CU On The Air Podcast

While patents and business papers are an important aspect in scientific discovery, it’s not until that research is making a positive impact in society that it truly matters. Today on the President’s Innovation Podcast, President Mark Kennedy and host Emily Davies speak with serial entrepreneur, Stan Lapidus, about his accomplishments and insights on business collaboration in advancing health care, from ingenuity to implementation. * Lapidus discusses his breakthroughs that have greatly benefited science, including the pap smear and Cologuard colon cancer screening. * Early detection of cancer diagnostics has been near and dear to Lapidus heart. * Lapidus serves as an advisor to the CU Innovations initiative at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, which unites industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors, to help CU researchers create biomedical technology that improves quality of life. * Kimberly Muller, executive director of CU Innovations, discusses the innovations underway at CU Anschutz, and Lapidus’ important contributions. * Lapidus discusses coming to Colorado and his role as adviser for CU Innovations. * The important transition of innovation from research to bedside. * The role of the university – and its responsibility to the state and beyond – to go from paper to impacting the community. * In addition to Nobel Laureates and MacArthur Fellows, CU needs to honor faculty who have gone beyond the discovery, into production that benefits people’s lives. * President Kennedy caught up with old friend and entrepreneur Ted Snelgrove to meet a new ally in Stan Lapidus. * How to learn and grow from failure and the importance of accepting responsibility. * Leading through listening to — and sharing — ideas with other great minds. * The importance of a humanities education in furthering the life sciences. * There’s nothing wrong with being a late-comer to the sciences. Lapidus was 38 when he ventured that direction. * Being a serial entrepreneur is not to say you’re cut out to be the head of a corporation. Perhaps the mission is to get it going, then put experts in place. * The importance of leaving something valuable for the next generations to build on. Resources * Listen to: CU Innovations Brings Sciences from Inception to Implementation * CU Innovations * CU Anschutz Medical Campus * Kimberly Muller, CU Innovations * SPARK program * Cologuard colon cancer screening * Extreme Science * Vannevar Bush * MIT * Larry Gold CU Boulder | Anschutz * Jerome Fox * Ted Snelgrove * Genomic Health

CU Innovations brings together some of the greatest minds of several academic fields at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and beyond to work across disciplines to benefit health and wellness in the larger communities. In today’s episode of the President’s Innovation Podcast, a CU on the Air series, we talk with Kimberly Muller, executive director of CU Innovations about the remarkable breakthroughs that are already benefiting society, and the great work to come. * CU Innovations was started five years ago by Muller and Steve VanNurden to fulfill Chancellor Don Elliman’s vision for how would you redesign define innovation at an academic medical center. * CU Innovations looks to create or partner with companies to redefine care delivery, redefine how we receive care to improve outcomes for physicians, patients and to lower the overall cost of care. * How this science benefited COVID research. * With hospital partners, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the UCHealth system, CU Innovations has established a living clinical laboratory for testing and validating the best health care technologies wherever they may exist throughout the country. * Over the past four years, the department has had over 600 companies from around the United States come to Colorado to partner with it to take technologies and develop them at the point of care. * CU’s role in the technology utilized in GSK (Glaxo SmithKline) is multi-billion dollar Shingrix vaccine. * To help startups, CU Innovations has created a fund that can invest in these companies and clinical tests that are needed to validate the viable, leading-edge ideas. * The Health Care Innovation Fund is the first venture fund in the University of Colorado history. It was able to raise $50 million in less than six months. * RxRevu is helping to figure out how to get the right drug to the right patient at the right time at a cost that they afford. * Outside advisers include serial entrepreneur Stan Lapidus, who helps with business models and projected outcomes throughout the inception-implementation of new research. * Shi-Long Lu and Lapidus developed a new diagnostic for head and neck cancer. They started a company together and that technology was saliva-based diagnostics for head and neck cancer. * CU innovations is looking to expand what it does around novel therapeutics, using a data-driven approach to innovation, what is a unique data infrastructure at the Anschutz medical campus. Resources * Listen to: Colorado’s Best Minds + CU Innovators = A Better Future * CU Innovations * CU Anschutz Medical Campus * RX Revu

