CU On The Air Podcast show

CU On The Air Podcast

Summary: The University of Colorado's CU On the Air Podcast features the faculty and staff throughout the university system who are leading experts in their field. The podcast is informational, relevant and entertaining, and promotes the value of the University of Colorado and its four campuses to the state and beyond. Join host Emily Davies, Senior Writer at CU's University Relations office in the Office of the President as she chats with some of the most fascinating researchers in the country. Follow and subscribe and we’ll CU On the Air.

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  • Artist: Emily Davies
  • Copyright: © Regents of the University of Colorado

Podcasts:

 CU is Putting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Forefront | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 11:47

CU on the Air talks to CU President Mark Kennedy and CU Chief Diversity Officer Theodosia Cook about what is in the works, what is being planned and what still needs to be undertaken to end racism and to further diversity, equity and inclusion on CU’s four campuses and in the larger community. * Takeaways from the presentation to the Board of Regents * What’s being done and what needs to be done * Why it’s going to take us a bit of time to achieve the outcomes that we’re all looking for * Working toward more collaboration, more accountability and more transparency * Recognizing the harm that people have endured and finding how CU can be responsible and tactfully address those concerns * Today is a period of profound change and energy in race and equality * Focusing on the root causes * The pandemic’s impact on disparities * How our country has been evaluating issues from a racial lens, a socioeconomic lens and gender lens the past decade to identify the values of what it means to be American * Top priorities are on diversity, equity and inclusion as we bring our campuses back for the fall * The metrics of diversifying faculty, staff and students * Engaging all of our campuses to see ‘What efforts are we doing now?’ * Gaining the trust of our constituents, such as the BIPOC communities, surrounding work being done Resources: * Regents hear progress report on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, Aug. 6 * CU’s Commitment to Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Aug. 4 * Speaking out on racism and injustice, June 10 * CU on the Air: African Americans, allies confront racism, health disparities, June 10 * Reflecting on race and the times, June 4 * Diversity resources at CU

 Fly me to the moon, and far beyond | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 25:47

Since the late 1940s, the University of Colorado Boulder has sent important experiments and instruments to every planet in our solar system. In 50+ space missions, NASA spacecraft have launched hundreds of instruments from CU Boulder as well as 20 CU scientists, faculty and alumni – including 18 from Boulder, one from UCCS and one from CU Anschutz. CU Boulder Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Professor Jack Burns continues to have longstanding ties with NASA that benefit the department and CU as a leading-edge institution. * The University of Colorado is a powerhouse in terms of aerospace. How it began and where we are now. * CU in space: More than 300 CU students are majoring in astronomy and astrophysics. The next largest program in the U.S. is less than half of that size. * CU’s impact on past missions and its potential looking ahead. * Moving ahead to the moon, vs. going back to the moon. * Investigating the deployment of low frequency radio antennas in the lunar/cis-lunar environment using surface telerobotics, to take cosmological measurements of exotic physics. * SpaceX – what does it mean for space exploration to privatize missions? * Colonizing the moon? It could happen! * Then maybe Mars, then maybe one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa. * One hundred years from now. * Increasing the efficiency of propulsion. * Star Trek beaming up? Maybe not. * How right now is the cornerstone of sustaining space exploration and colonization. Resources: * CU Boulder Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences * CU in Space * NASA * SpaceX

 African Americans, allies confront racism, health disparities | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 22:55

