Broadcast Services

May 10, 2013

Acclaimed actress, singer and writer Julie Andrews spoke to more than 6,000 University of Colorado graduates this morning, refering to her beloved movies and telling the Class of 2013 to "live lightly on this Earth and give generously."

Listen to the full speech by Dame Julie Andrews.

April 26, 2013                       Michael Kanner

With news that the CIA and FBI had one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing on their terror watch lists has raised the question as to whether the bombing could have been prevented. But, according to CU-Boulder political science instructor Michael Kanner, a retired U.S. Army officer and counterterrorism expert, unless you can connect someone like Tamerlan Tsarnaev to a terrorist group or terrorist activities, it’s very difficult to uncover such a plot.

April 10, 2013                                       Tor Wager

For the first time, scientists have been able to predict how much pain people are feeling by looking at images of their brains, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

Tor Wager, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU-Boulder and lead author of the paper, says the findings may lead to the development of reliable methods doctors can use to objectively quantify a patient’s pain.

March 28, 2013        Tom Zeiller

April 1, marks the 137th season of America’s national pastime. And more than any other sport in America, it seems opening day in baseball is an honored tradition that remains timeless, says CU-Boulder history professor Tom Zeiller.

March 15, 2013        Patrick Tally

Green beer, festive parades, Irish music and shamrocks painted on smiling faces are all part of the great celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. But the St. Patrick’s Day celebration of the of the 21st Century is a far cry from its holy origins in the 9th Century, says Patrick Tally, a CU-Boulder historian.

March 8, 2013           Stephan Graham Jones

From vampires to werewolves to zombies to knife, axe and chain saw wielding slashers, horror movies have been scaring audiences ever since motion pictures came on to the scene - and today more so than ever before. According to the religious publication, “First Things,” horror films have increased six-fold over the past decade.

That increase doesn’t surprise Stephan Graham Jones, a professor of English at CU-Boulder and a horror writer. He says horror films are part of our psyche.

Feb. 15, 2013     Doug Duncan

Doug Duncan, a professor of astronomy and director of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium, comments on a meteorite that exploded Friday morning above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk and on the close fly-by of Asteroid 2012 DA14 later that day.

Feb. 1, 2013                          Reiland Rabaka

Has African-American History Month, or as many people call it, “Black History Month,” worn out its usefulness as some critics claim?

For example, actor Morgan Freeman told CBS 60 Minutes, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."

CU-Boulder associate professor of African American Studies, Reiland Rabaka, agrees African-American history is American history, but he says, until every American thinks in those terms we need to continue African-America History Month.

Jan. 8, 2013                                     Palmer Hoyt

It’s still not too late to get in shape for the 2013 ski season!

Palmer Hoyt, the head coach of the 2012 National Champion CU Freestyle Ski Team, says there are some simple things skiers can do before they hit the slopes to help prevent injury and maximize their ski experience.

He suggests beginning with exercises that mimic the twisting and side-to-side movements associated with skiing.

Dec. 31, 2012                        David Lawrence

Tomorrow we usher in a New Year and along with it we’ll also see a new flu season. And already health officials say the U.S. is having its earliest start in nearly a decade and that this season could be a bad one.

The best way to prevent getting the flu, says Dr. David Lawrence, director of the CU-Boulder Wardenburg Health Center, is to get a flu vaccine shot right now.

Dec. 13, 2012                          Doug Kenney

Population growth, climate change and drought will overwhelm the capacity of the Colorado River system to meet all water demands over the next 50 years, according to a study just released by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Doug Kenney, director of the Western Water Policy Program at CU-Boulder’s Natural Resources Law Center, has read the study and says unless something is done the future looks pretty scary for the Colorado River.

Dec. 3, 2012                                      Richard Wobbekind

Colorado will continue on the road to recovery and add a variety of jobs in 2013 across almost all business sectors following a positive year in 2012, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

Wobbekind’s announcement is part of the 48th annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum presented Dec. 3 by the Business Research Division of the Leeds School.

Wobbekind talks about the general outlook and gets specific about various industries and regions in Colorado.

Nov. 19, 2012                                                                                   Chris Lewis

Over the centuries Thanksgiving in America has meant many things to many people. But did you know that the story of the first Thanksgiving, although fairly accurate, is only one piece of the pie of how this tradition came to be, says Chris Lewis, an American Studies instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Nov. 7, 2012                                      Ken Bickers

Many political scientists and presidential historians are probably shaking their heads in disbelief today. That’s because history has shown that when the economy is not doing well incumbent presidents usually lose reelections, says Ken Bickers, political science professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

The 2012 Election and its historical relationships

Oct.  2012                                                      Kenneth Bickers

Does the context of this election look familiar?  Historically, yes, according to Ken Bickers, a professor of political science at CU-Boulder, although the election involves a re-election of an incumbent. Historically, the possible outcomes, as well as the election itself, could closely relate to past elections. 

