RIO Public Scholarship Initiative
At a time when public trust in expertise is declining and the demand for evidence-based solutions is rising, CU Boulder has a timely and powerful opportunity to elevate its faculty as essential voices in national conversations. The Public Scholarship Initiative seeks to highlight how scholarship—through discovery, science and culture—contributes meaningfully to public wellbeing.
As a part of the RIO Public Scholar Initiative, RIO will offer an op-ed writing workshop for faculty from across the sciences.
Elevating Colorado Voices: Public Scholarship Workshop
- Workshop (In-Person): Friday, September 12 (All day) & Saturday, September 13 (10 a.m.–1 p.m.)
Sponsored by the College of Communication, Media, Information & Design; the CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office; the Center for Humanities and the Arts; and the University of Colorado Office of Collaboration, this immersive one-and-a-half-day workshop is designed to amplify the public voice of CU Boulder researchers whose ideas address urgent public concerns and have the potential for significant societal impact.
Faculty selected for this opportunity must commit to attending the full duration of both sessions and reserve time on Friday evening or early Saturday morning to complete a rough draft for peer workshopping during Saturday’s session.
This opportunity is open to CU Boulder faculty and advanced graduate students, with preference given to faculty and to topics that address timely public issues and are well-suited for rapid publication in public-facing outlets.
Who you’ll be working with
The workshop will be led by Dr. Christine Larson, associate professor of journalism at CU Boulder and senior facilitator with The OpEd Project. A former journalist, Dr. Larson has written regularly for The New York Times, TheWall Street Journal, US News and World Report and many other publications. Her academic work has been published in top communication journals and covered by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her opinions and commentary have appeared in dozens of popular media outlets. She holds an BA from Princeton and a PhD from Stanford. She has been a senior leader with the OpEd Project since 2013.
The OpEd Project is a nationally recognized organization fostering robust, inclusive, evidence-based public conversation. Since 2008, the group has helped tens of thousands of rising voices publish in national media outlets. The OpEd Project has worked with dozens of universities including Princeton, Stanford and Yale, and organizations including The Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation.
Previous Opportunities
STEM Public Scholarship Op-Ed Writing Workshop
- Intro session (90-minutes; Virtual): First week of June
- Workshop (In-Person): June 24–25, 2025
This short, intensive program will equip those interested in public scholarship with the tools to convey their messages to the general public, with a focus on increasing public understanding of the scientific process, translating complex findings into actionable insights and vital solutions, and elevating CU Boulder’s scientific expertise. The aim is to produce publishable opinion articles that faculty can then send to media outlets during the summer.
Following the workshop, participants will work one on one with Hillary Rosner to pitch and place your piece.
This opportunity is open to tenure-track and research faculty at all ranks, from assistant to full professor, with preference given to those in STEM-related fields—particularly those working in fields related to public health, climate, natural hazards and sustainability.
Who you’ll be working with
This workshop will be led by Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism. Hillary is a nationally recognized science journalist with more than 25 years of experience working as a reporter, editor and teacher. Her work has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Audubon, Men’s Journal, Wired, Scientific American, Undark, Nautilus, High Country News and dozens of other outlets. Her book Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Their Fractured World will be published in October 2025 by Patagonia Books.
Hillary has extensive experience teaching scientists how to tell stories for a broad audience, and she has taught storytelling courses and workshops through Compass, the Organization for Tropical Studies, and the National Science Foundation, as well as independently at a variety of institutions.