Podcast recorded via Zoom As police brutality against African Americans airs on videos across the globe, as protesters continue to take to the streets across the U.S., and as African Americans continue to die of COVID-19 in disproportionate numbers, the United States is at a tipping point. CU on the Air host Ken McConnellogue discusses these important subjects – and the university’s role in contributing to the solution – with Theodosia Cook, CU’s new chief diversity officer. * What it’s like to start a new job amid COVID-19, and concerns about those who aren’t able to work from home. * The importance of meeting the needs of the community at this time. * The 16 standards National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education epitomize the role of a chief diversity officer. * Race in America as a huge issue and the advocacy that has risen in the streets. * Disproportionate impacts of being darker skinned in Mexico as well as throughout South America, how it leads to growth in to undocumented workers in the U.S. looking for opportunity. * In the past decade society has become more aware of the murders of black lives in this country, but we still aren’t doing justice to teaching about black lives being valued in this country. * Most likely, police brutality and murder are not occurring more often, it’s just more visible. * The Equal Justice Initiative National Memorial has documented more than 4,400 lynchings of black people in the U.S. from 1877 to 1950. * Of 1,000 people killed by police in the U.S. last year, 24% were black, even though African Americans only make up 13% of the population. * The lack and importance of K-12 education in teaching black history. * COVID-19 – 23% of deaths are African American, once again disproportionate to the 13% population. Read the 2020 McKinsey report on investing in black lives and livelihood. * The epidemic is harsher among underrepresented populations because of the lack of accessible health care and the lack of healthy food, creating underlying health conditions. * An added perspective of being a woman of color and an immigrant. * Gandhi – his earlier views and transformation toward peace and enlightenment. * Do protests bring about change? Yes! From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement to today’s calls for equality, there is positive change. * Why Martin Luther King Jr. feared he brought the black community in America into a burning house. * Promote change through reflective thinking, really noticing the thoughts we have about different populations and evaluate, where do those thoughts come from? * Collaboration and education key to ending racism. * What CU is doing for Pride Month and the virtual parade. * The importance of listening to students to understand how to better support the effort, as well as provide guidance to them. * Adding our voices to what has happened before, and finding and providing insight into strategies that can help our community move forward. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources: * Reflections on race and the times, Theodosia Cook * CU Denver’s Social Justice Teach-Ins, starting June 12 * COLTT conference, Aug.

 The importance of innovation for CU in the age of COVID-19 and beyond | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12:20

CU on the Air again talks to CU President Kennedy about the University of Colorado’s response to COVID-19 and its transformation to greater technology and online learning. * Analysis of the market and CU’s role in online learning * Strong progress in the past on which to build * Online Acceleration Committee * Bring together the best of our four campuses * Proposed answers for the campuses in September * CU Online from CU Denver now integrating all four campuses * Fall of 2021 launch of extensive online offerings * Sharing our assets * Five years down the road? Growing, competitive, innovative, adaptive learning, VR * Mix and match options for our students * Faculty quality in both online and classroom learning * Remote learning vs. online education * Students gravitate toward authentic experiences – whether online or in the classroom * Ensuring programs delivered digitally were designed for that experience * Information systems critical for educational, research and teaching capabilities * Exploring a systemwide, common technology platform * More meaningful digital support over the next three years * Collaborating with the campuses to optimize support for CRM * Thank you again to our resilient faculty and staff! Resources * COVID-19 university resources * COVID-19 communications from the president

 True GRIT provides resilience training in coronavirus crisis | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 27:32

Recorded via Zoom On this month’s CU on the Air, host Ken McConnellogue talks with Dr. Chip Benight, a psychology professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Dr. Benight researches the human adaptation from trauma. His work is focused on recovery from natural disasters including things like the coronavirus pandemic as well as manmade disasters, accident trauma, violence, bereavement and more. * The roles of the Trauma Health and Hazard Center, the National Institute for Human Resilience and GRIT. * Trauma Health and Hazard Center is focused on adaptation and understanding the human capacity for self-regulation following a major traumatic event. * The UCCS National Institute for Human Resilience and the $8 million matching gift from Lyda Hill Philanthropies. * Revamping the model to focus on strength and empowerment. * What really does resilience mean? * Factors that enable people to rebound from crises such as the coronavirus. * GRIT: the greater resilience intervention teams. * Training community volunteers to assist individuals struggling in light of the coronavirus. * Who is taking the training? Everyone from medical support staff to teachers to pharmacists. * Reaching out to help people to retarget what they do have control over. * Focusing on things such as eating well, sleeping, taking care of themselves, physically being connected to their loved ones, etc. * GRIT coaches are trained in providing resources to the population. * GRIT resources are aimed at groups like first responders or mental health professionals, medical providers. * What to look for to determine if someone you care about is struggling. * What the long-term effects could be in many different aspects. * The compassion and sadness surrounding people working on the front lines of COVID-19. * How Dr. Benight became involved with resilience research. Resources * Trauma Health and Hazard Center * National Institute for Human Resilience * GRIT * UCCS Department of Psychology * Lyda Hill Philanthropies * CU’s COVID-19 resources page

 CU President Kennedy’s coronavirus update | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 9:48