Cutting taxes? Which plan is the best?

Oct. 8, 2012   Jay Kaplan

Cutting taxes? Raising taxes? What is the best tax plan when it comes to helping the most people?

According to Jay Kaplan, an assistant professor of economy at CU-Boulder, the tax cut that benefits the most people is one that was passed last year.

Sept. 24, 2012                                                                                  Jessica Metcalf

A novel genetic study led by the University of Colorado Boulder has helped to clarify the native diversity and distribution of cutthroat trout in Colorado, including the past and present haunts of the federally endangered greenback cutthroat trout.

The study, led by CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Jessica Metcalf, was based largely on DNA samples taken from cutthroat trout specimens preserved in ethanol in museums around the country that were collected from regions in Colorado as far back as 150 years ago. The new study, in which Metcalf and her colleagues extracted mitochondrial DNA from fish to sequence genes of the individual specimens and compared them with modern-day cutthroat trout strains, produced some startling results.

The biggest surprise, says Metcalf, was that the cutthroat trout native to the South Platte River drainage appears to survive today only in a single population outside of its native range -- in a small stream known as Bear Creek that actually is in the nearby Arkansas River drainage.

Sept. 19, 2012                      Jay Kaplan

Is the U.S. facing another year of slow growth economy? It’s very possible, says Jay Kaplan, an economics professor at CU-Boulder. He cites a study on financial verses business cycle recessions over the past 800 years that found it takes about six years for an economy to recovery from a major financial crises. 

Sept. 5, 2012                                                Larry Esposito

35 years ago today NASA launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft to Jupiter and Saturn. It is now at the edge of the solar system, more than 11 billion miles from the sun.

CU-Boulder space scientist Larry Esposito still marvels at the discoveries made by the Voyager 1 and its sister craft, Voyager 2, also launched in 1977.

Aug. 22, 2012                                                                       Ken Bickers

And the winner is? The Romney-Ryan ticket! That’s according to a University of Colorado analysis of state-by-state factors leading to the Electoral College selection of every U.S. president since 1980.

Political analyst and CU-Boulder professor Ken Bickers, co-author of the study, says the overwhelming factor influencing this model is the economy.

August 1, 2012                           Ashley Ballantyne

A just released study by CU-Boulder researchers reveals that despite human-caused carbon dioxide emissions quadrupling in the last several decades, Earth’s vegetation and oceans continue to soak up about half of them, lessening the warming impacts on Earth’s climate.

The study, led by CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Ashley Ballantyne, looked at global CO2 emissions reports from the past 50 years and compared them with rising levels of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere during that time.

July 27, 2012                        Richard Wobbekind

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned that the worsening drought in the U.S. could mean higher prices for corn, produce and other agriculture products at the grocery store since crops yields will be lower then expected. For Colorado, what began as a stellar year for agriculture has slipped some, say Richard Wobbekind, an economist with CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. But, he says, over all agriculture in the state is still doing pretty well.

July 5, 2012

The Colorado economy continues to grow at a modest pace in 2012, positioning the state among the healthier in growth nationally, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.

June 22, 2012                                    Ken Bickers

Colorado has nine Electoral College votes. Compared to California’s 55 that doesn’t sound like a lot, does it? But according to Ken Bickers, a political science professor at CU-Boulder, those votes are highly valued by both President Obama and Mitt Romney. That’s because, as Al Gore found out in 2000, in a close presidential race nine votes can make all the difference.

June 8, 2012                                    Ken Bickers

Mitt Romney is on the attack and it’s clear the Republican presidential nominee will use the weak economy as the main weapon to unseat President Obama come November.  He recently called the president’s handling of the economy a “moral failure of tragic proportions.” This tactic doesn’t surprise CU-Boulder political science Professor Ken Bickers who says the economy will be the deciding factor in this election.

May 25, 2012                        Ken Bickers

With Mitt Romney now considered the presumptive GOP presidential nominee pollsters are daily asking who is in the lead in the race for the White House.

Right now most polls show President Obama and Governor Romney are very close – within a percentage point or two.

April 13, 2012                                                Jay Kaplan

The key to continued economic recovery in the U.S. might rest in the hands of European banks. According to CU-Boulder economist Jay Kaplan, if the financial crises in Greece spreads to other European countries, causing large European banks to falter, then U.S. banks that invested in credit default swaps with those banks could face a financial catastrophe that would impact the U.S. economy.

