CU-Boulder’s modernized Fiske Planetarium to reopen Oct. 12

Oct. 11, 2013

Sky gazers will be better immersed in spectacular views at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium since the dome’s nearly 40-year-old analog projector was replaced with a new digital “star ball” in a project completed this week. The modernized Fiske, which now can show a wider range of media including ultra high-definition movies, will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12.

CU-Boulder alum, NASA Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter dies at 88

Oct. 10, 2013

Scott Carpenter, a University of Colorado Boulder alumnus and a famed NASA Mercury astronaut who became only the second American to orbit Earth, died Thursday. He was 88. Carpenter, a Boulder native, entered CU-Boulder’s astronautical engineering program in 1945, eventually earning a bachelor of science degree. He orbited Earth three times on May 24, 1962, in NASA’s Aurora 7 capsule before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

Massive spruce beetle outbreak in Colorado tied to drought, according to new CU study

Oct. 10, 2013

A new University of Colorado Boulder study indicates drought high in the northern Colorado mountains is the primary trigger of a massive spruce beetle outbreak that is tied to long-term changes in sea-surface temperatures from the Northern Atlantic Ocean, a trend that is expected to continue for decades.

Lightning above Boulder

CU-Boulder researchers use climate model to better understand electricity in the air

Oct. 3, 2013

Electrical currents born from thunderstorms are able to flow through the atmosphere and around the globe, causing a detectable electrification of the air even in places with no thunderstorm activity.

Colorado business confidence falls slightly going into fourth quarter, says CU-Boulder Leeds School

Oct. 1, 2013

The confidence of Colorado business leaders has slightly declined going into the fourth quarter as uncertainty facing a potential government shutdown and the federal deficit increased, according to the most recent Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

Experienced entrepreneurs better cope with stress by knowing value of time away, says CU study

Oct. 1, 2013

Taking breaks from the stress of a startup improves experienced entrepreneurs’ mental well-being, but not inexperienced entrepreneurs’ well-being, says a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

CU-Boulder student-built satellite launched into Earth orbit Sept. 29

Sept. 30, 2013

A small satellite designed and built by a team of University of Colorado Boulder students to better understand how atmospheric drag can affect satellite orbits was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Sunday morning. The satellite, known as the Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer satellite, or DANDE, will investigate how a layer of Earth’s atmosphere known as the thermosphere varies in density at altitudes from about 200 to 300 miles above Earth. The commercial Falcon-9 SpaceX rocket lifted off the launch pad at about 10 a.m. MDT carrying DANDE, a small beach ball-sized satellite developed over a period of about six years by roughly 150 students, primarily undergraduates, as part of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, or COSGS.

Nature or nurture? It’s more like nature and nurture

Sept. 30, 2013

It’s popular to frame issues of variation in human health, intelligence and other traits as a question of “nature vs. nurture.” But, armed with new research methods and a burgeoning body of knowledge, leading scholars in the social sciences increasingly find that such dichotomous discussions fail to convey the nuance they observe in their research. In a post-conference discussion on Oct. 12, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Wisconsin will give the public a closer and deeper look at their state of understanding.

CU, MIT breakthrough in photonics could allow for faster and faster electronics

Sept. 30, 2013

A pair of breakthroughs in the field of silicon photonics by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Micron Technology Inc. could allow for the trajectory of exponential improvement in microprocessors that began nearly half a century ago—known as Moore’s Law—to continue well into the future, allowing for increasingly faster electronics, from supercomputers to laptops to smartphones.

Climate change, through the language of the arts

Sept. 27, 2013

When the conversation turns to global warming, many Americans are inclined to turn away. And why not? After all, it’s a vast and complicated subject. Truly understanding it seems to require specialized knowledge most people don’t possess. And perhaps most notably, it’s become such a hot-button political issue that it easily inflames passions. The trick is figuring out how to reach people without turning them off. Using the arts to inspire an emotional connection to and a deeper understanding of a difficult subject is the idea behind a series of events at CU-Boulder Oct. 1-6.

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