CU President Mark Kennedy sat down this week with CU on the Air host Ken McConnellogue to provide updates to the CU community. * How CU is rallying remotely * CU’s budget and the possible impacts of coronavirus * Federal engagement for relief for higher ed * Work underway with the governor, legislature * How we will continue to deliver our mission to our students and state * Joining with higher ed institutions across the state for a collective voice * Our bipartisan support from our Colorado delegation * It’s a stay-at-home summer, but what might fall look like? * Investigating research protocols going forward * The important alignment of CU’s Board of Regents, system administration and the campuses * A huge THANK YOU to CU’s faculty and staff for the remarkable work they are doing, and their tenacity and unwavering support of CU’s mission Resources * CU President Kennedy’s COVID statements * CU coronavirus resources page

 CU Denver prof examines white-collar and traditional criminals, investigations, trends and tech | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 32:31

On this month’s CU on the Air, host Ken McConnellogue chats with Mary Dodge, criminology and law professor at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. Professor Dodge researches women in the criminal justice system, white-collar crime, policing, prostitution and courts. * Trends in criminal activity and the growing threat of mass shootings. * How evolving technology has changed criminal investigations. * Cameras don’t seem to deter crime. * What qualifies as white-collar crime and who are the perpetrators? * White-collar criminals – why they are more of a threat than traditional criminals. * We’re seeing more and more women in white-collar crime, and for different reasons than in past decades. * Why we’ll be seeing even more white-collar crime in the days ahead. * How women are treated differently than men in the criminal justice system. * Policing the police and understanding the challenges they face. * Research on prostitution – there are no victimless crimes. * Revisiting 1985’s Stealing Dreams: A Fertility Clinic Scandal. * DNA testing and its impact on criminal investigations as well as families. * The behavior patterns of women in prison vs. men. * The diverse and remarkable work underway by Prof. Dodge’s students. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources: * CU Denver School of Public Affairs * Introduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change, by Callie Marie Rennison and Mary J. Dodge * Stealing Dreams: A Fertility Clinic Scandal, by Mary Dodge and Gilbert Geis

 Coronavirus: President Kennedy discusses the steps underway at CU | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 11:40

In this special episode of CU on the Air, we talk with University of Colorado President Mark R. Kennedy about what CU is doing to ensure the health and safety of its students, faculty and staff as well as emergency plans in place and long-term impact on the university. * How a community with more than 100,000 people and operations in four cities get its arms around an issue like COVID-19. * The primary steps CU has taken to address the issue. * The role CU’s medical campus has. * Having plans in place for crises. * Assessing instruction delivered remotely as it differs from in-person. * Financial impacts. * The flow of information. * What he wants parents to know. * What he wants students to know. * What President Kennedy wants the university community to know about efforts and plans. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * CU Boulder * CU Colorado Springs * CU Denver * CU Anschutz Medical Campus * CU system * Centers for Disease Control

 Data driven: CU Colorado Springs professor discusses the local and larger economy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 22:33

CU on the Air chats with Tatiana Bailey, director of the UCCS Economic Forum in the College of Business and an assistant professor at CU Colorado Springs. Dr. Bailey earned her master’s in economics and her doctorate in public health, both from the University of Michigan. She focuses on economic growth initiatives primarily through the venues of workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. * What do the economic forecasts tell us, and how accurate are they? * A recession? Well, maybe. * The ongoing global trade disputes and how they might affect the economy. * Where the state and Pikes Peak region stands economically. * Colorado has double the population growth rate of the national average. * With Colorado’s infrastructure, why the boom might not last. * Fingers crossed for a possible Front Range rail, a passenger rail between Colorado Springs and Denver Boulder and maybe even down to Pueblo. * The impact of under-funding higher education — the Colorado paradox, we’re not training our own as well as we should be. * What affects housing prices and accessibility in Colorado Springs and beyond. * The Housing Opportunity Index, what percentage of the population that earns the median wage can afford the median priced home. * Keeping economic data simple. * The best places to look for financial forecasts. * What triggers a recession, what are the indicators and where do we stand now. * How a sixth-grader became interested in business. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * Tatiana Bailey * UCCS * 2019 Economic Forum * Bailey outlines region’s challenges and opportunities in Economic Forum, Communique * Local economist talks tips for future recession, KOAA * 2020 Economic Forum

 Milk and Cookies: CU Anschutz researchers give parents with young children a supportive environment | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 37:53