Although perhaps well meaning, many diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have fallen short or have even done more harm than good. DEI is a top priority at University of Colorado, and CU is prioritizing what system shifts are needed to enact and sustain success. How do we attract, retain and graduate diverse students? How do we ensure that is reflected among our faculty and staff? And, importantly, how do we repair generations of racism and inequity? CU President Mark Kennedy and Chief Diversity Officer Theodosia Cook join host Emily Davies on the President’s Innovation Podcast to discuss what it will take for a systemic shift at CU and in the larger communities to create sustainable progress for cultural change. * The importance of DEI leaders being at the forefront of change. * Individuals who have dedicated their lives to DEI research and change are the most qualified to come up with innovations and solutions. * DEI success at CU is represented in the students, faculty and staff and the welcoming environment on the campuses and beyond. * Why many, if not most, DEI initiatives fail. * DEI is not a situation where ‘everyone has a voice.’ Leaders need to implement DEI innovations, and allies need to offer support. * How a failed DEI initiative loses the trust of constituents and hurts the organization’s brand. * President Kennedy, in October 2020, worked with the CU Foundation to create a $5 million diversity equity and inclusion innovation fund. * CU Anschutz Medical Campus has initiatives underway that are moving the institution toward greater health equity. * Representatives in the state government are working alongside CU to gain funding for these evolutionary DEI initiatives. * There is great frustration around the lack of progress in advancing DEI, but across the country, many institutions have outstanding programs underway that are laying the groundwork for the future. * How CU is embracing these programs, replicating the best and coming up with its own initiatives to benefit the campuses and community. * Students, faculty, staff and alumni can support these DEI efforts by supporting the DEI leaders and looking to those who have extensive experience and research in the area for solutions. * Each person is asked to ensure that each person on our campuses feels welcome and valued. Each is asked to listen and ask questions of individuals from different backgrounds and cultures. Resources * DEI Innovation Fund will augment campuses, system diversity efforts * Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement, CU Boulder * Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, CU Denver * Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, UCCS * Central Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, CU Anschutz * Honoring Charles Blackwood, CU’s First African American School of Medicine Graduate * CU is Putting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Forefront * African Americans, allies confront racism, health disparities

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the President’s Innovation Podcast, a special CU on the Air series. Host Emily Davies speaks with distinguished professor Margaret Murnane, a fellow at JILA, which is a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dr. Murnane is also a faculty member in the department of physics and electrical and computer engineering at CU Boulder, and has earned numerous prestigious awards for her work in ultrafast laser and x-ray science. * Margaret Murnane was attracted to the field of ultrafast x-ray and laser science because most people had no idea if the technology would be useful and for what uses might pan out. * She was awarded the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur genius fellowship in 2000, possibly for the discovery of how to very easily make a short laser pulse that was fast enough to capture the dance of electrons in a material or a molecular reaction. * The MacArthur ‘genius’ Fellowship enabled Murnane and husband Dr. Henry Kapteyn, also a JILA professor, to establish their lab at CU Boulder. * The two were only the second couple to win the Benjamin Franklin Medal in physics (theirs in 2021) along with Marie and Pierre Curry. It was also awarded to Albert Einstein. * The honor possibly stemmed – with their students and collaborators – their ability to discover how to control x-ray light at a super precise level, and the same in the case of visible lasers. * A leading semiconductor research and development facility, IMEC, is now using their technology to develop and integrate the next generation materials into nano-devices. The applications range from computer chips or chips for cellphones to aerospace technology. * A special treat for Murnane was earning the 2018 Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal for academia, through which she, her husband and mother were able Irish dignitaries – her role models. * Murnane serves as the director of STROBE, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, which brings together teams from different science and technology backgrounds to develop the microscope of tomorrow. * Just what is the vortex beam of light and what are its applications? * X-ray lasers could make very powerful microscopes to look through materials that are opaque to visible light and catch electrons in action. * The lasers have the ability to modernize technology for clearer scans, from the dentist x-raying your teeth to earlier detection of cancer. * Murnane discusses growing up in Ireland, and the role her father played in her career path. * Why CU and Colorado? She and her husband love traveling the state and look forward to doing a lot more of it this summer. Resources * Margaret Murnane * Margaret Murnane (JILA) * Henry Kapteyn * Buff Innovator Insights Podcast * Keeping up with the Curies: Laser scientists win prestigious physics award * Laser Researcher wins $500,000 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship * STROBE National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center *

