Advanced Materials

CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—Women of Carbon, a documentary featuring Mija Hubler, highlights women transforming the construction industry through sustainable innovation, decarbonization and green technology. Hubler’s research interests include aging of construction materials, concrete infrastructure design and construction methods and the design of alternative construction materials from biological elements and engineered waste materials. She is a co-founder of Prometheus Materials, a bio-cement startup in Longmont, Colorado.

A new, thin insulator has been designed to boost the energy efficiency of windows by blocking heat. Designed by a team from the University of Colorado Boulder, this invisible window shield material has been dubbed Mesoporous Optically Clear Heat Insulator (MOCHI).

From agriculture to aerospace, NSF’s I-Corps is a launchpad at the University of Colorado Boulder, helping innovators in and out of the University of Colorado bring research and inventions to the people who need them most. By equipping scientists and inventors with entrepreneurial tools, the program transforms great ideas into startups that tackle real-world problems.

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

The Conversation—Over the past several months, universities have lost more than $11 billion in funding. Research into cancer, farming solutions and climate resiliency are just a few of the many projects nationally that have seen cuts. The Conversation asked Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation at the University of Colorado Boulder, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.

CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—Samuel Silberman, an incoming PhD student in electrical engineering, has been named a 2025 Draper Scholar by Draper. The prestigious graduate fellowship will support his research into radio frequency (RF) lens design using advanced 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)—According to a new report, American research universities like the University of Colorado in recent decades have become engines of innovation for state and regional economies, thanks in large part to the federal Bayh-Dole Act, which incentivizes technology commercialization.

CU Connections—The University of Colorado has secured the No. 18 position on the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) 2024 Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents list, reinforcing CU’s standing as a national leader in research, innovation and real-world impact. At CU Boulder, 53% of the campus’s patents have been licensed commercially.

CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—Paula Pranda, a chemical and biological engineering PhD student, earned the top student honor at the Adhesion Society meeting for her research on aligned Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) adhesives. The society’s annual meeting was held Feb. 16-19 in New Orleans.

CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science—As the principal investigator of a $7.5 million, five-year Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (ONR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), Hussein is leading an effort to reshape the fundamental character of fluid-structure interactions to reduce drag on high-speed aerospace vehicles—the focus of the project.