students

Exploring the changing politics of science

Rachel Sauer — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 14:50:58 +0000

Exploring the changing politics of science Rachel Sauer Tue, 04/15/2025 - 08:50

Students invited to enjoy a slice and discuss interaction of science policy and politics at Pizza & Politics event April 21

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in October 2024 found that 76% of Americans express 鈥渁 great deal or fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the public鈥檚 best interests.鈥� That鈥檚 the good news. The not-do-good news is that number is down from 86% in January 2019.

Also, the same study found that 48% of respondents feel scientists should 鈥渇ocus on establishing sound scientific facts and stay out of public policy debates.鈥�

So, these are interesting times at the nexus of science policy and politics. This will be the theme of the Politics & Pizza discussion from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, in HUMN 250.

If you go

What: Politics & Pizza, "Science Policy and Politics"

When: 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 21

Where: HUMN 250

Free Cosmo's pizza!

The aim of the Politics & Pizza discussion series鈥攚hich was initiated and will be moderated by Glen Krutz, a professor of political science鈥攊s to 鈥渆ncourage productive, substantive deliberation of specific topics, rather than rancorous and ideological macro-thoughts.鈥�

Politics & Pizza, which includes free Cosmo鈥檚 pizza, is modeled on similar sessions offered in Harvard University鈥檚 Institute of Politics. Each session features expert speakers who give a few introductory thoughts about the session鈥檚 topic and then open the session to a question-and-answer with students.

In the sessions, which are designed to be highly interactive with the student audience, the panel of experts individually make initial comments on the session topic.

鈥淗owever, the majority of the time is spent in questions and answers in a lively, interactive format that often induces nice interaction between the experts as well,鈥� Krutz says. 鈥淭he panelists can also ask questions of one another and feel free to banter as they wish.鈥�

The expert panel for the Science Policy and Politics discussion will be Michael Detamore, alumnus of CU 麻豆影院 College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) and director of the Translational Medicine Institute and professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering at Colorado State University; Lori Hunter, director of the CU 麻豆影院 Institute of Behavioral Science and professor of sociology; Keith Molenaar, dean of the CU 麻豆影院 College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) and K. Stanton Lewis Professor of Construction Engineering and Management; and Massimo Ruzzene, CU 麻豆影院 senior vice chancellor for Research & Innovation (RIO), dean of the Institutes and Slade Professor of Engineering.

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Students invited to enjoy a slice and discuss interaction of science policy and politics at Pizza & Politics event April 21.

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Tales as old as time 鈥� yet we still love them

Rachel Sauer — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:36:10 +0000

Tales as old as time 鈥� yet we still love them Rachel Sauer Fri, 04/04/2025 - 09:36

Rachel Sauer

With yet another Snow White adaptation currently in theaters, CU 麻豆影院 scholar Suzanne Magnanini reflects on the enduring appeal of fairy tales

Once upon a time鈥�this time, in fact, and many of the ones that came before it鈥攖here was a story that never grew dull in its telling.

It possibly leaped the porous cultural and national borders of narrative, carried by caravans or ships or ethernet cables and planted in the ready imaginations of successive generations of story lovers鈥攖hose who tell them and those who hear them.

Maybe it鈥檚 the story of a young person who ventures into the unknown, where they encounter magic and beasts of all sizes and a resolution specific to the tale鈥檚 time and place. Maybe there really even are fairies involved.

Suzanne Magnanini, a CU 麻豆影院 associate professor of Italian and chair of the Department of French and Italian, notes that fairy tales' malleability helps them remain fresh and relevant over centuries of retellings.

And we never seem to tire of hearing about them.

The recent theatrical release of Disney鈥檚 live-action Snow White鈥攐ne of countless retellings of the tale over more than 400 years鈥攈ighlights the place of honor that fairy tales occupy in cultures around the world and in the hearts of people hearing them for the first time or the thousandth.