REGISTER FOR COLTT HERE; CALL FOR PROPOSALS UPDATE: Rep. Joe Neguse will host a conversation with student leaders to address the power of student advocacy in shaping policy on today’s most pressing higher education issues. The Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology Conference (COLTT) will once again this year feature leading edge innovations and supportive education. For years, COLTT has been convening leaders and novices from across the state, as well as building a systemwide CU community of practice. This ongoing connectivity leads to the sharing of knowledge and practices, builds a network of practitioners and has actionable outcomes. CU on the Air speaks with Kristi Wold-McCormick, CU Boulder registrar, and Noah Geisel, micro-credentials program manager, leading up to the Aug. 4-5 COLTT Conference. * CU President Mark Kennedy introduces the importance of the COLTT conference and keeping CU at the leading edge of technological advancements and adaptive learning. * Digital badging and micro-credentialing illustrate how well COLTT supports emerging innovations for faculty and others in the educational technology community through sessions, workshops, vendor relationships and year round communities of practice. * Sessions will be for those who want to learn more about the micro-credential and badging initiative that at CU Boulder, as well as those who are more experienced including a wide range of uses in every sector. * Micro-credentialing is about recognition of storytelling on a technology level. Rich metadata tells more than an individual’s class and grade. It can attach evidence to show how students met the criteria to earn the digital badge credential and complete their Micro-credential Program. * Badging enables a candidate to reflect other learning that is happening outside of the classroom and in the community. * A Micro-credential Program badge is verifiable. It’s not just the individual putting something on a resume – their word against the employers or anybody else’s. * Micro-credentials and badging began two years ago as campus stakeholders from academic and non-academic areas started brainstorming. The CU system office then procured a contract with one of the leading badging platforms. * Micro-credentials in programmatic terms: Something in which you enroll and there are defined characteristics about the learning objectives, skills and capacities that will be demonstrated as a part of that Micro-credential Program. The digital badge is the container that helps communicate what you did in the micro-credentials. * CU Boulder is quickly becoming a leader in this space, but it’s not alone. Dozens and soon hundreds of two- and four-year institutions as well as “real world institutions” will be doing it as well. * The value that a university such as CU brings to this space is that educators can also step in where corporations don’t want to provide this technology. CU can lead the way. * For students, badging is a powerful opportunity of telling their story: grades, test scores,

