Podcast

The research, which was funded by The Water Research Foundation (WRF) and presented at CU Boulder earlier this month, outlines a multitude of challenges posed by wildfires, including short- and long-term effects on the availability and quality of drinking water sources used by major metropolitan areas such as Denver, Colorado. The report also outlines potential remediation solutions to help utilities plan for worst-case scenarios.

Host Ken McConnellogue talks with Professor Robert Erickson about what this MOOC has to offer learners across the globe, as well as how it is making us rethink how people learn. He also chats with Michael Lightner, vice president of academic affairs, about the positive impact MOOCs offer learners and the university.

When an infectious airborne illness strikes, some hospitals use negative pressure rooms to isolate and treat patients. These rooms use ventilation controls to keep germ-filled air contained rather than letting it circulate throughout the hospital. But, in the event of an epidemic, these rooms can quickly fill up. Now, a team at CU Boulder has found a simple, cost-effective way for medical facilities to expand this technique to better prepare for disease outbreaks.

As part of the Open Philanthropy effort, Professor Yunping Xi of civil, environmental and architectural engineering and his students will assess the amount of flammable building material in modern cities in various parts of the world, as well as the flammable contents in such buildings.