It’s a disturbing paradox that while doctors and scientists encourage and promote the health benefits of breast feeding, women in science are leaving these careers in droves. Today on CU on the Air, we’re talking with CU School of Medicine researchers and administrative support Michele Hoffman, Whitney Phinney and Pamela Alvarez Moran about the important steps they are taking to retain women in science. * Milk and Cookies is a CU Anschutz initiative that supports women scientists – and beyond – as they juggle their careers, education and parenthood. * The paradox: Health professionals promote the importance of nursing babies and family time but often don’t provide accommodations for their own professionals. * More than 50% of women in science leave the field after having their first child. Lactation is only one of the concerns. * It is NOT OK for mothers to have to pump or nurse in laboratories or lavatories. If you wouldn’t eat there, don’t ask a mother pump or nurse there. * Concern over long hours and care for their children is a major reason parents leave careers in science. * Professional development is stymied for parents who are caring for children – there are few places to nurse at important national conferences. M&C is earning grants to help parents with childcare, facilities and more as they grow their careers. * Leaving a career to support their children, and the struggles coming back: Professionals typically have to start over at a lower level. * How Milk and Cookies came to be and the people it has supported. * How the initiative can expand to other campuses, businesses. * The monetary advantage to a department in preventing attrition. * Getting rid of the stigma – encouraging breast feeding in lectures, communal areas and welcoming children. * Getting in front of the need: Reaching out to employees and discussing parenthood at the start of young scientist’s. * Working with women who are pregnant to put a plan in place for after the baby is born. * The need for a central location for the M&C initiatives – as well as a director – to thrive and grow. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * Milk and Cookies * Welcome to Milk and Cookies * Opinion: 10 Ways to Support New Mothers in STEM, The Scientist * America’s parents want paid family leave and affordable child care. Why can’t they get it? USA Today * How to create a Milk and Cookies Lactation Support Group on Campus/at work *

 Limb Restoration: Osseointegration gives amputees a new option | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 29:01

Dr. Jason Stoneback and his team at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus have enabled hundreds of patients with limb maladies to live active and productive lives. Dr. Stoneback is chief of orthopedic trauma and fracture surgery, director of the Limb Restoration Program, and vice chair of clinical affairs. Today on CU on the Air, we talk to him about osseointegration and the treatment of many other complex limb conditions. * What is osseointegration? * How grafting part of a prosthetic into an amputee’s limb enables them better movement. * Bonus! Osseointegration allows the patient to feel the pressure and adjust their limb placement. * How this pioneering technique has given new life to amputees. * Who is eligible for this pioneering surgery? * Who isn’t as good a candidate? * How widespread is it? * The most common amputees across the U.S. aren’t who you might think. * Limb restoration: Saving limbs that seemed destined for amputation. * Lengthening, regrowing bone. How it’s done. * The CU Anschutz team – coming together time and time again to tackle the tough cases. * Why Dr. Stoneback became interested and ultimately a leading force in limb restoration. * What’s to come in the short term and what are the hopes for the future. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * Jason Stoneback | Limb Restoration, Osseointegration * Limb Restoration Program – CU Anschutz * Transforming health care in orthopedics, CU Anschutz Today * Limb restoration program saves soldier’s shattered leg, CBS News * Stay tuned! Dr. Stoneback will be interviewed by CBS in the coming weeks.

 Quantum physics: Atomic research discoveries show there’s much more to learn | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 27:17

This month on CU on the Air we welcomed CU Boulder Professor Ana Maria Rey, a theoretical physicist and fellow at JILA. Professor Rey has earned multiple awards for her groundbreaking research, including the coveted MacArthur Genius Fellowship and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She earned the Alexander Cruickshank Award in 2017 and 2019, and became the first Hispanic woman to win the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists. Professor Rey studies the interface between atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum informational science. * What exactly is quantum physics? * Cooling down particles, and using this cool system to explore the properties of the quantum world. * Laser cooling and the Nobel winners who inspired Professor Rey * Interest in quantum physics from early on and the wonder of bouncing a ball * A new understanding of atomic collision and how that reset the clock * Why is precision important and what are the applications of these findings? * Quantum knots and the phenomenon of entanglement * Keeping atoms in the ground state, some atoms in the excited state to avoid collision * Rey’s students * Controlling and manipulating ions: atoms are neutral, but ions have unique properties * Collaborations across the globe * Visiting Colombia – Rey’s home – to help advance science TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * CU Boulder * JILA * Rey Theory Group * CUBit Quantum Initiative