One of the reasons they remain fresh through countless years and iterations is their malleability, says Suzanne Magnanini, a 麻豆影院 associate professor of Italian and chair of the Department of French and Italian. 鈥淭he Italian author Italo Calvino, who also edited a seminal collection of Italian folktales, writes of fairy tales as being like a stone fruit, where you have that hard core center that is always the same鈥攜ou鈥檒l usually recognize a Sleeping Beauty story, for example鈥攂ut the fruit can be radically different around that.鈥�

Stories of time and place

As a researcher, Magnanini has published broadly on fairy tales, including her 2008 book Fairy-Tale Science: Monstrous Generation in the Fairy Tales of Straparola and Basile. She began studying fairy tales while working on her PhD, finding in them a fascinating dovetailing between her interests in monstrosity and otherness.

鈥淎s a scholar, I take what鈥檚 called a social-historical approach,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚鈥檓 really interested in all those little details that link a tale to a very precise place in time where it was told, and I鈥檝e written about the ways in which fairy tales are used to elaborate on and think about scientific theories of reproduction that hadn鈥檛 really been nailed down at the time鈥攓uestions that were still being circulated about whether humans could interbreed with animals, for example, and would that produce a monstrous child?

鈥淵ou look at a some variations of Beauty and the Beast, like Giovan Francesco Straparola鈥檚 story of a pig king, where it鈥檚 a magical version of these questions, and maybe what鈥檚 actually happening is that fairy tales are a way to think through the anxieties and interests of the time.鈥�

Fairy Tales at CU 麻豆影院

The ATU Index is one of the search elements that Suzanne Magnanini and her students are including as they develop the database for Fairy Tales at CU 麻豆影院. The project aims, in part, to improve access and searchability of the more than 2,000 fairy tale collections that are part of the Rare Books Collection at Norlin Library.

The project is a partnership between undergraduates and graduate students under the direction of Magnanini and Sean Babbs, instruction coordinator for the University Libraries' Rare and Distinctive Collections, as well as Hope Saska, CU Art Museum acting director and chief curator, who has trained students in visual-thinking strategies. The project is supported by Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, the ASSETT Innovation Incubator, the President鈥檚 Teaching Scholars Program and the University Libraries.

Fairy Tales at CU 麻豆影院 will host a showcase of CU's fairy tale collection from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. April 16 in Norlin Library M350B. Learn more here.

Though fairy tales may be spun in response to what鈥檚 happening in a specific time and place, they also often address concerns that aren鈥檛 specific to one location or culture but are broadly pondered across humanity. 鈥淎ndrew Teverson has written that fairy tales are literature鈥檚 migrants because they can move across borders, they can move across boundaries and then make themselves at home and assimilate to a certain extent in different cultures,鈥� Magnanini says.

For example, the Brothers Grimm heard a tale called 鈥淪neewittchen鈥� (Snow White) from folklorist Marie Hassenpflug, as well as from other sources, and included it as tale No. 53 in their seminal 1812 Grimm鈥檚 Fairy Tales. However, says Magnanini, there was a similar tale called 鈥淭he Young Slave鈥� in Giambattista Basile鈥檚 1634 work Pentamerone. In fact, Snow White is type 709 in the Aarne鈥揟hompson鈥揢ther Index (ATU Index), which catalogs and describes common motifs and themes in fairy tales and folklore around the world.

Not so happily ever after

The origins of many fairy tales can be traced as far back as ancient Greece, Rome and China, Magnanini says, which speaks to their ability not only to help people of particular times and places explore their anxieties and questions, but to address the feelings that have been central to the human condition almost since our species emerged from caves.

鈥淲hen I think about fairy tales, I think about number of characteristics that make them really appealing across time and space,鈥� Magnanini says. 鈥淚f you think about it, the protagonists are almost always young people heading out into the world鈥攎uch like our students are heading out鈥攍eaving home behind, having to make their way in world, facing challenges. That experience can be very transformational, so in a way these stories are all about metamorphosis and change.

