Winter 2015 Edition

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Features

Man running from zombies

They run, but not for the health of it

Sure, there are endorphin junkies who love to enter the ‘pain cave,’ but for those who’d rather play, fleeing from ‘zombies’ does the trick, CU-Boulder researchers find.

Happy senior

Are you happy now? Enjoy your (likely) long life

Some peer-reviewed studies have found that happy people tend to live longer than their less-happy counterparts. But now, for the first time, researchers have found that happiness all by itself—regardless of marital status, income, physical health and other indicators—is a key factor in longevity.

Young child

Profs find new benefits, some harm in "voluntourism"

Generally, ‘voluntourism’ is a poor substitute for traditional development work. Most projects are short-term, organizations that promote voluntouring don’t always ‘understand the place where it happens,’ and travelers typically don’t have skills needed for particular projects, researchers find.

CU research IDs new strategy to fight species extinction

CU research IDs new strategy to fight species extinction

The go-to-strategy for rescuing threatened species has long been to set aside tracts of healthy land to spread out in, and migration corridors that allow them to mix with other populations, gaining resilience via a broadened gene pool. Because habitat preservation isn’t always viable, introducing genetic diversity might keep threatened species viable, scientists find.

News

An official with the Colorado Springs Fire Department discusses fire mitigation with members of a neighborhood group. “Citizen entrepreneurs” helped the CSFD spread the word effectively about fire-mitigation practices after the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire, a CU-Boulder study has found. Photo courtesy of the Colorado Springs Fire Department.

Citizen ‘sparkplugs’ can reduce red-zone fire danger

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder recently examined the aftermath of two catastrophic conflagrations and found an unexpected ally in wildfire-education efforts, the “citizen entrepreneur.”

In the rural village Huang Gu, China, CU-Boulder graduate student and Fulbright Scholar Elise Pizzi studied access to clean water. Photo Courtesy of Elise Pizzi.

‘Circular migration’ improves drinking water in rural China

Regardless of rainfall or government-built infrastructure, the availability of drinking water in rural Chinese villages varies based on villagers’ ingenuity, “circular migration” patterns, and maintenance of water infrastructure, a University of Colorado graduate student has found.

Neurological mechanisms help explore the connection between epilepsy and autism.

Pre-natal stress, terbutaline linked to autism, epilepsy in rats

Researchers have discovered that a combination of pre-natal stress and an unapproved pre-term labor medication called terbutaline may create a higher risk for the co-development of autism and epilepsy.

Who wants to see animals in art? Humans do, as a CU-Boulder art exhibition demonstrates. Unidentified artist, Greek, Ob: (Head of Athena r., later style, in helmet with olive leaves and scroll) | Re: ΑΘΕ, 454 – 404 BCE, silver tetradrachm, 1 inch dia., Transfer from Classics Department to CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder, 2014.06.99, Photo: Katherine Keller, © CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder

Long before kitten videos, animals inspired art

n a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder Art Museum and the CU Museum of Natural History, the exhibition Animals in Antiquity will explore the relationships between humans and animals through the ages. The exhibition is on view at the Museum of Natural History through September 2016.

Literary Buffs (left to right) Sydney Chinowski, André Gianfrancesco, Sean Guerdian and Lukas DeVries strike a pose outside Northglenn High School, where they coached future college students on preparing college-level papers.

Literary Buffs help high-schoolers write better

Some area high school students are better prepared for college-level writing thanks to help from CU Boulder English students, who have, in turn, gained experience and confidence in making public presentations.

Donors

Barry and Sue Baer have deep roots in Boulder and strong ties to CU-Boulder. The director of the Program in Jewish Studies describes them as “vibrant and valuable members of our extended community.” Photo courtesy of Barry and Sue Baer.

Alums give back to CU, city in multiple ways

Sue Baer loves to write, loves children and wants to help others. So it’s no surprise that her newest children’s book tackles a grown-up issue: children with autism. It’s one of many ways she and her husband, Barry, use their time and resources in the service of others.

Kim Swendson’s campus career was made much easier by the three scholarships she received. Photo by Kim Elzinga.

‘Quietly poor’ poet’s life anything but prosaic

Poet Kim Swendson is a collector of sorts, a gatherer of experiences with people she interacts with during the day. Asking the gas station attendant about his children, chatting with the barista about her weekend plans
 these daily interactions serve as inspiration for the stories and poetry Swendson writes.

Alumni

Striking a postmodern Hamlet-like pose, Lisa Solberg contemplates art, life, the universe and everything in her STALKER installation. Photo by Abby Ross.

Classically trained artist is ĂŒber-cool icon

Lisa Solberg's performance installation art, which clearly is not boring, is a natural evolution. “Art is actually life, and I think most people are yearning for a change in perspective, a jolt of inspiration, a fresh breath of air. I strive to make art that would evoke a similar shock to jumping in an ice-cold body of water.”

Scott Ferrenberg

Warming trends, increasing precipitation signal biocrust decline

The potential effects of climate change are just as bad as human trampling for biological soil crust communities, two CU-Boulder alumni have found.

While a student at CU-Boulder, Brandon Stell joined discussions of published, peer-reviewed research. He noted a high frequency of errors or other problems in the work, and he thought it was a shame that such feedback could not be shared widely. Eventually, this experience helped him hatch the idea for what became PubPeer. Photo courtesy of Brandon Stell.

Alum is architect of influential science-watchdog site

The mastermind behind a formerly anonymously run website that serves as a crowd-sourced watchdog of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles turns out to be Brandon Stell, a 1997 graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder.

Neurosurgeon Dan Peterson displays his CU-themed black and gold 1955 Chevy outside of Austin Speed Shop.

Classic cars, neurosurgery and the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Dan Peterson’s career has taken many paths, starting from his humble beginnings as a young CU student walking the Ho Chi Minh Trail to class, to becoming a skilled neurosurgeon, the CEO of a revolutionary medical equipment company and the co-owner of a classic-car business.

Kudos

Distinguished Professor Steven Maier discovered a brain mechanism that not only produces resilience to trauma but aids in coping with future adversity.

Pioneering prof wins prestigious Grawemeyer Award

University of Colorado Boulder scientist Steven Maier, who discovered a brain mechanism that not only produces resilience to trauma but aids in coping with future adversity, has won the 2016 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology.

Like many academic scholars, sociologist David Pyrooz studies criminal gangs. He has also studied how gang-related research could help inform research on terrorism and extremist groups. Photo: iStockphoto.

Sociologist applies lessons of gangs to terrorism

David Pyrooz, a University of Colorado Boulder sociologist who is advancing the study of terrorism by applying research on criminal gangs, has won an Early Career Award from the American Society of Criminology.

Mark Leiderman, professor and chair of the CU-Boulder Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages & Literatures, calls on a student during class. Born and educated in Russia, Leiderman contends that the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich, underscores the importance of Russian Studies. He notes that Russian studies are expanding at CU.

Nobel Prize highlights importance of Russian studies

For Svetlana Alexievich, this year's winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Soviet Union is a kind of ‘historical Chernobyl that still produces contamination and radiation—psychological, historical, political and cultural,’ CU-Boulder expert Mark Leiderman observes. He says now is a good time for students and the world to learn more about Russia, and the university has already moved to meet that need.

The cover image of the course “Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything.”

Lower textbook costs and better learning

Âé¶čÒùÔș who take an introductory chemistry courses at Michigan State University not only get the benefit of a curriculum proven to help them better understand many important chemistry concepts, but they also save money by not having to pay for items such as textbooks and study guides.