 CU across Colorado: CU Denver team fans out to help rural areas with community projects | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 43:08

In this month’s CU on the Air, we talk to representatives of the University Technical Assistance program, or UTA. It’s a unique collaboration between a Colorado Center for Community Development in the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver, and a division of local government within the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, or DOLA. We’re talking with the field supervisors who manage projects and the student employees for the UTA program. Welcome to Chris Endreson, West Slope region, Jennifer Kovarik, Northeast region, and Jeff Wood of the Southeast region. * UTA has helped complete a remarkable 2,000 projects since this was formed in the 1970s, and after a hiatus, almost a hundred since 2014. * Working with DOLA, the program benefits rural communities across Colorado, from river restoration, to train depots to a park in Bayfield. * The process of inviting the UTA to rural communities. * Road trips! The UTA team travels all across Colorado. * Getting to know the communities. * Student interaction with the community members, a valuable lesson as they head into careers. * Designing outside the box? Sure, but the plans have to be feasible for the community. * Looping in local contractors to ensure the plans support the local community. * How to deal with the one grumpy dude (or dudette) who is resistant to change. * Where they’ve been, why they’re there and where the UTA team is going. * Who are the students in UTA? And what do they gain from the experience? TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources * Colorado Center for Community Development * College of Architecture and Planning * CU Denver * Colorado Department of Local Affairs

 A rare and fatal lung disease, IPF has met its match | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 29:56

September is pulmonary fibrosis awareness month and today we’re privileged to talk to Dr. David Schwartz at the CU School of Medicine, one of the world’s leading researchers in the area of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Schwartz chats with host Ken McConnellogue about his research and discoveries concerning this rare but fatal lung disease, as well as the strides he and his team are making in personalized medicine. * What is IPF and why is it fatal? * Schwartz and his team find the MUC5 gene is overproducing mucous in the lungs, causing the lungs to scar. * Symptoms for this often misdiagnosed lung disease. * Genetics – the gene that causes IPF runs in families. * Who is most likely to get IPF and why are some ethnicities immune? * By age 50, IPF has started if the patient has the gene. * Getting your lungs checked by a specialist – your family practitioner might not recognize the disease. * The MUC5 gene might have been an evolutionary boon to stave off lung ailments in the young. * The gene connection to rheumatoid arthritis. * Collaborating with lung disease researchers across the globe. * Personalized medicine: How working across specialties treats the patient as a whole. * How personalized medicine has taken root at CU Anschutz. * Preventive medicine as part of personalized medicine – how finding IPF early so it can start to be treated is a great example. * Other examples of personalized medicine and prevention: diabetes, heart disease. TEXT TRANSCRIPT Resources: * What you don’t know about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is breathtaking * Donate to IPF research * CU Anschutz program offers prevention, care for those with lung disease * Researchers make important breakthrough in pulmonary fibrosis, Medical Press, Dec. 18, 2018 * Mutation Prevents Mucus Clearance in Small Airways, Raising IPF Risk, Study Says, Pulmonary Fibrosis News, Dec. 20, 2018 * Division of Biomedical Informatics & Personalized Medicine

 Catching up with CU’s 23rd president – what’s ahead? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 30:10

This month, CU on The Air talks with new University of Colorado President Mark Kennedy, who was named by the Board of Regents on May 2 to be the 23rd President of the University of Colorado system. Host Ken McConnellogue chats with the president about: * Touring the campuses and the state and learning about this remarkable university and its people. * Listening and learning the key in first 90 days * The importance of a united, strategic plan. * Building on the great work the four campuses have already done. * How CU will get there from here. * The importance for universities to keep up with the digital revolution. * The Fourth Industrial Revolution. * The uncertainty of funding at CU and other higher ed intuitions – Colorado is 48th in the country in state funding. * Priorities of addressing all kinds of diversity. * The importance of outreach, and plans to bolster CU’s efforts across the state. * Quality time begins and ends with family. * Michigan vs. Notre Dame? President is rooting for the Buffs! * Fun? Work is fun when you love what you’re doing. * Where you might expect to bump into the Kennedys as they explore their new home state. Resources: * CU President Mark Kennedy’s page * The president on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram * President’s channel on YouTube * President visits all four campuses (video) * Shapeholders: Business Success in the Age of Activism by Mark Kennedy

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