鈥淎 lot of times that鈥檚 when you鈥檙e living your life in Technicolor and all the emotions are new. So, even if you鈥檙e no longer in that moment of life, fairy tales tap into experiences like the first falling in love, the first adventure from home. And they often end right after the wedding, so you don鈥檛 see someone having to do their taxes or being like, 鈥極h, my god, I鈥檝e been in this relationship for 30 years and I鈥檓 bored.鈥� I think part of the reason we don鈥檛 get tired of fairy tales is because they capture this fleeting time in life.鈥�

鈥淚f you think about it, the (fairy tale) protagonists are almost always young people heading out into the world鈥攎uch like our students are heading out鈥攍eaving home behind, having to make their way in world, facing challenges," says CU 麻豆影院 scholar Suzanne Magnanini. (Photo: Disney Studios)

While fairy tales, particularly as they鈥檝e been interpreted and simplified by Disney, are stereotyped as having 鈥渁nd they lived happily ever after鈥� endings, fairy tales pre-Disney more commonly ended with justice served, Magnanini says. For example, the version of 鈥淪now White鈥� in the 1812 Grimm鈥檚 Fairy Tales ends with the evil queen being forced to step into a pair of red-hot iron shoes and dance until she dies.

鈥淎 lot of people will say, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 the happy ending that鈥檚 the appeal of fairy tales,鈥� but it鈥檚 important to remember the vast majority of fairy tales end with the deliverance of justice鈥攕omething really unjust has happened, someone has been discriminated against, there鈥檚 some evil in the world, and justice is delivered,鈥� Magnanini explains. 鈥淧eople who study the formal aspects of fairy tales always talk about how the 鈥榟appy ending鈥� is found in justice.

鈥淒isney Studios has a tendency to remove the ambiguity from these tales and remove most of the violence鈥攕implifying them in a lot of ways. If you read the French version of Beauty and the Beast, Charles Perrault鈥檚 version, there were other siblings in there; there was a complex family structure with complex interactions and a lot of really heavy issues鈥攖he family must deal with economic disaster.鈥�

In fact, the field of fairy tale scholarship addresses everything from feminist interpretations of the stories to the ways in which children use fairy tales to help navigate psychosexual rites of passage. Generations of authors have told and continue to retell these familiar stories through different lenses of gender, sexuality, geography, racial identity, economic status and many, many others.

鈥淲hat makes these stories different, and what I think is a big part of the appeal of fairy tales, is the magic or the marvel,鈥� Magnanini says. 鈥淔or it to be a fairy tale, scholars would say there has to be magic in there鈥攏ot just the presence of magic, but magic that facilitates the happy ending by allowing the protagonist to overcome whatever obstacles are in the way of what they desire, maybe the marriage, the wealth, the happy ending. There鈥檚 something so satisfying about that, because it doesn鈥檛 happen in your quotidian day-to-day life. I mean, imagine if you met a talking deer.鈥�

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With yet another Snow White adaptation currently in theaters, CU 麻豆影院 scholar Suzanne Magnanini reflects on the enduring appeal of fairy tales.

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Top image: Disney Studios

CU prof fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling

Rachel Sauer — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:51:17 +0000

CU prof fighting to keep Latin classes alive through video storytelling Rachel Sauer Tue, 04/01/2025 - 09:51

Cody DeBos

For Reina Callier, learning Latin 鈥榠s like lifting weights for your brain鈥�

When a student in one of Reina Callier鈥檚 Latin classes said, 鈥淚 came for the language, I stayed for the vibes,鈥� she laughed, but the phrase stuck with her.

It captured something essential about Latin classrooms. Beyond conjugations and declensions, they offer students a haven for community, curiosity and a shared passion for the ancient world.

In recent years, though, that community has been shrinking.

Reina Callier, a CU 麻豆影院 teaching assistant professor of classics, notes that 鈥淟atin survives because people love it. And as long as we keep sharing that love, it鈥檚 not going anywhere.鈥�

鈥淓nrollment in Latin classes, especially at the secondary level, has largely been declining,鈥� Callier explains. 鈥淒uring COVID, Latin classes were seen as non-essential, so they lost a lot of students. And they鈥檝e been having a hard time bringing the numbers back up.鈥�

For Callier, a teaching assistant professor of classics and the Latin Program Coordinator at the 麻豆影院, this trend is more than an academic concern.

She wasn鈥檛 alone in her worries. In response to falling enrollment rates, the Colorado Classics Association (CCA) formed a committee dedicated to promoting interest in Latin classes.

The solution? A project that would convey the benefits of learning Latin to students in their own words.

A language in decline

Across the country, Latin programs have struggled to justify their existence in an education system increasingly focused on STEM fields and workforce development. In some districts, administrators have proposed cutting Latin entirely, forcing teachers and students to fight for their programs.

