CU SCIENCE UPDATE

Episode 32 - Fiske Planetarium Goes Digital

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:27:08 -0600

Welcome to our first high-definition CU Science Update! In this edition, we look at the renovations going on at CU's own Fiske Planetarium. Say goodbye to the old slide projectors and hello to the digital world of full-dome immersion technology. Fiske is getting a new star ball that can project millions of stars!

Episode 31 - BACK TO THE MOON

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 10:57:02 -0600

The Space Race that culminated in the Apollo moon landing is long over. But the moon is back in our sights again. This time, the United States is sending robot vehicles to learn more about the moon. CU Boulder is a strong participant with a project designed to study the moon's fine dust. The dust, which is highly electrostatically-charged, sticks to anything it comes into contact with, creating challenges for instrumentation and human exploration of the moon.

Episode 30 - MAX GOES TO THE MOON

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:31:41 -0600

What does it take to translate a children’s book into a planetarium show? Find out as CU Science Update’s Rose Heaphy and her dog Ringo take a sneak peak of the CU Fiske Planetarium’s latest production, “Max Goes to the Moon”, based on the popular children’s book by Boulder author, Jeffrey Bennett. Fiske’s Education Programs Manager Matthew Benjamin takes CU Science Update behind-the-scenes and we also get to meet astronaut Alvin Drew who read the book to children via a link from Space Shuttle Discovery.

Episode 29 - STEM EDUCATION

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:09:41 -0700

An integral part of any school curriculum is science and mathematics. But these subjects are made complete by a technology component that provides creative and innovative ways to solve problems. The adoption of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as an educational philosophy helps students explore their potential, to think critically and close the performance gap between American students and those in other countries. CU Science Update’s Dorian-Michelle Smith interviews Stacey Forsyth, Director of CU Science Discovery, who mission is to stimulate scientific interest, understanding and literacy among Colorado’s youth, teachers and families by interfacing with university resources and academic expertise. Hosted by Alexis Bridenbaugh.

Episode 28 - COCAINE ADDICTION RESEARCH

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:32:00 -0700

How the brain processes information could help us understand the mechanism behind cocaine addiction. CU’s Institute of Behavioural Genetics is using state-of-the-art technology to gain insight into how psychostimulant drugs alter our brains. The results of this work could one day help addicts recover fully from their dependency on drugs. CU Science Update’s Angelica Kalika met with Dr. Don Cooper, Associate Professor in CU’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience to learn more about his lab’s investigation into cocaine addiction. Hosted by Joanna Merrill.

Episode 27 - ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:43:25 -0700

Their mission is to make sure communities have the capacity to meet basic needs. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit organisation that consists of professionals and students from a variety of professions, including engineering, health, anthropology and business. But at its core is a model rooted in engineering solutions to help make communities sustainable at low cost.

Its story began with two men who met a decade ago in a Boulder, Colorado backyard. Angel Tzec, a landscaper and representative of the Belize Ministry of Agriculture, and Bernard Amadei, a Professor of Civil Engineering at CU, went from small talk to taking action in Tzec’s village in San Pablo, Belize, which was desperately in need of clean water.

Episode 26 - ANCIENT ASTRONOMY

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:25:41 -0600

Seen the stars recently? We know them to be fusion reactors many light years away. But to our ancient ancestors, the stars were spirits from the heavens looking back at us. They formed patterns in the sky, conjuring images that were recognized at the time as common tools, or mythological heroes and beasties. Astronomy has come a long way since, but to marvel the mysteries of the Cosmos as it was once accepted, where all that was visible was seen to revolve around the Earth.

Episode 25 - QUANTITATIVE ILLITERACY

Wed, 6 Jul 2011 10:33:52 -0600

Mathematics is a precise language for science. But there are many people who can’t work out the numbers. The inability to reason with numbers is called Quantitative Illiteracy, or Innumeracy. People can begin to think critically of almost anything, including science news, if they can understand numbers. The United States lags behind other countries in science and math teaching. The problem is that students are taught by rote learning, where they are tested on anything they can memorize. Critics say that learning by rote is not the same thing as understanding.

Episode 24 A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE?

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:27:12 -0600

Innovations and scientific breakthroughs have shaped humanity’s historic landscape. Many of these breakthroughs have made possible our continued survival. We’ve seen innovations as a response to certain needs and to changes in the environment. Modern quests have led to innovations that put men on the moon in the days of the Apollo program. Today, the challenge is to find solutions in a race against climate change. Our dependence on fossil fuels has released more carbon dioxide than ever, trapping the sun’s heat, which can have dire consequences on seasonal precipitation levels affecting our agriculture and economies.

