Campus News

Dance Is Magic at 91��ý

Anna Tolette — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:16:52 +0000

Dance Is Magic at 91��ý Anna Tolette Mon, 07/20/2026 - 13:16

Tyreis Hunte

Christie Sounart

Tyreis Hunte

For students in 91��ý’s dance program — which enrolled nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate students and 74 minors this spring — the lessons learned within the department extend beyond the stage. The program prepares students for jobs both in and out of the dance industry, and allows them to grow in many ways individually.

“Dance cultivates radical aliveness and connection, which are increasingly important to an R1 research institution and a liberal arts education,” said assistant dance professor Anya Cloud.

Take Tyreis Hunte (MDance’26) for instance. After three years in CU’s dance MFA program, they will begin a new role as a tenure-track assistant dance professor at Western Michigan University this fall. Hunte believes the dance practice they have cultivated within the department has had a wide-ranging impact.

“Dance and movement teach me the most about this existence and are my eternal medium to learn and make an impact in my creativity and livelihood,” said Hunte.

Among a rigorous performing schedule, Hunte taught classes rooted in the Africana aesthetic, served as a teaching assistant for the popular West African dance course and as a research fellow for the Center for African and African American Studies, and became the dance department’s costume liaison. They also were crowned the inaugural Samba King of Colorado in 2024.

The work of CU dance students also often receives national attention, said Cloud.

This year, Hunte and fellow student Elizabeth Ervin (Dance, IntPhys’26) each performed their original choreography and represented 91��ý at the American College Dance Association in Long Beach, California.

“Putting that kind of intimacy on stage felt like standing before an audience without armor, so the vulnerability and nerves were real,” said Ervin, the only creative arts major to receive the College of Arts and Sciences’ prestigious Jacob Van Ek Award this year. “But it wasn’t catharsis; it was integration. It was a sense that the expression had found a rightful place outside of me.”

As Ervin prepares for her own career advancing her choreography and craft, she holds true to a guiding philosophy: “To me,” she said, “dance is magic.”

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Photos by Amanda Tipton

At 91��ý, dance takes many forms.

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Campus Housing Updates, Peace Corps and Other CU News

Anna Tolette — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:09:41 +0000

Campus Housing Updates, Peace Corps and Other CU News Anna Tolette Mon, 07/20/2026 - 13:09

James Overberg, track and field athlete, designed a custom sauna for CU student-athletes.

Heating Up Athletics

In collaboration with CU athletics staﬀ and a Denver architect, track-and-field student-athlete James Overberg (MechEngr’26) designed and developed a custom sauna for the university’s endurance athletes to support recovery after intense training. The sauna, installed in the Endurance Lab at the Ford Indoor Practice Facility on campus, now serves as a permanent training resource for CU teams.

Fresh Campus Housing

This fall, 91��ý will open its first new residence hall since 2019. Located at Athens and 19th Street, Code Talker Hall will house about 330 returning CU students in apartment-style units with all-electric kitchens. The university also aims to plant about 600 trees and shrubs around the exterior of the 129,000-square-foot building.

On the opposite side of campus, the Williams Village East residence hall is now named Onizuka Hall to honor NASA astronaut Ellison Shojio Onizuka (Aero’69; MS’69; HonDocSci’03), who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion.

Buﬀ Named to Colorado Supreme Court

In February, Governor Jared Polis appointed Susan Blanco (Law’03) to the Colorado Supreme Court. Blanco, a former chief judge in the 8th Judicial District, has been recognized for her leadership in expanding access to justice and developing innovative court programs. She succeeds Justice Melissa Hart on the state’s highest court.

Reiland Rabaka

Campus Talk

I want a world-class center: a beacon of hope, a sanctuary, a powerful and beloved community.

— Reiland Rabaka, director of the Center for African & African American Studies (CAAAS), in February after 91��ý Chancellor Justin Schwartz and CU President Todd Saliman announced a $2 million investment over five years for the center.

