Academics

<p>The confidence of Colorado business leaders has increased slightly going into the first quarter of 2014 as economic conditions improve and some political issues have subsided, according to the most recent Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.</p>

<p>Trees with smoother bark are better at repelling attacks by mountain pine beetles, which have difficulty gripping the slippery surface, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.</p>
<p>The findings, published online in the journal <em>Functional Ecology</em>, may help land managers make decisions about which trees to cull and which to keep in order to best protect forested properties against pine beetle infestation.</p>

<p>A new study showing that feeding mice a beneficial type of bacteria can ameliorate autism-like symptoms is “groundbreaking,” according to University of Colorado Boulder Professor Rob Knight, who co-authored a commentary piece about the research appearing in the current issue of the journal <em>Cell.</em></p>

<p>The bedtime you select for your toddler may be out of sync with his or her internal body clock, which can contribute to difficulties for youngsters attempting to settle in for the night, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.</p>

<p>From compostable heat to a custom-built, sensory playhouse, CU freshmen at this year’s Engineering Projects Expo on Saturday, Dec. 7, had a lot to show off.</p>

<p>The University of Colorado Boulder will hold its winter commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 20, in the Coors Events Center on campus.</p>
<p>The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is free and open to the public.</p>
<p>Due to traffic delays, and ongoing construction on U.S. 36 leading into Boulder, early arrival is strongly advised.</p>
<p>The ceremony will honor candidates for 1,899 degrees, including 1,399 bachelor’s degrees, 310 master’s degrees, nine law degrees and 181 doctoral degrees.</p>

<p>Average smartphone users are willing to pay up to $5 extra for a typical application—or “app”—that won’t monitor their locations, contact lists and other personal information, a study conducted by two economists at the University of Colorado Boulder has found.</p>

<p>The director of CU-Boulder’s journalism program has won a prestigious national award for challenging the “presumed centrality” of René Descartes’ groundbreaking theory of mind in 17th century French culture.</p>

<p>More than 350 engineering students at the University of Colorado Boulder will demonstrate their innovations and inventions to the community at the annual fall Engineering Design Expo on Saturday, Dec. 7.</p>

<p>It’s hard to imagine, but 50 years ago it wasn’t TV, the Internet, Twitter or a myriad of social media that alerted people to breaking news, instead they probably heard it on the radio. But that all changed one afternoon in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. That’s when people discovered the power of live TV, says Rick Stevens, a professor of journalism at CU-Boulder.</p>