Episode 23 - HEALTHCARE DELIVERY

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 13:20:39 -0600

Despite remarkable technological advances in medicine, there is a great need to devise new models for delivering healthcare. The challenge is to get doctors and patients to come together, to sift through all the complex information and come up with an understanding of the medical condition. This understanding will help the patient know what contributes to a disease such as lifestyle, genetics and environment, and will make it possible for them to research their condition and be better prepared to confront it.

Episode 22 - SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 14:11:00 -0600

When it comes to getting science information, the general public usually gets it from third party sources, such as television, newspapers, radio or the Internet. However, third party information is often susceptible to bias and misinformation. It would be ideal if the public can get their information from the primary source – the scientists themselves. But for the information to be accessible to a layman audience, scientists must be able to communicate their research plainly.

Episode 21 - SCIENCE BLOGGING

Tue, 24 May 2011 15:04:57 -0600

Some of the most interesting and challenging stories for journalists happens when they cover science. But with the economic downturn in newsrooms, science coverage has been considered expendable and the first to end up on the cutting block. Fortunately, many veteran science writers who have left traditional media found new opportunities in the world of science blogging.

Episode 20 - ARE WE ALONE?

Tue, 17 May 2011 20:39:58 -0600

It is the ultimate question, asking whether there is life out there in the Cosmos, and to know that we’re not the only kids on the block. Scientific efforts are underway to detect signs of extraterrestrial life, including intelligent life capable of sending and receiving radio signals. The mission of the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is to explore and understand the nature of life in the Universe.

Episode 18 - FUSING ART WITH SCIENCE

Sat, 7 May 2011 14:52:04 -0600

This is the first show in our series of interviews with participants from CU Boulder’s 63rd annual Conference on World Affairs. Jeff Lieberman is an artist, musician and roboticist who has explored the connections between the arts, sciences education, passion, creativity and the potential future of human consciousness. He was also host of Time Warp, the Discovery Channel series that used slow-motion video technology to see beyond the limits of human perception. His technological sculptures have been on display around the world, including Absolut Quartet and Cyberflora. Jeff has BS degrees in both physics and math and MS degrees in mechanical engineering and in media art and sciences. He joins us in our studio with correspondent Priscilla Carlson.

Hosted by CU graduate student, Stephanie Robinson.

Episode 17 - PLUTO - THE UN-PLANET

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:36:46 -0700

Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has always occupied a special place in our hearts as the ninth planet in the Solar System. But recent discoveries of new objects in the Sun’s neighbourhood have called into question the definition of a planet. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union established new criteria to define planets and, sadly, Pluto no longer ranked with the big boys. Instead, it was reclassified a dwarf planet, which sparked heated debates and protests among those striving to restore Pluto’s “planet-hood.”

Episode 16 - PROTECTING THE OCEANS

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:49:02 -0700

As human populations grow, so do their influence on the oceans. In our cultural history, the ocean exerts a mighty force on our collective imaginations, a source of destructive power to be feared and respected. However, the oceans probably have more to fear from us.

Rapid climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is overwhelming ocean ecosystems, reducing their ability to support life and regulate the weather. Researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences have been developing tools to forecast changes in ocean temperatures.

Episode 15 - SEARCHING FOR E.T.

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:52:19 -0600

We live in amazing times as the first generation to witness the discovery of planets outside our solar system. Many of these planets are gas giants like our own Jupiter, and inhospitable to life as we know it. Since its launch in 2009, the Kepler spacecraft has been hunting for planets like Earth in the hopes of finding signs of extraterrestrial life.

Episode 14 VORTEX 2

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:34:42 -0600

In this summer edition, field reporter Elly Collins hits the road with CU storm chasers as they embark on a project called Vortex 2 (Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2). Over a dozen universities and a hundred scientists participated in this $10 million project, funded by the National Science Foundation.

Episode 13 - EARTHQUAKES

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:04:09 -0600

The lives lost during the devastating Haiti earthquake in early 2010 could have been much reduced had stringent building codes been enacted. At CU’s Engineering Center, the Fast Hybrid Testing Laboratory learns how various materials crack under the enormous forces of an earthquake. Their results could help improve building codes and save lives for many. CU Science Update’s producer Joey Maestas and reporter Kaitlin White met with Michael Eck, a student and lab manager at FHT.

Episode 12 - SETH SHOSTAK

Tue, 25 May 2010 11:42:18 -0600

This is our third and final CU Science Update special edition with participants from the 62nd annual Conference on World Affairs.

Astronomer Seth Shostak visits with CUSU’s Ina Damm Muri to discuss the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Based in Silicon Valley, California, Dr. Shostak is a member of the SETI Institute. Founded in 1985, SETI conducts scientific research seeking to understand the nature of life elsewhere in the universe. The non--profit, private institute employes over 150 scientists, educators and support staff with sponsorship from various companies and organizations including NASA, JPL and Hewlett Packard.