Community Edition - Feb. 14, 2021

We spoke with Jose-Luis Jimenez, chemistry professor and CIRES fellow, about this new trend and why masks continue to be such an important tool in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Focus
COVID-19 campus updates: Feb. 11 edition
Through the spring semester, campus officials are providing weekly updates. In this issue: Mobile testing; expert advice on face coverings; Buff Pass upgrades; and more.
State of the Campus: Coping with COVID-19
Chancellor Philip DiStefano, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Akirah Bradley and Professor and Renée Crown Wellness Institute Director Sona Dimidjian discussed mental health challenges, how we are addressing them as a university and how we can care for our personal wellness challenges.
Photos: Students move back to a COVID-19-ready campus
In preparation for in-person classes to begin Feb. 15, students recently returned to on-campus housing. The move back included monitoring testing and the Buff Pass daily health questionnaire, key components of the COVID-19-ready campus.
Discover What's Here
Tune in Feb. 17: Frescobaldi and Schumann, poignant pieces in a pandemic
Distinguished Professor David Korevaar joins the Boulder campus Retired Faculty Association for a virtual performance and discussion of works by Girolamo Frescobaldi and Clara Schumann.
Workshop Feb. 18 to explore the unpacking of unconscious bias
Join the Conference on World Affairs and guest Eddie Moore Jr., director of The Privilege Institute for a brief video and interactive workshop in which participation will include answering questions such as, "How often have you experienced or felt unconscious bias towards yourself or someone else?"
Join lecture Feb. 18—a case study on Indigenous peoples in the US
Professor Kristen Carpenter will review the legal history of governmental suppression of Indigenous peoples’ religions in the United States and consider the potential for reform based on a human rights approach to religion.
Explore the magic of chemistry Feb. 20
Designed for a family audience, this CU Wizards webinar will feature an exciting discussion with CU Boulder Professor Tanja Cuk. Register today for the free event.
TRANSforming Gender Conference to present trans/nonbinary faculty of color panel
The Feb. 23 panel will bring together trans and nonbinary faculty of color to speak about their experiences conducting research and engaging in activism, teaching and mentoring in higher education.
Research in Your Backyard
Research-backed custom lullabies connect Colorado parents, babies
Student musicians and researchers created personalized lullabies for Colorado families and studied the effects of the project on the mental health and well-being of children and parents.
Combined bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire spell uncertain future for forests
Bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire alone are not a death sentence for Colorado’s beloved forests—but when combined, their toll may become more permanent, new CU Boulder research shows.
Doctoral student documents border cities ‘torn apart’
Through a visual art project, Bertha Bermúdez Tapia on the United States-Mexican border is shining a light on the effects of COVID-19 and restrictive immigration policies.
New kinds of liquid crystals resemble solid crystals, could improve computer and TV displays
New kinds of liquid crystals developed at CU Boulder resemble gypsum or lazulite crystals—except they flow like fluids.
The search for dark matter gets a speed boost from quantum technology
Researchers have found a way to speed up the search for dark matter using technology from quantum computing. Postdoctoral fellow Benjamin Brubaker shares on The Conversation.
New wearable device turns the body into a battery
A team of engineers has developed a new device that you can wear like a ring or bracelet and that harvests energy from your own body heat.
Small mammals climb higher to flee warming temperatures in the Rockies
Since the 1980s, Colorado's small mammals have made an ominous trek—climbing, on average, 400 feet uphill in elevation to escape from climate change.