Digits

CU and the Peace Corps

2nd

→ Consecutive year 91��ý ranked No. 2 in the nation for graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers

→ Alumni serving around the world today

→ Countries with current Peace Corps Buffs

2,653

→ Total 91��ý Peace Corps volunteers from 1961 to 2025

2018

→ Year the university launched the Peace Corps Prep undergraduate certificate program

Learn more about the Peace Corps

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James Overberg photo by Tyler Davis, Reiland Rabaka photo by Glenn Asakawa

This fall, 91��ý will open its first new residence hall since 2019.

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CU Athletics Receives $6 Million to Elevate Student Experience, Campus Excellence

Anna Tolette — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:08:12 +0000

CU Athletics Receives $6 Million to Elevate Student Experience, Campus Excellence Anna Tolette Mon, 07/20/2026 - 13:08

Emily Wirtz

A major philanthropic investment from longtime donors Jeff Crawford (DistSt’90) and his wife, Orsi Crawford, is set to strengthen 91��ý’s athletics program and amplify its impact across the university.

“A strong, visible athletics program enhances our ability to attract talented students, elevate our national profile and strengthen the overall vitality of our campus,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “This investment in CU Athletics reflects a broader commitment to excellence across 91��ý.”

Half of the Crawford Family Foundation’s $6 million gift will go toward the Crawford Family WHOLE Student-Athlete Program, which was launched in 2021 to support student-athletes’ physical, psychological, academic, leadership and career well-being. The remainder will provide flexible support for CU Athletics through the George Family Athletic Director’s Fund, renamed to honor the legacy of Athletic Director Emeritus Rick George.

“My hope is that this gift inspires others to give,” said Jeff Crawford. “In this new era, we need a village to compete, and that will take donations from many CU supporters at all levels.”

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A major philanthropic investment is set to strengthen 91��ý’s athletics program and amplify its impact across the university.

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Back to the Moon

Anna Tolette — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:06:50 +0000

Back to the Moon Anna Tolette Mon, 07/20/2026 - 13:06

CU’s LASP is contributing to the success of the Artemis program.

Sara Pratt

As NASA prepares to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than half a century, 91��ý’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is contributing to the Artemis program’s success.

NASA has appointed LASP planetary scientist Paul Hayne to the Artemis lunar surface geology team. Hayne, also an associate professor in CU’s astrophysical and planetary sciences department, will help guide future astronauts as they explore the moon’s south polar region.

Hayne is the principal investigator of the L-CIRiS instrument, an infrared imaging system slated for launch in 2027 on an Artemis-supported mission to map potential lunar ice deposits. His expertise in volatile ices and the evolution of the moon’s surface will inform everything from landing site selection to the search for water ice trapped in permanently shadowed craters. Understanding these resources could help future missions harvest lunar water for life support and fuel.

LASP’s IMPACT lab is tackling one of the moon’s most persistent hazards: lunar dust. Xu Wang, senior LASP researcher and lecturer in CU’s physics department, studies the abrasive, electrostatically charged grains that cling to spacesuits and degrade equipment. The lab has developed electrostatic cleaning techniques to help protect instruments, habitats and astronaut health during long-duration missions.

One of Wang’s innovations, the DUSTER instrument suite, will be deployed by Artemis astronauts at the lunar South Pole. DUSTER will capture the most detailed measurements ever taken of dust and plasma conditions in this region, directly supporting astronaut safety and long-term exploration.

The lab also operates the instruments aboard NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, stationed a million miles from Earth. Its I-ALiRT system provides real-time data on solar particles and radiation, offering critical space-weather warnings for astronauts traveling beyond Earth’s protective magnetic shield.

Together, these efforts highlight how 91��ý is helping lead the way back to the moon. And, following LASP tradition, some of the instruments could feature engravings of 91��ý’s mascot, Ralphie, ensuring that when we take the next giant leap for humankind, the Buffs will be along for the journey.

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Photo courtesy NASA

CU’s LASP is contributing to the success of the Artemis program.

How CU is shaping the mission to return humans to the moon.

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Colorado Firefly Field Guide

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:03:02 +0000

Colorado Firefly Field Guide Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 14:03

Kelsey Yandura

“Magic is just science we don’t understand yet,” science fiction author Arthur Clarke famously penned in the 1960s. If that’s true, 91��ý computer science researchers have been busy studying the fairy tale of fireflies in Colorado.