Endowed scholarship will benefit underrepresented medical students Charles J. Blackwood was born and raised in Trinidad, a small town in southern Colorado. After he graduated from high school there, he thought of running off to join a band. But his family, seeing his academic talent and potential, encouraged college instead. He stayed local, graduating with honors from Trinidad State Junior College, before heading off to the University of Colorado Boulder on a scholarship. After earning his degree in chemistry in 1943, Blackwood entered the CU School of Medicine and in 1947 became its first Black graduate. Now his legacy will live on with the Charles J. Blackwood Memorial Endowed Scholarship at the CU School of Medicine, announced Feb. 22. The endowment fund will initially provide funding for full scholarships for at least four students from underrepresented backgrounds who are committed to the African American community. The school intends for the endowment to continue to grow so that it can support additional scholars in perpetuity. It became a reality after private donors contributed more than $1 million, matched by $1 million each from CU School of Medicine Dean Dr. John Reilly and CU President Mark Kennedy. The Mile High Medical Society, an organization of Black physicians and health care workers, spearheaded the private fundraising effort. And there were times, says the Society’s Dr. Terri Richardson, an internist at Kaiser Permanente, when members wondered if it could happen. “It was a dream. I thought at many times it was an impossible dream, but to really see this happen, I mean, I just can’t even hardly contain my emotion at this moment that this actually happened. And it shows how you can start with a seed, with a dream and it can become reality. And I call myself a realist, so at times I said, ‘Let’s be real. Is this really going to happen? We’re a small medical society. Can we really make this happen?’ But as we went along and found out about Dr. Blackwood and really did more looking at, why is this important? We saw that we have a lot of supporters and champions out there that also believe that this is a great cause,” Richardson said. The cause perfectly ties in with a primary focus at the CU School of Medicine. The school’s dean, Dr. John Reilly. “I think the Blackwood scholarship represents a very visible example of our commitment to diversity. It represents the culmination of a partnership with the Mile High Medical Society that began about four years ago when we started fundraising for this scholarship. And it allows us to recognize the contributions that African American physicians have made at the school and in Colorado,” Reilly said. He said the scholarship could not have a better namesake that Dr. Blackwood. “To be the first African American to graduate from our School of Medicine, to be a visible role model in the community, as a person of color, practicing medicine, to be able to build trust with patient populations that have historically had reasons not to trust the medical establishment, were all heavy responsibilities for him, but by all accounts he performed them very, very well,” Reilly said. During his medical education, Blackwood could only sit in certain places in lecture halls and his living arrangements were separate from the rest of his classmates. He graduated in the top 10 in his class. After an internship at Harlem Hospital in New York, he returned to Colorado to complete his residency at Colorado General and Denver General hospitals.

NOTE: Coloradans age 35 and older who have been recently discharged from the hospital with COVID infection interested in taking part in the AFTER program can go to movement4everyone.com or call (303) 724-9590. There is no cost to patients and rehab equipment is available. As the deaths from COVID-19 in the United States hovers near 500,000, it’s important to note that some 17.5 million Americans have recovered from the virus: a recovery that can take a great deal of time and be difficult. Today on CU on the Air, we’re talking about a groundbreaking tele-rehabilitation program for COVID-19 survivors with Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, professor and director of the Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. Program, and Kristine Erlandson, associate professor of infectious diseases, at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. * The program, called Predictors of Recovery and the App-Facilitated Tele-Rehabilitation or AFTER for COVID Survivors, started enrolling a month ago. * In addition to Stevens-Lapsley and Erlandson, a multi-disciplinary team is involved, including a pulmonary care doctor and works with patients who have recovered from an ICU stay in the hospital, specialists in motivational interviewing, behavioral health coaching, and a physical therapist with extensive experience with medical complex populations. * Unique elements of this program involve making sure the intensity of rehab is adequate to progress patients quickly and a bio-behavioral portion of the program with emphasis on empowering patients to be able to do their own rehab in the future and adhere to the exercise program. * The program has a unique web-based platform that it involves a home exercise component that has avatars and other ways to help facilitate adherence to exercise. The therapist can monitor what a participant is doing at home and then provide feedback and coaching during regular physical therapy sessions. * Symptoms the doctors are seeing and treating often include a lot of fatigue: people go into this with some COVID fatigue, and then if they actually have COVID it’s just a profound, physical fatigue following the infection. A lot of weakness, shortness of breath, a big hit to endurance. Respiratory symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing. And strange COVID symptoms with the loss of taste and smell. * Types of therapies underway include resistance training, such as mini squats, or lunges, or standing up from a chair and strengthen the muscles in the legs. A lot of balance activities and trying to make sure that people’s balance is challenged, but yet not that risk for falls. Also, quite a bit of work in the area of educating them regarding endurance because the fatigue that they experience is profound. * An important piece of this program is the ability to attract and engage individuals in rural settings, creating a unique opportunity to provide services to people who otherwise wouldn’t have access. * Long-term benefits include the understanding of how to treat patients with tele-rehabilitation from a distance that are medically complex, applying to many, many other populations down the road. * Engagement with the program is 12 weeks, but follow-up continues up to six months. * An important aspect of learning from this population is how to be creative and flexible in terms of problem solving. Whether it’s a technical problem or whether it’s a specific exercise to meet someone’s individual goals and being able to standardize care,

