The future of higher education and connecting CU Boulder with the startup community were common themes woven throughout the six University Track sessions at Boulder Startup Week (BSW), sponsored by CU Boulder.

From May 13-17, CU Boulder faculty, staff and alumni discussed progress made across the campus innovation ecosystem as well as ways for community members to engage with the university while benefitting their own ventures. Here are our favorite key takeaways from BSW sessions during the week: 

On Getting Involved with the University

1. "The benefit of having our community members involved is so important. CU Boulder is a research university, so there is a lot of value in bringing industry professionals to further educate our students and help them apply their teachings to solve real world problems." – Zach Nies, computer science instructor at the College of Engineering and Applied Science and managing director at Techstars for the Boulder program
2. "I'm an attorney by trade and got involved with Silicon Flatirons by accident. My advice to you is to attend something on campus that interests you. With all of the events on campus, there's something for everyone." – Brad Bernthal, associate professor of law at the Colorado Law School and director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative for the Silicon Flatirons Center
3. "At the CU Engineering School, we have community members and industry coming to us with problems they need solved. We have our students work on those problems in classes and we hire adjuncts to meet with teams to help them along the way as they develop solutions." – Daria Kotys-Schwartz, professor at CU’s College of Engineering and Applied Science and co-director of Idea Forge
4. "Project needs vary class by class, but don't be afraid to walk the halls or Google professors online who might be a good fit. Just reach out to them, and you'd be surprised at what you can find. There could be a way to collaborate." – Andy Goldstein, CEO of Longpath Technologies and Entrepreneur-In-Residence with Venture Partners at CU Boulder
5. “The partnerships are really beneficial for both sides, but the partnerships only work if there are win-win opportunities for both parties involved.” – Claudia Bouvier, CU Boulder alumnae and co-founder of Pastificio Boulder

On Recent Changes in Higher Education

1. "While Colorado has had significant budget cuts in recent years, we still have strong and thriving university systems across our state." – Terri Fiez, vice chancellor for Research and Innovation
2. “There has been a pivotal change in the last 5-6 years in higher education and people going into computer science. Between 2012, our department had 300 computer science majors. Four years later we have 1,000+.” – Dirk Grunwald, post-bacc faculty director and professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science
3. "In the Disaster Science discipline, we’ve seen the need for more flexible systems. We face so many challenges that no one discipline can solve, but if we can come together with other disciplines, that’s when we have the opportunity for breakthrough. That collaboration can also be applied to everywhere on campus, not just in our department." – Lori Peek, professor at the College of Arts and Science and director of the Natural Hazards Center
4. "We moved our CMCI Studio to downtown Boulder not because we’re anti-education, but because we’re pro-learning. We needed to bring students out of the traditional classroom and really teach them how to learn. Students need to know that using your imagination and failure are not hindrances to the process of learning, but a part of the process of learning." – David Slayden, associate professor at the College of Media, Communication and Information and Executive Director of CMCI Studio

On the Future of Higher Education

1. "We need to bring in industry to define curriculum and tie them in closer to research projects and outcomes." – Mark Rentschler, professor at the College of Engineering and Applied Science and CEO and President of Aspero Medical, a CU Boulder spinout
2. "Walls between our disciplines, not just across colleges but within colleges as well, will become blurred so students can develop either broader skill sets." – Dirk Grunwald, post-bacc faculty director and professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science
3. "Youth are going to have a much larger role in what their education will look like. They are already demanding change and action in response to issues like gun violence and climate change." – Lori Peek, professor at the College of Arts and Science and director of the Natural Hazards Center
4. "Since Terri arrived, we’ve seen an uptick in the willingness to cross boundaries and enact positive change across campus. We need our universities to be faster, leaner and take more chances." – David Slayden, associate professor at the College of Media, Communication and Information and Executive Director of CMCI Studio

On Aerospace Innovation

1. "Colorado is one of the leading states in the country for aerospace. People say aerospace is our state's best-kept secret, which I think is silly - it should be promoted! Also, a vast majority of Colorado aerospace companies are smaller than you think, with 10 or less people. There's a lot going on in the ecosystem across the state and not just at the larger, more well-known companies like Lockheed Martin or Ball Aerospace." – Abby Benson, assistant vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, Office of Industry Collaboration and AeroSpace Ventures
2. "While getting my master's in engineering at CU, I was able to develop a course on commercial space, since it wasn't taught in textbooks. From my lessons learned at CU, I was able to start my company, Advanced Space, and we have since moved from the startup phase to operating as a small business." – Bradley Cheetham, instructor at College of Engineering and Applied Science and CEO and President of Advanced Space
3. "When a reviewer tells you your idea won't work, that's a call to figure out how to make it work. Someone from NASA once told me this, and I proved him wrong. When looking back you'll realize that persistence and collection of knowledge are keys to launching a startup." – Al Gasiewski, professor at the College of Engineering and Applied Science, director of the NOAA-CU Center for Environmental Technology and senior vice president of science and technology at CU Boulder spinout, Orbital Micro Systems
4. "CU Boulder created the AeroSpace Ventures initiative five years ago because we realized there's so much happening with aerospace on campus. Our researchers, labs and units were all talking to industry, and we needed to bring all of these people together to communicate more cohesively." – Abby Benson, assistant vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, Office of Industry Collaboration and AeroSpace Ventures

To learn more about innovation and entrepreneurship at CU Boulder, visit the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. 

Photo Captions: Boulder Startup Week speakers from left to right, top to bottom: Claudia Bouvier, Martha Russo, Brad Bernthal, Zach Nies; Terri Fiez, Dirk Grunwald, Lori Peek, Mark Rentschler, David Slayden; Sarabeth Berk; Al Gasiewski. (Credits: CU Boulder, Patrick Campbell)