The work looks romantic, but it’s no picnic: In twilight vistas across the state, doctoral student Owen Martin (PhDCompSci’25) and associate professor Orit Peleg tow cameras and computers to document firefly populations and decode their flash patterns. It’s all part of a longstanding effort to understand firefly communication.

When the scientists discuss their work, locals are often surprised.

“A lot of people here come from places like the Midwest, where they’ve seen fireflies,” Martin told 91��ý Today in July 2024. “But they don’t know about them in their own backyards.”

That’s why he’s eager to raise what he calls “firefly literacy” in the state.

Fireflies have quietly flickered in Colorado for centuries, though the first formal documentation came in 2016, when naturalist Tristan Darwin Kubik identified a population near Fort Collins. Genetic testing suggested they may represent a previously undocumented species, potentially dubbed Photuris coloradensis.

In 2018, Martin and Peleg began tracking fireflies, which have been documented in at least 19 counties, including near Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Pueblo, Mofat, Divide, Durango and Carbondale.

Why are sightings so rare? Studies show fireflies prefer swampy environments — wetlands, meadows and areas near streams and ponds. Their patchy distribution and brief annual activity window leave many residents unaware of their presence.

As magical as these discoveries are, scientists warn they could be short-lived. Habitat loss, wetland drainage, livestock grazing, urban development and light pollution all pose serious threats.

“They are very special. We have a lot to learn from them, but also, they are under threat from environmental issues,” Peleg told 91��ý Today.

Residents can help to protect these luminescent creatures by assisting with flash data collection, supporting habitat restoration, staying on marked trails and turning of outdoor lights from June to August, especially near wetlands.

“Biodiversity is magical,” Martin added. “And if we don’t alert the right people that these cool fireflies, that are really rare, are in this habitat, we’ll lose them forever. And then you lose the kind of wonder and magic they bring to you.”

To spot them, keep your eyes peeled from mid-to-late June through mid-July, usually after 9 p.m. in swampy or wetland areas.

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Illustration by Sunnu Rebecca Choi

91��ý researchers are uncovering the story of Colorado’s rare fireflies.

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News Briefs from 91��ý

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:59:39 +0000

News Briefs from 91��ý Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 13:59

100 Launches for BioServe

91��ý’s BioServe Space Technologies is a research center that uses space-based research to help improve life on Earth. On April 21, it celebrated its 100th orbital launch. A SpaceX Dragon capsule carried BioServe equipment for three different projects, including colonies of billions of bacteria and algae. BioServe has collaborated with global science experiments in space since 1987, and its research has contributed to advancements in the understanding of medical conditions like bone loss and cancer.

New Master’s Program in AI

91��ý will be among the first universities nationwide to launch a new master’s program in artificial intelligence (AI) this fall. Students will gain theoretical and hands-on experience to prepare them for the rapidly developing AI landscape. Courses will include subjects such as machine learning, statistical learning, natural language processing and AI ethics. The program will be available online its first year and in person the following year.

1190 Gets FM Debut in Denver

After going of the air in 2022 to modernize its technologies, CU’s student-run Radio 1190 can now be heard on Denver’s radio airwaves at 92.9 FM. In February, Radio 1190 debuted on its new channel, ready to reach new audiences with a wide range of independent music. Listeners also can visit 1190.radio online to hear the station.

Heard Around Campus

“When I mention her name, people would say, ‘Oh, Professor Casey on TikTok,’ or ‘I watched her videos on YouTube...’”

– Shamika Klassen (PhDInfoSci’24) on the announcement of Casey Fiesler as the first William R. Payden Endowed Professor of the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information (formerly the College of Media, Communication and Information).

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Photo by Patrick Campbell

DIGITS

College of Music Pianos

Earlier this year, the College of Music introduced a new Steinway & Sons model D concert grand piano — made possible, in part, by a donor gift — which will enhance student and faculty performances.

170

Approximate number of pianos in the College of Music fleet

Average age, in years, of the college’s pianos

Number of Steinway pianos at CU

~203K

Approximate cost of the new Steinway D

50%

Of new Steinway covered by a single donation

Jack Armstrong, news director for Radio 1190

91��ý’s BioServe Space Technologies, the launch of an AI master’s program and Radio 1190.