As we welcome 2021, CU on the Air looks back on 2020 to highlight our Top 5 shows. Not surprisingly, three of the five most popular podcasts were COVID-19 related. The other two were about CU in space, and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. * As we navigate the coronavirus, there’s a great need for frank discussions about psychiatric disorders as the weeks and months roll on. In August, we spoke with Dr. Neill Epperson from the CU School of Medicine about her podcast, Mind the Brain, which explores the many aspects of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing topics ranging from the ongoing uncertainty, parental and teen stress, cancer care during a pandemic and the tendency to drink too much alcohol, Mind the Brain comes in at No. 5. * Exploring the moon, and even possibly colonizing it, sounds pretty good these days to us earthlings. Our No. 4 podcast features CU Boulder Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Professor Jack Burns, who has longstanding ties with NASA. In fact, since the late 1940s, CU Boulder has sent experiments and instruments to every planet in our solar system. In 50+ space missions, NASA spacecraft have launched hundreds of instruments from CU as well as 20 CU scientists, faculty and alumni. * CU Colorado Springs Professor Chip Benight shows true GRIT on a global scale and in popularity as our No. 3 podcast of the year. Benight researches human adaptation from trauma including recovery from natural disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic as well as manmade disasters, accident trauma, violence, bereavement and more. In COVID’s wake, he started the Greater Resilience Information Toolkit that is accessible to people overwhelmed by the pandemic, from frontline workers, to caregivers, to your next-door neighbor. * About 300,000 people in the United States and some 3,500 Coloradans have died of COVID-19 as of this date, but good news is on the horizon. Recently Moderna Therapeutics announced that its analysis found its coronavirus vaccine to be 94.5% effective. In November 2020, CU on the Air spoke with Dr. Thomas Campbell, professor of medicine and infectious disease and leader of the Moderna vaccine trials at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. This episode, Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine Trial at CU Anschutz Shows 94.5% Efficacy, is our No. 2 most popular podcast of 2020. * Civil unrest has been a monumental theme of 2020, drawing attention to the critical need for diversity, equity and inclusion at CU and across the country. The CU on the Air team is proud that this podcast recorded in June was by far our most popular. In African Americans, Allies Confront Racism and Health Disparities, CU Chief Diversity Officer Theodosia Cook discusses police brutality against p...

Today on CU on the Air we talk with Wes Marshall, professor of civil engineering with a joint appointment in urban planning in the College of Engineering, Design and Computing at CU Denver. Host Ken McConnellogue discusses with Professor Marshall what constitutes safe streets and neighborhoods for pedestrians, wheel chairs, bicyclists, autos and even scooters; and why the old ways in some ways are way better. * The nexus of transportation engineering and urban planning = plangineer. * Dual degrees now offered at CU Denver in those areas. * How living in Boston shaped Professor Marshall’s vision for planning and engineering. * The inability to get from Point A to B without a car – even if it’s close by. * Beautiful neighborhoods in Denver? Look to Wash Park. * In the past 10 years as Denver has grown, there’s a lot more walkability. * More options for transportation: cycling, scooters, walking. * The good and bad of the scooters in Denver. Where are people supposed to ride them? * Wheelchairs in the bike lane: The sidewalks aren’t safe for some. * Denver puts onus of sidewalk maintenance on property owners, which is inefficient. * Surprise! The safest cities are those who have the most cyclists. * Scofflaw cyclists most times are rolling through stop signs for safety reasons. * Facilitating options: The more options you have, the better the sustainability. * Why cul-de-sacs aren’t any safer than streets. * Problems with Central Park, formerly Stapleton. * Human nature shows if people can speed they will. Thus, curves are safer. * Sabbatical in Australia finds in 1970, same fatality rate as USA. Now, four times less. * Self-enforcing roads: Building roads that make it difficult to speed. * Cameras reduce need for police interaction. * Quick fixes include road restrictions, or obstacles, to slow things down. * Who is doing it well? Davis, California, for one. * Building communities where children, others don’t have to be driven. * How technology for the physically challenged can benefit the larger population. * The evolution of bus lanes and why taking that lane away benefits traffic flow. * Why lower-income neighborhoods pose higher risks for residents. * Sustainable transportation course: Here’s the issue, how can we do it better? * What’s coming up? Fundamentals will – and should – stay the same. * Take away the trees? People start driving faster and fatalities increase. Resources * College of Engineering, Design and Computing * Researcher Wes Marshall and the future of road safety, CU Denver News * Hidden Safety Problems Keep Denver Kids from Walking and Biking, StreetsBlog * Cycling lanes reduce fatalities for all road users, study shows, Science Daily * Traffic Sucks, But Commuter Congestion Probably Doesn’t Affect the Economy, Colorado Public Radio * Elements of Access: Transport Planning for Engineers * Transport Engineering for Planners, Wes Marshall,