In collaboration with the CCA and local high school educators, Callier helped spearhead You Belong in Latin, a video project designed to remind high school students why Latin is worth learning.

鈥淲e finally came up with the idea for a video, because it鈥檚 something you can share easily. It鈥檚 more entertaining than just looking at a brochure that says, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 why Latin is a good thing to take,鈥欌€� Callier says.

The project quickly took shape as teachers across Colorado filmed interviews with their students, capturing firsthand accounts of what Latin means to them. They also collected footage of classrooms filled with laughter, animated discussions and moments of discovery.

鈥淥ne of the things we noticed is that once students get into Latin class, they really love it,鈥� Callier says. 鈥淵ou just have to get them in the door.鈥�

The team secured a grant to bring the project to life, which allowed them to hire a former CU 麻豆影院 student who majored in film鈥攁nd took several semesters of Latin with Callier鈥攖o professionally edit the videos.

Over the course of a year, the raw footage was transformed into a compelling series of short videos, each emphasizing a unique aspect of the Latin classroom experience.

Now available on YouTube, the You Belong in Latin videos are a vital resource for teachers, students and parents to share.

Latin is for everyone

A central theme of You Belong in Latin is the tight-knit community formed in Latin classrooms. Unlike more popular language programs, Latin classes tend to be small, allowing students to form deeper relationships with their peers and instructors.

鈥淎t CU 麻豆影院, if you take Latin, aside from the first semester where there are two sections of Latin I, after that, everybody鈥檚 in the same class together,鈥� Callier explains. 鈥淵ou continue to see the same instructors in the department as well. So you get to know them, and you get to know your peers in a way that鈥檚 not really very common at the college level.鈥�

The same holds true in high schools, where Latin students often stay in one cohort across multiple years and gain a sense of unity and belonging.

The videos also seek to challenge the misconception that Latin is elitist鈥攁 subject reserved for Ivy League prep schools and aspiring academics.

鈥淟atin actually isn鈥檛 elitist. Everybody鈥檚 starting from the same level when they walk into Latin class. There鈥檚 no barrier, and everybody can benefit from it in various ways,鈥� Callier says.

And while Latin鈥檚 reputation as a 鈥渄ead language鈥� often turns students away, Callier argues that its benefits are very much alive. Latin gives students a foundation for English vocabulary, enhances their analytical skills and prepares them for careers in law, medicine and the sciences, she says, adding that it also provides direct access to Latin texts, 鈥渨hich is immensely beneficial to anyone who is enthusiastic about Roman literature or history.

鈥淟atin actually isn鈥檛 elitist. Everybody鈥檚 starting from the same level when they walk into Latin class. There鈥檚 no barrier, and everybody can benefit from it in various ways.鈥�

鈥淟earning Latin is like weightlifting for your brain,鈥� she says with a smile.

Keeping the momentum going

Now that the You Belong in Latin videos have been published, Callier is working to spread the word.

鈥淲e have been sharing our Colorado Classics Association YouTube channel with educators from around the country who are looking for different ways to promote Latin,鈥� she says.

Feedback on the project has been encouraging for Latin educators who rarely receive recognition for their efforts.

鈥淲hat we are doing as Latin educators is something that is really having an impact,鈥� Callier says. 鈥淪tudents are getting a lot out of Latin in various ways, and they鈥檙e really appreciating what we bring to the table.鈥�

At its heart, this project isn鈥檛 just about keeping Latin alive but also celebrating what makes it special. As Callier and her colleagues know, the language is only the beginning. The real magic comes from the people who learn and teach it.

Callier says, 鈥淟atin survives because people love it. And as long as we keep sharing that love, it鈥檚 not going anywhere.鈥�

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For Reina Callier, learning Latin 鈥榠s like lifting weights for your brain.'

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Schmooze-a-Palooza to celebrate community, song and Hebrew

Rachel Sauer — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:19:24 +0000

Schmooze-a-Palooza to celebrate community, song and Hebrew Rachel Sauer Fri, 02/28/2025 - 12:19

CU 麻豆影院 event, now in its 11th year, will schmooze it up on March 12

For the past decade, Hebrew classes at the 麻豆影院 have hosted a novel event described as a rite of passage: the Schmooze-a-Palooza鈥攑art concert, part community building and part celebration of Hebrew and song.