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Saving Endangered Languages

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:58:24 +0000

Saving Endangered Languages Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 13:58

91��ý linguistics professors Ambrocio Gutiérrez Lorenzo and Rai Farrelly are working to preserve Zapotec, a family of languages that originated in Southern Mexico and Central America.

Sophia McKeown

91��ý linguistics professors Ambrocio Gutiérrez Lorenzo and Rai Farrelly are working to preserve Zapotec, a family of languages that originated in Southern Mexico and Central America.

For most of human history, the survival of specific languages has relied on one generation passing it on to the next — a process that, in many speech communities, unfolds naturally.

But, according to a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, around half of the world’s 7,000 documented languages are currently considered “endangered.”

91��ý linguistics professors Ambrocio Gutiérrez Lorenzo and Rai Farrelly hope to slow the decline.

“Languages are tied very closely to peoples’ identities and their cultures,” said Farrelly in an interview with KUNC this spring. “We believe that there is tremendous value in working to maintain and revitalize [languages].”

Currently, Farrelly and Gutiérrez Lorenzo are working to preserve Zapotec, a family of languages that originated in Southern Mexico and Central America, spoken mostly in Oaxaca, Mexico. Gutiérrez Lorenzo collaborates closely with members of the Teotitlán del Valle community who are interested in learning more about the Zapotec language and contributing to preservation efforts.

Since 2011, he has held monthly meetings with community members to discuss linguistic aspects of the language and the practical applications of his research, including the creation of small dictionaries and the documentation of local narratives.

“[Zapotec] is the language I grew up speaking, so I don’t want it to be lost with my generation,” said Gutiérrez Lorenzo. “I don’t want to be the generation that let it go.”

Besides creating real-world solutions, Gutiérrez Lorenzo and Farrelly are determined to raise awareness around the issue, both on campus and around the world. The colleagues developed a global seminar for CU’s Education Abroad based in Teotitlán del Valle, which offers 91��ý students the opportunity to live in a rural Mexican community while learning and practicing Spanish and Zapotec.

“Maintaining languages in a community serves to strengthen intergenerational connections,” said Farrelly. “It brings together youth and elders through oral traditions that have been celebrated in many of these communities for centuries.”

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Photo courtesy Rai Farrelly

91��ý linguistics professors Ambrocio Gutiérrez Lorenzo and Rai Farrelly work closely with Mexican communities to preserve the endangered Zapotec language and strengthen cultural ties.

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Sundance Film Festival Finds a New Home in Boulder

Anna Tolette — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:55:04 +0000

Sundance Film Festival Finds a New Home in Boulder Anna Tolette Mon, 07/07/2025 - 13:55

Julia MacLean

The Sundance Institute’s first festival began in Utah in 1985. Now, 40 years later, the iconic film fest has set its sights on the Flatirons.

According to the nonprofit’s March announcement, the Sundance Institute’s board of trustees was drawn to Boulder’s small-town charm, engaged community, art focus and natural scenery.

“This move will ensure that the festival continues its work of risk-taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence and entertaining and enlightening audiences,” said Robert Redford (A&S ex’58; HonDocHum’87), Sundance Institute president and founder. “I am grateful to the Boulder community for its support, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the festival there.”

Redford started the institute in 1981 as a way to support independent filmmakers and storytellers.

Once in Boulder, the majority of the festival will be held on and around the Pearl Street Mall. 91��ý will offer support and additional venue space.

The event will offer students — particularly those enrolled in the university’s Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts program — direct exposure to prominent filmmakers and actors.

During Sundance’s 2024 run, its economic impact was vast. Over 24,000 festival visitors attended from out of state, generating over 1,700 jobs for Utah residents and producing $132 million in economic activity for the state, according to the festival’s economic impact report.

Now, Colorado will reap the benefits.

In an interview with 91��ý Today, Chancellor Justin Schwartz added to the hype: “We are excited for tens of thousands of festival guests to experience what we already know: Boulder is an incredible place to immerse yourself in the arts, culture, nature and history that make life worth living.”

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Photo courtesy Don Kohlbauer for Boulder Reporting Lab

In 2027 the Sundance Film Festival will relocate to Boulder.