UPDATE: Moderna has requested emergency use authorization from the FDA, and the vaccine could be available to high-risk populations as early as the end of December. More than a quarter million people in the United States and some 3,100 Coloradans have died of COVID-19 as of this date, but good news is on the horizon. Recently Moderna Therapeutics announced early analysis that found its coronavirus vaccine to be 94.5% effective. CU on the Air speaks with Dr. Thomas Campbell, professor of medicine and infectious disease and leader of the Moderna vaccine trials at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Two companies, Moderna and Pfizer, have announced that their vaccines, which have a very similar technology base, are highly effective in preventing COVID illness. Pfizer announced that they were filing on Nov. 20 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to request an emergency use authorization, to allow them to begin to distribute their vaccine. Moderna, will follow suit, perhaps even before Thanksgiving. The clinical trials are  scientific experiments in those experiments where the vaccine efficacy it is precisely determined. Effectiveness is the term that’s used to apply to how well vaccines are working in the community. The effectiveness of the vaccines will be determined after their widespread use in the community. Although we won’t know for a while how durable the vaccine is, there is evidence that we can expect protection from vaccines to be durable. Plus, symptoms in individuals who have had COVID-19 previously are less severe. The COVID prevention network, of which CU Anschutz is a part, consists of about 60 sites around the country and internationally. All sites have a long track record of conducting clinical trials through the National Institute of Health. There has been a big private government partnership to get COVID vaccines to where we are now. The trials comprised a little over 30,000 volunteers. Particular care was taken to enroll a significant portion of individuals who were 60 years and older as well as those with pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, kidney disease. And, importantly, ethnic and racial diversity. The trial is designed to last for two years and it will be important to continue the trial to determine how durable the vaccine response is, and whether protection diminishes over time. The scientific measures taken by Moderna and Pfizer include creating a messenger RNA molecule that has the instructions for making a coronavirus protein called the spike protein. The way the vaccine works is that messenger RNA that has all the information to tell ourselves how to make the spike protein and build immunity to the virus. The reason that these trials came so quickly is because COVID-19 is raging in the United States. The number of cases in the vaccine trial participants occurred at a much faster rate than anyone expected. It’s unfortunate that we have such a raging epidemic pandemic right now, but the fact that we do enabled these two trials to get the efficacy answer very quickly. Overall, there will be multiple, very efficacious vaccines around the world. There are over 160 different candidate vaccines in various stages of development here in the United States. There are six candidate vaccines that have either entered or will soon be entering phase three clinical trials. It is very important that Coloradans come forward and get the vaccine when it becomes available. If a large portion of our population is vaccinated, that in effect will put an end to the pandemic Colorado. And across the country as well.

