Features

a boat in arctic ice

Frozen in Ice, Frozen in Time

A CU team froze their ship in Arctic ice in the name of science and storytelling. When the sea ice shifted beneath him, sending a crack straight between his two feet, Matthew Shupe didn’t panic. He calmly looked at his precious scientific equipment — installed only four feet away —...

illustration by Jeffrey Smith of a plane in front of a skyline

Breath of Fresh Air

Jessica Gilman takes to the skies to understand how unprecedented wildfires and the global pandemic are changing the climate and affecting our health. When Colorado went on lockdown last March, Jessica Gilman (PhDChem’06) was in her lab analyzing air samples from wildfire plumes. Gilman had spent the previous summer in...

an illustration by Brian Stauffer showing a virus cell above a city skyline with two people looking out their windows.

How to Cope in a Pandemic

CU psychology professors share tools to improve mental health amid COVID-19. As the world plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Sona Dimidjian knew a parallel and more silent crisis was brewing in mental health. Dimidjian, a CU Boulder psychology professor, immediately saw a trifecta of trouble: COVID-19 disrupted...

jazz musician Tia Fuller holds her saxophone while wearing a gold dress and standing in front of a sparkling beaded curtain

Full of Soul

From Beyonce to Pixar, Tia Fuller shines her light on jazz. Soon after Tia Fuller (MMus’00) vamped the red carpet at the Grammy Awards in March 2019, she got a call from a casting agent representing the animated Pixar film Soul . “They were looking for a saxophone player to...

headshot of Carlton Shield Chief Gover

A Walk in Two Worlds

American Indians and archaeologists have had a long and often fractious history. Carlton Shield Chief Gover is trying to change that.

colorfully manicured hand holding two rolls of large smarties candies

Sweet Gig

CU grad Jessica Dee Sawyer (ArtHist’03) is a fifth-generation candymaker with an eye for innovation.

Departments

a bee sits on a flower

A Campus Commitment to Impacting Climate Change

An essay by CU Boulder Chancellor Philip P. Distefano. One of the core missions of our university is to positively impact humanity, and humanity faces the existential crisis of a warming planet caused by human beings.

large window of the Imig Music Building against a blue sky

The Imig of Innovation

CU Boulder’s College of Music celebrated its 100th birthday in style last year with a stunning 64,000-square-foot, $57 million expansion funded by numerous private donors and a university matching capital grant.

artists Alejandra Abad and Román Anaya sit in the colorful art flags they created

Now and Then Spring 2021

Where did it all begin? Where is it now? As the university continues to grow and evolve, these are the questions asked in the "Then and Now" series. Through powerful images of both the past and present, the story of CU Boulder comes to life.

soccer goalie J.J. Tompkins celebrates on the soccer field with gold streamers around her

The Double

J.J. Tompkins is CU soccer’s all-time leader in wins. Now, the goalkeeper plays professionally in Norway. Goalkeeper J.J. Tompkins (Psych’19) is CU soccer’s all-time leader in wins with 49 total. Her standout performance, however, came in defeat Nov. 22, 2019, as she made several highlight-reel saves when North Carolina eliminated...

a cu boulder student scales a rock wall at the rec center

Sweat Effects

Human sweat and bleach cleaners mix to create new airborne chemicals in gyms. A CU study from Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) says this could affect air quality.

Chip with two kids and a woman at a tailgate party

ForeverGold, Forever CU Boulder

For the alumni, parents and CU friends who have joined ForeverGold, it has delivered an integral and intimate connection with the campus through exclusive academic, athletic and social activities like symposiums, retreats, tailgates, behind-the-scenes campus tours and more.

Funmi Oyatogun headshot

Alumni News Briefs Spring 2021

Learn about travel entrepreneur Funmi Oyatogun, join the Forever Buffs network, nominate for the Alumni Awards, try out Alumni Career Services and see views from the Roaming Buffs 2021 trips.

CU Boulder fan wearing a Buffs shirt in front of the Alamo

A Look at the Alamo Bowl

Though many Forever Buffs had to watch the game from afar, they still found creative ways to cheer for their team at the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Infographic about sun research

Infographic: Beyond the Bluebird Sky

With at least eight institutions dedicated to solar and space physics, the city of Boulder is a global mecca for science related to the sun.

CU buffs football players run onto the field

Sports Briefs Spring 2021

Take a look at a few major highlights from CU athletics — from skiing to soccer to football.

Jaylyn Sherrod holding basketball

Sports Q&A: Will Over Skill

Sophomore Jaylyn Sherrod (Soc’23) is CU women’s basketball’s first–ever player from Alabama. Named CU’s Most Improved player and selected for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, the 5'7" Birmingham native reflects on leading as a point guard, choosing the Buffs and communicating on and off the court.

Jennifer Doudna headshot

Former CU Postdoc Wins 2020 Nobel Prize

Jennifer Doudna smashes the glass ceiling with her historic recognition in chemistry. Doudna, a former CU Boulder postdoc, won the prize for co-development of the genome editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 with French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier — the first time a science Nobel had been won by two women together.

Couple walking new pedestrian walkway on Pearl Street

Paving the Way

A story of the history of the Pearl Street Mall and how it came to fruition.

mountain range on CU boulder campus

Campus News Briefs Spring 2021

Campus News Briefs: Leeds + Techstars Elevate, Honoring Inclusive Excellence, Electric Skin - the New FitBit?, and Heard Around Campus qoute.

Children with tablets

Are Our Kids Tech Obsessed?

CU research finds technology use in children and teens may not be as dire as many assume. Kids growing up in the mobile internet era have heard it all, often uttered by well-meaning parents fearing too much screen time could spur lasting problems. But a series of studies by CU Boulder sociology professor Stefanie Mollborn suggests such fears may be overblown.

Image of iPhone home screen

What’s in My Phone: Stefanie K. Johnson

Stefanie K. Johnson is an associate professor at Leeds and director of the CU Boulder Center for Leadership. She is an expert on leadership, inclusion and mitigating bias in the workplace. Her book Inclusify, released by HarperCollins in June, hit the Wall Street Journal National Bestseller List in its first week on the market.

Shelly Miller headshot

Aerosol Superstar

Shelly Miller solves problems she cares about. As a CU Boulder mechanical engineering professor, her expertise on aerosols, indoor air pollution and urban air quality catapulted her to a global spotlight in 2020, giving her the chance to make huge world changes, fast. She discusses her work, the pandemic and what it’s like being suddenly in high demand.

slide rule

Computing Before the Computer

Before the rise of scientific calculators and computers in the 1960s and 70s, cylindrical slide rules were used to complete multiplication, division and other complex mathematical operations. This particular slide rule — known as Thacher’s Calculating Instrument — was donated to the university by the late William J. Hanna (ElEngr’43;...

vintage student newspaper with University Portfolio printed as the headline

Reporting from CU

The University Portfolio’s first issue lamented the lack of a university glee club, reported anticipation for the upcoming Christmas holiday and exclaimed that Dr. Sewall — CU’s first president — would work the eight chemistry students 15 hours a day if he could.