spurred you to work in higher education?

I see it as a really critical piece of my work to help grow the next generation of leaders in climate sustainability. At 91��ý, it is a great opportunity to do that at scale. In considering this role, I found CU has an extraordinary foundation of sustainability work that goes back decades, and pent-up demand to build on that legacy.

Where do you see 91��ý already excelling in sustainability?

We have extraordinary existing efforts and assets across research, education, operations and community engagement — for instance, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research’s (INSTAAR) work in critical longitudinal atmospheric carbon studies, the Mountain Research Station, the two sustainability master’s degrees recently approved through engineering and business, eliminating single-use plastic beverages campuswide and much more. Also, the kind of progress we’re making in embedding sustainability in the curriculum is taking it right back to where it all belongs — with the students.

What opportunities do you see for improvement?

There were places where we were once at the frontier, but we haven’t kept pace. It’s time for a recharge in these areas, so we can be a leader again. And then there’s areas where we’re at the frontier, and we need to accelerate and define a new frontier. The newly created Buckley Center for Sustainability Education is redefining leadership opportunity, for instance. The Buckley Center is going to help us respond to student demand for more sustainability in the curriculum and experiential learning, and it is also going to serve students interested in non-sustainability-related majors and disciplines across campus.

How do you see 91��ý leading the way in sustainability to become recognized globally?

One clear initiative is to gain more recognition in work that we’re already doing. I’m thinking of engineering professor Evan Thomas (AeroEngr, Jour’06; MEngr’06; PhD’09) and the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience’s work improving clean water supply in east Africa, for example. Here, through many others’ work, we’re having an outsized global impact across the planet, and we plan to amplify this work in places such as November’s COP 30 climate conference in Brazil and September’s Climate Week NYC.

What role do students have in CU sustainability?

Students are at the center of the efforts. My draw to Boulder included seeing the efforts already underway by the student community, like Ralphie’s Green Stampede or the EcoVisits. Now, it’s time to take it to the next level. The vision is to make this university more of a living lab, bringing research to education on campus and enabling students to help make progress on the Climate Action Plan.

Are there specific innovations or technologies you’re excited to explore at CU?

Boulder startups are moving cutting-edge research from lab to market, like the carbon-negative cement company Prometheus Materials. Their innovation and dynamism are helping solve the climate crisis through research-driven products. [Bill Gates’] Breakthrough Energy’s selection of the university as a new partner is another example of this work. Boulder is approaching the quality and vibrancy of Stanford.

What else should we know about campus sustainability?

It’s a top priority of the chancellor and our office to double down on how 91��ý delivers sustainability solutions for Colorado communities. We have an ability and obligation, due to the talent and programming we have here, and we have a need in this urgent moment to be an even stronger partner to our state communities.

What are your interests outside of work?

I generally try to keep up with my 10- and 12-year-olds in their many pursuits, like soccer and the arts. We’ve also had the opportunity to get to the mountains, including Eldora and Snowmass, and experienced some of the great hiking and birding and rafting Colorado has to offer.

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa

Andrew Mayock has joined 91��ý as the university’s first vice chancellor for sustainability, aiming to elevate its global leadership in climate action.

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91��ý in the Spotlight: Rankings, Research and Innovation

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:06:50 +0000

91��ý in the Spotlight: Rankings, Research and Innovation Anna Tolette Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:06

Julia MacLean

Herd

A Leader in Free Speech

91��ý ranked fifth nationally for its free-speech climate, the highest in the state. The assessment, based on input from more than 68,000 students, comes from the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and its survey partner College Pulse.

Authors Earn Spotlight

Historical horror novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by 91��ý English professor Stephen Graham Jones made former President Obama’s 2025 summer reading list. Meanwhile, Ann Schmiesing’s The Brothers Grimm: A Biography earned acclaim as one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2024 and a New Statesman Best Summer Read of 2025. Schmiesing is senior vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and professor of German and Scandinavian Studies.

Water Reckoning

Emerging 91��ý research shows that human pollution, including greenhouse gases and aerosol emissions, has been driving the prolonged megadrought in the U.S. Southwest by altering the Pacific Ocean’s natural cycles that normally bring rain to the region. As a result, the Southwest is experiencing its driest period in over 1,000 years. Study author Jeremy Klavans, a postdoctoral researcher in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences department, suggests that water planners need to prepare now by building stronger water systems and exploring new options, such as desalination plants.

Campus Talk

“I want people to understand that a first-gen student like me — who didn’t have much — can do it if [they] bring passion, grit and skills to the table.”

-Marco Campos (CivEngr’98) and the Campos Foundation donated $5 million to support the Campos Student Center, formerly the BOLD Center, in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The gift will secure the center’s long-term future and bolster its programming to help amplify student success.

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Photo by Casey A. Cass

Digits

Elimination of Plastic Single-Use Beverage Containers

7/7

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Start of 91��ý’s elimination of plastic beverage containers from campus

100%

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All single-use, sealable plastic beverage containers to be eliminated from campus, including vending machines

10yr

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Pouring agreement with PepsiCo Beverages

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Intended percentage of campus emissions by year 2050, per the CU Climate Action Plan

91��ý news on free speech, faculty author recognition, megadrought research and sustainability initiatives.

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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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Chancellor Schwartz on What Makes Buffs Bold

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:13:24 +0000

Chancellor Schwartz on What Makes Buffs Bold Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:13

Maria Kuntz

Chancellor Schwartz at the AAPI graduation ceremony this spring.

Coloradan editor Maria Kuntz sat down with Chancellor Justin Schwartz to gather his perspective on what makes Buffs so extraordinary and bold.

You’ve worked and studied at several of the nation’s most respected institutions. What is it about CU students and faculty that sets them apart?

They’re not only focused on their disciplinary interest but also deeply committed to using whatever disciplinary expertise they have to create real impact on the world. In particular, [there’s] a core underpinning — a commitment to sustainability that is really genuine. It’s not an item on a list. It’s very much embedded into the culture of our community.

Alumni are leading space missions, launching startups and advancing climate science. What do you think is happening here that produces such bold, purpose-driven people?

Decades ago, a culture of excellence, doing big things and taking on leadership roles developed in Boulder. And it’s just continued to feed on and develop itself. Now, we naturally attract people with that mindset and core values so that the culture becomes self-propagating.

Tell me about a moment from this past year, maybe involving a student, alum or a faculty member, that genuinely surprised or moved you.

One of the moments that stands out was the first time [my spouse, Dr. G, and I] worked out with the Ralphie handlers in the gym. We witnessed how much camaraderie and esprit de corps there was between them, and then they brought us in seamlessly and naturally. It’s a truly energetic, dedicated and ridiculously hard-working culture.

You’re a year into your tenure. What’s your boldest hope for what people will say about 91��ý five years from now? Not just as a university, but as a force in the world.

Five years from now, we want to be known for having transformed how higher education institutions across the country approach sustainability in terms of academics, implementation and knowledge transfer. I hope we will become a resource for our peers across the country.

When you’re talking to someone who’s never been to Boulder, what do you say to help them understand what’s special about this place?

I would start by saying: Until you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to explain. There are so many people I’ve heard say, ‘I came to visit and knew right away that this is where I was going to stay.’ These are alums who are now 70, who came from out of state 50 or 60 years ago. It’s not just the natural beauty of the environment. There is something energetic and inspiring about the community itself.

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa

Chancellor Justin Schwartz shares how 91��ý’s culture of boldness, sustainability and community drives students and faculty to make a meaningful impact on the world.

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