CU On The Air welcomes Janel Owens, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. While she teaches courses and applied analytical chemistry, including environmental chemistry and forensic chemistry, Owens is also a certified whiskey chemist with the Federal Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The TTB, which was formerly the ATF holds a proficiency testing or a whiskey certification program, and invites folks who have at least a chemistry degree who have a fully outfitted laboratory to participate in this proficiency testing. Owens’ interest started 2014 after meeting Michael Myers, who’s the managing director of Distillery 291 in Colorado Springs. The certification reports on things that concern health and safety reasons such as methanol, because that’s a toxic alcohol, the fusel oils, which are higher molecular weight alcohols and terrible in agents, which is interesting to the TTB because it can be indicative of fraudulent product. It is an authentication tool. Whiskey is interesting from a chemical perspective, because there are so many hundreds, if not thousands of potential chemicals that can be found in the beverage. Common organic compounds are most typically going to be those compounds that arise from the simple ingredients that are in whiskey. So it’s feast and the esters that are oftentimes produced by the yeast, which are used in the fermentation product, and then all of those organic compounds that arise from the malted grain. Not a big fan of the taste of whiskey, Owens’ first encounter was in Scotland at a remote castle when a tour guide had all of the people in the small tour bus contribute a couple of pounds to purchase a nice bottle of single malt. The Americans at least, while standing on the top of the castle, tossed back the drink like a shot before learning it was something to be savored and enjoyed. She does, however, use it in recipes. Studying whiskey is like a puzzle and Owens loves puzzles. She uses the tools in a laboratory to understand aspects or facets of a chemical problem. By using all of these tools, you can build those pieces or connect those pieces to have a better understanding. It’s not a complete picture, rather a better understanding of the chemical system. At UCCS, Owens researches dilute amounts of chemicals that humans produce in places that we impact. That could be water supplies, food, soils, plants, etc. Owens researches compounds for which there might be a potential health effect, whether that is a negative health effect and impact or something that could be potentially beneficial, such as antioxidants. For example: Parts of the Fountain Creek watershed in Colorado Springs had been adversely impacted by activities where the use of aqueous film forming foams, which contain these forever chemicals have been utilized and then spread into the environment. UCCS students learn from Owens to ‘tell a story.’ The information is unique to the researcher, and so she encourages her students to get beyond the fear and realize that they are the best knowledge source of what they are sharing. Owens is focusing lately on graduate student training. Her goals are to get a lot of their research papers written up, submitted in the literature. On the whiskey side of things, she plans to start advertising to gain better outreach with local distillers who might need a chemist to help them out with some interesting research projects or even brewers. Resources * University of Colorado Colorado Springs *

Biology is everywhere and science plays a major role in all existence. Sometimes, however, it seems too daunting and intimidating to embrace how these areas factor into our daily lives. On this episode of CU on the Air, host Ken McConnellogue talks with CU Boulder’s Melanie Peffer, research associate in the Institute of Cognitive Science, about her book ‘Biology Everywhere: How the Science of Life Matters to Everyday Life.’ * Why science and biology are considered intimidating. * The surprising ways we interact with biology, from the sun in our eyes and your choice of breakfast. * Connecting biology to everyday life. * Why science is under fire during tumultuous times. * Science knowledge is subject to change – and quickly – as is witnessed by the pandemic. * Scientific naysayers are often fearful. * Not a textbook, ‘Biology Everywhere’ is for the public. * Understanding biology, from conception to adulthood. * How art has influenced biology; how biology has influence art. * Biology explains why choir members’ hearts beat in unison. * The psychology of how we make scientific decisions. * The beautiful simplicity of biology and exploration, such as the fascination of anthills. * How Peffer changed the minds of CU students who ‘have learned to hate science.’ * Biology beyond the textbooks. * Biology – the ability to recognize it even on Netflix. * Taking advantage of educational opportunities by making biology connections outside the classroom. * Letting students drive the questions about science. * MOOC for Biology Everywhere gaining a lot of interest and learners. * Coming away from reading Biology Everywhere with an attitude of ‘yes I can.’ * Professor Peffer’s background, how she came to explore science literacy and psychology. * The importance of inspirational parents and teachers. * Incorporating inclusive teaching practices in science. * Honoring fears and background influences when approaching science. * Being a researcher the University of Colorado Boulder, and forming relationships with the community. Resources: * Biology Everywhere: How the Science of Life Matters to Everyday Life * Biology Everywhere Massive Open Online Course * Institute of Cognitive Science * Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at CU Boulder * Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the father of neuroscience