The 11^th-annual Schmooze-a-Palooza will be held at 6:30 pm Wednesday, March 12, in UMC Room 235. Anyone with an interest in Hebrew is invited.

What: 11th-annual Schmooze-a-Palooza

When: 6:30 p.m. March 12

Where: UMC Room 235

Who: Anyone with an interest in Hebrew is invited.

Led by Eyal Rivlin, a teaching professor of Hebrew language in the Program in Jewish Studies and a professional musician, students in each class prepare a well-loved song in Hebrew鈥攎emorizing it, dressing up, creating a dance and performing it in front of their peers.

Having taught in different capacities for more than 30 years, Rivlin wanted to extend learning beyond the classroom, help the different classes connect and inspire lifelong friendships.

鈥淲hen we show up in creative and expressive manners, with permission to embody our inner rockstar, a vulnerability is tapped which sets the groundwork for connecting at deeper levels,鈥� says Rivlin. 鈥淚t is clear to me that in 20 years from now, many of my students will remember singing with their friends, taking a risk and showing up together and having fun in the context of learning a language.鈥�

Through the years, the concert has expanded and now, in addition to class performances, Jewish Studies faculty offer a song from the stage, some students volunteer to perform solos and duets of their favorite Hebrew songs and members of the local Hebrew-speaking community prepare a song as well. This year there is even talk about a flash-mob dance, Rivlin says.

Students have said that the event is a highlight of their CU journey. Songs are a great way to expand vocabulary and memorize sentences and expressions. They also offer the community a taste of different cultural themes and musical styles.

This annual live concert is free and an opportunity to meet new friends, learn some Hebrew expressions and cheer fellow Buffs, Rivlin says.

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CU 麻豆影院 event, now in its 11th year, will schmooze it up on March 12.

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Remains from CU's Medical School still in 麻豆影院

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:20:38 +0000

Remains from CU's Medical School still in 麻豆影院 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/25/2024 - 14:20

Silvia Pettem

Cadavers used in anatomy classes were buried in unmarked lots in Columbia Cemetery

The University of Colorado Department of Medicine and Surgery opened in 麻豆影院 in 1883 with two students. By 1890, the medical school included more than a dozen students, two of them women. In order to graduate, each student was required to dissect an entire human body.

Records of these cadavers reveal a little-known cross section of life and death in 麻豆影院 County. The body parts were interred in unmarked lots, where they remain today, in 麻豆影院's Columbia Cemetery.

Prior to the school's opening, Dr. Lumen M. Giffin moved to 麻豆影院 from New York to become professor of anatomy and physiology. In the early days, tuition for the three-year program was a one-time fee of $5 for in-state students and $10 for those from out of state. The courses included lectures, chemical laboratories and dissections.

CU 麻豆影院 alum Silvia Pettem is an acclaimed local historian and author of Separate Lives: Uncovering the Hidden Family of Victorian Professor Mary Rippon.

One of the bodies donated to Giffin's class was that of miner Frederick Nelson. He had sought refuge from a forest fire and suffocated in the shaft of the Bald Mountain Mine near the town of Sunset. His relatives were unknown, and no one claimed his remains.

Many of the deceased met similarly unusual or violent deaths. According to coroners' records, in 1909 Herman Schmidt's skull was crushed by a falling rock while he worked as a laborer on the construction of Barker Dam, below Nederland. Schmidt was a recent immigrant with no known family or friends.

No one knew anything about Michael Clifford at the time of his death except his name. He was murdered in a drunken brawl in the town of Marshall. The university also welcomed his body.

Few, if any, of the cadavers used in the classroom dissections were female until 1914, when Cyrus Deardoff donated the body of his 70-year-old wife, Ellen, who had been declared insane and starved herself.

Cyrus had, at one time, been a prominent gold miner in Ward. However, he died destitute a few months after Ellen's death. He saved the expense of a funeral and the stigma of being consigned to a pauper鈥檚 grave by agreeing in advance to give the university his body, as well.

The year was a busy one for the medical students. By then, CU had purchased its second cemetery lot, and bought a third one a couple years later.