March 23, 2012                                Kenneth Bickers

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s commanding win in the Illinois primary on Tuesday now gives him a lead of 300 delegates over Rick Santorum. According to some political analysts, this puts him in the driver’s seat to win the GOP presidential nomination.

With that in mind, how does he fare in the race for the White House? That depends on which poll you trust. One poll has him trailing President Obama by as much as 12 points while another poll has them tied with the president. But according to CU-Boulder political science professor Kenneth Bickers, it’s too early to put any stock in the polls.

March 14, 2012            Ira Chernus           

According to folklore, Saint Patrick drove snakes from Ireland. Considering snakes are not indigenous to the shamrock isle, the tale is just one of many legends surrounding this most celebrated Irish icon. But true or not the snake lore is an example of a need by people, says CU-Boulder religious studies professor Ira Chernus, to create human-like figures with legendary powers.

March 1, 2012                   Sarah Krakoff

A $500 million law suit filed by the Oglala Sioux Tribe against some of the world’s largest beer makers, claiming they willfully contributed to destructive alcohol-related problems on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, is concise, fact based and tells a compelling story, says CU-Boulder law professor and Indian law expert Sarah Krakoff.

Feb. 24, 2012                Ken Bickers

Soaring gasoline prices at the pump could spell trouble for President Obama. According to CU-Boulder political science professor Ken Bickers, history has shown that gasoline prices can have a direct impact on presidential approval ratings.

Feb. 8, 2012               John Wahr

A team of CU-Boulder scientists have completed the first comprehensive satellite study of the world’s glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica and have found these regions are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually. The research team used satellite data gathered from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, for the study, says physics professor John Wahr (Waar).

Jan. 2012                                   Donald Lichtenstein

Your food choice may not be as healthy as you think. New research by Donald Lichtenstein, CU-Boulder professor of the Leeds School of Business, reveals how food manufacturers are trying to make their products appear more nutritional.  It’s a tactic he calls the “Health Framing Effect.”

CU-Boulder planetary scientist Larry Esposito remembering the Voyager mission.

The United States Agency for International Development has asked a University of Colorado Boulder research team to find out how much snow and glacier melt actually contribute to water resources originating in the high mountains of Asia that straddle ten countries.

CU-Boulder researcher Richard Armstrong says the study came about after erroneous reports surfaced that glaciers were melting faster in the Himalayas than anywhere else in the world. Though the reports were unfounded, he says they were causing concern in the region that catastrophic flooding might happen in the future.

The winter holidays can be filled with family fun, parties and laughter. At the same time, the busy holiday schedule, along with family expectations, can create tension and stress. Jan Johnson, a psychologist at CU-Boulder's office of Counseling and Psychological Services, offers some tips on how to deal with holiday stress.

Holiday shoppers prepare! That's what Donald Lichtenstein, a business professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, is urging holiday shoppers to do this year. He says, take the time to prepare yourself, including researching price, quality and brands, before you hit the stores or Internet.

Since the killing of Osama bin Laden six months ago by American forces in Pakistan, relations between the two countries remain strained.

For the second winter in a row, La Niña will influence weather patterns across the country but instead of the near record snowpack that buried much of the Colorado mountains last winter, chances are we’ll be looking at only slightly above average precipitation this winter, says Klaus Wolter, a CU-Boulder and NOAA atmospheric scientist.

In Oct. 2001, the U.S. attacked Afghanistan to eliminate the terrorist stronghold of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Months later both had been routed, their leaders fleeing across the border into Pakistan’s tribal region. The war was over. Or so everyone thought.

President Obama is barnstorming the country to promote his American Jobs Act bill with the premise that spending money now will pay off later for the country. According to CU-Boulder economist Jay Kaplan, the president’s claim is based on basic economic principles.

The congressional “super committee,” a joint select committee of six Democrats and six Republicans, begins work this week on creating a bi-partisan plan to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal budget by the end of the year. Many political analysts, including University of Colorado Boulder’s Ken Bickers, says this is a daunting task that has little chance of success.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Within months after the South Carolina militia fired the first shots at Fort Sumter in April of 1861, the largest armed forces ever gathered on the North American continent met at Manassas, Virginia, launching the country into four years of brutal fighting. More than 600,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, would die by war’s end making this the deadliest American conflict and the most memorialized.

Up to two-thirds of Earth’s permafrost likely will disappear within the next two hundred years because of warming temperature, unleashing vast quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere says a new study by CU-Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.