United Arab Emirates sent its first mission to Mars, the Hope Mars Mission, on July 19. And although the launch was more than 6,000 miles from Colorado, the University of Colorado Boulder played a major role in putting Hope into orbit. CU Boulder Professor Dan Baker and CU President Mark Kennedy discuss the construction and launch of Hope. * How and when space captured our imaginations * Watching the launch of the Hope Mission from afar * Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics’ process of partnering with the UAE for seven years to bring Hope * An ode to Arnold Weber, CU’s president who first looked to the stars * CU student involvement in every aspect of the spacecraft * LASP’s earlier success, still orbiting Mars, is Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) * What we’ve learned about Mars from Maven * What we’re seeking to learn from Hope * The thrill of watching SpaceX launch from U.S. soil, and the importance of expanding U.S. space capabilities * The success of private space ventures and how that will introduces private funds to help CU expand resources for students and further space exploration * The good things that result from the discovery include advancing health care and space, sustainability, basic sciences, urban vitality and cybersecurity * The importance of Hope in global relations: A collaboration with Arizona State University and Cal Berkeley, developed in Boulder for the UAE, launched in Japan * Space law, highly important but in its earliest stages Resources: * Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics * UAE’s Hope Mission on its Way to Mars – SpaceNews * First Mars Mission from UAE Aims to Inspire a New Generation of Space Scientists – National Geographic * Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) Top 10 Findings – CU Boulder Today * CU in Space * NASA * SpaceX

As we navigate the coronavirus, there’s a great need for frank discussions about psychiatric disorders as the weeks and months roll on. CU on the Air host Ken McConnellogue speaks with Dr. Neill Epperson about her weekly podcast, Mind the Brain, which explores the many aspects of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Epperson is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Colorado School of Medicine. * From Yale to Penn to CU and the thrill of having two psychiatrists being married. * Mind the Brain was Epperson’s brainchild, tapping into all of clinicians and scientists across the CU system surrounding the coronavirus. * Many people who used to manage stress can’t anymore. * Overcoming the fear of being stigmatized. * Mind the Brain offers quick, accessible, information, resourceful information. * Groups around the State of Colorado and at the CU Anschutz Campus are promoting greater understanding of mental health and mental illness. * The doc-to-doc line because doctors often do not seek help. * Busy, busy people aren’t recognizing their depression or getting the help they need. * The brain fuels the mind – you can’t be healthy without having a healthy brain. * Being compassionate toward yourself and others. * Up ahead, moving toward a general Mind the Brain podcast and not focus solely on COVID. * Civil unrest, racism and reaching out to those who have been victimized. * The importance of talking to someone who seems in distress, and what to say. * Don’t be afraid to talk about suicide. * Telehealth as a way in which we can decrease some of the stigma related to mental illness. * Tips for controlling alcohol intake. Resources * Mind the Brain * COVID-19 resources at CU * Resources for Special Populations * Resources for Parents * Resources for CU Anschutz Students, Faculty and Staff * Resources for Our Patients * Resources for Health Care Providers * Resources for Telemental Health *

Students, faculty and staff groups at CU, led by CU Boulder’s Black Student Alliance, called on the University of Colorado to sever ties with the Colorado Correctional industries (CCi) on the grounds that the use of inmate labor was morally and ethically wrong, against the principles a university should stand for. CU President Mark Kennedy convened a working group to study the issue and recommend a way forward. It comprised students, faculty, staff and procurement specialists. CU on the Air host Ken McConnellogue, who was part of that working group, talks with Isaiah Chavous, a CU Boulder senior who is president of the university’s four-campus student government, Dawn Bulbula, chief of staff for CU student government and co-president of the Black Student Alliance, and CU Denver Communications Professor Stephen Hartnett, who has taught in the prison system and studied it for some 30 years. * For a time, legislation required state entities to purchase furniture from CCi, but that changed in 2013, when new legislation gave more purchasing options. However, CU continued to use CCi exclusively. * The working group’s recommendation: CU continue to buy furniture from CCi, but that it no longer be an exclusive provider. * Some surprising findings for the working group: The inmates value the work. * How the CCi and CU connection can open the doors to better educating inmates. * Is the agreement ideal? No, but it is a step to social justice and the group is dedicated to continue the momentum. Resources * CU Student Government Association * Black Student Alliance * Colorado Correctional Industries * CU Denver Department of Communications