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A CU Education Partnership Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Advocates

Anna Tolette — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:18:16 +0000

A CU Education Partnership Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Climate Advocates Anna Tolette Mon, 03/10/2025 - 14:18

Hannah Fletcher

On a fall day, elementary education majors in Melissa Braaten’s class are busy — busy as beavers, one might say — building mock beaver dams out of water and natural materials in small bins. During this exercise, budding teachers role-play teaching young learners in their future classrooms, asking questions and analyzing beavers’ role in ecosystems.

The climate science lesson is modeled after one that Braaten’s community partners teach at Heatherwood Elementary in Boulder County as part of Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA). In this particular lesson, student scientists (lovingly referred to as “beaver believers”) study real beaver habitats in the local waterway, where the dams create wetlands habitats for other species and maintain lush surroundings important for the increasingly drier state of Colorado.

Launched by retired fifth-grade teacher Tiffany Boyd (MEdu’92), C4CA brings together retired and practicing teachers, community members, local climate change experts and youth to work together toward climate solutions.

In C4CA, kindergarten through high school students learn about environmental justice issues and play an active role in climate solutions — from sharing flood-mitigation ideas with city council to working with open space officials to address fire risks.

Braaten, an associate professor of STEM education and associate dean for undergraduate and teacher education in 91��ý’s School of Education, is a research partner for C4CA and documents how science teaching is powerful when it’s relevant to students’ lives and civic action.

With Braaten as the connector, C4CA educators visit her elementary education classes to share real-world examples and create C4CA’s own “ecosystem” of current and future teachers working together to support young people’s scientific inquiry and leadership in climate solutions.

“A central ingredient for C4CA’s success is that it takes everyone working together to make a change,” Braaten said. “Teachers credit its partner mentorship with inspiring and sustaining their efforts to help children be civic actors working for environmental justice — not only as future adults, but in the immediate present as vital members of our community.”

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Photo by Kristen Boyer/Boulder Valley School District

Classrooms for Climate Action connects future teachers, students and community partners to engage young learners in climate science.

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News Briefs from 91��ý

Julia Maclean — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:10:15 +0000

News Briefs from 91��ý Julia Maclean Mon, 03/10/2025 - 13:10

Former CU Buffaloes head football coach Bill McCartney.

Heard Around Campus

Former CU Buffaloes head football coach Bill McCartney.

“Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather.”

– 91��ý Athletic Director Rick George after the death of Bill McCartney on Jan.10, 2025. Coach Mac was among the most successful head coaches in all sports in 91��ý’s 135-year athletic history.

Incarcerated at Risk in Climate Disasters

U.S. prisons are unprepared to safeguard the incarcerated from extreme heat, floods and other climate-related threats, according to a CU study with accounts from nearly three dozen formerly incarcerated people. Researchers found that vulnerabilities in infrastructure, insufficient emergency protocols and lack of oversight leave inmates at heightened risk during disasters. The team hopes their study will inspire more research around climate change adaptation, mitigation and prevention while also considering the voices of incarcerated people.

CU Buys Shuttered Louisville Movie Theater

91��ý purchased the 8.85-acre Louisville property that housed the Regal Cinebarre movie theater, which closed last May. The site, purchased for $10 million, is intended for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that includes university housing. The property is seven miles from campus.

New Quantum Facility in Boulder

91��ý is spearheading and providing leadership and resources to a new 13,000-square-foot quantum facility in east Boulder. The effort is in partnership with Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines and Elevate Quantum, a tech hub with a coalition of 120 organizations. The facility will include collaborative office space for early-stage quantum companies and state-of-the-art scientific equipment.

Digits: Europa Instrument

The Surface Dust Analyzer, designed and built by the 91��ý Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics team, launched to Jupiter’s Europa moon aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft to collect data that may determine whether the moon has conditions that could support life.

Years to get to Europa

35 pounds

Weight of CU apparatus

$53 million

Instrument’s cost

16 miles

How close Europa Clipper will be to the moon’s surface

~1.9B

Number of miles Europa Clipper will travel across the solar system

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Climate risks for incarcerated individuals, a new CU development in Louisville, a cutting-edge quantum facility and the legacy of Coach Bill McCartney.

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