Additional bodies came from people who died by suicide or from influenza or other infectious diseases. Some, like Thomas McCormick, died from an overdose of morphine in the county jail.

Then there was William Ryan, a farmer, who had suffered from chronic alcoholism and was found dead in bed. He had no family, but he did have a watch and chain and a horse and buggy. CU got those items, too.

In 1924, citing a lack of appropriate medical facilities, CU's medical school moved to Denver. In 2008, the school transformed itself again with a move to the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

A year before the school left 麻豆影院, Giffin died of a stroke at age 72. At the time, he was the oldest physician in 麻豆影院. He, too, was buried in Columbia Cemetery鈥攊ntact and in his own grave with family members. But while Giffin is resting is peace, the other bodies in Columbia Cemetery are resting in pieces.

Top image: Luman M. Giffin (center) and his class in the CU Medical School during the late 1890s. (Photo: courtesy Carnegie Library for Local History, 麻豆影院)

Silvia Pettem is a CU 麻豆影院 alum (1969) and is the author of Separate Lives: Uncovering the Hidden Family of Victorian Professor Mary Rippon. This column originally appeared in the Daily Camera. She can be reached at silviapettem.com.

Cadavers used in anatomy classes were buried in unmarked lots in Columbia Cemetery.

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Talking politics with a side of pizza

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:08:46 +0000

Talking politics with a side of pizza Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/10/2024 - 06:08

New Politics & Pizza sessions give students and experts and space for productive and lively discussion of timely political topics

Today鈥檚 elections bear little resemblance to elections 50 or even 20 years ago. One key change: Digital and social media have become more central to how voters receive information鈥攐r misinformation鈥攁bout candidates and issues.

For example, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that of those ages 18 to 29 surveyed, 48% use TikTok to keep up with politics or political news and 52% use TikTok to get news. Another recent Pew survey found that 54% of U.S. adults surveyed often or sometimes get local political news from social media.

If you go

What: Politics & Pizza, 鈥淭he Role of Digital/Social Media in U.S. Elections鈥�

When: 5:30-6:45 p.m., Monday, Oct.14

Where: Bruce Curtis Building (MCOL), W100 鈥� CC

Free Cosmo鈥檚 pizza!

Learn more

The role of these new media will be the focus of the inaugural Politics & Pizza session, set for 5:30-6:45 p.m. Oct. 14. The aim of Pizza & Politics鈥攚hich is being initiated by Glen Krutz, a professor of political science鈥攊s to 鈥渆ncourage productive, substantive deliberation of specific topics, rather than rancorous and ideological macro-thoughts.鈥�

鈥淭hese events are meant to help CU students sink their minds into key, specific political issues while they are sinking their teeth into delicious pizza!鈥� Krutz says. 鈥淭he other main goal is to have experts get the discussion started, but then to very much have a discussion between the students and one another and the students and the experts. The interaction piece is central, rather than a one-way information flow that sometimes we see at talks on university campuses.鈥�

Politics & Pizza, which includes free Cosmo鈥檚 pizza, is modeled on similar sessions offered in Harvard University鈥檚 Institute of Politics. Each session will feature expert speakers who give a few introductory thoughts about the session鈥檚 topic, and then open the session to a question-and-answer with students.

The theme of the first Pizza & Politics event Oct. 14 is 鈥淭he Role of Digital/Social Media in U.S. Elections鈥� with speakers Stephen Frost, an assistant professor in the College of Media, Communication and Information Department of Media Studies; Vivek Krishnamurthy, an associate professor in the CU Law School and director of the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law and Policy Clinic; and Alexandra Siegel, an associate professor of political science.

The second Politics & Pizza is scheduled for Oct. 28 and will focus on the Electoral College and institutional reform. A third date is set for Nov. 18 and will offer an analysis of the election outcome and the upcoming transition.

Spring 2025 sessions will focus on the new U.S. Congress, business and politics, and state universities in America.

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New Politics & Pizza sessions give students and experts and space for productive and lively discussion of timely political topics.

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Finding 鈥楤etter Days鈥� through art

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 15:23:47 +0000

Finding 鈥楤etter Days鈥� through art Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/20/2024 - 09:23

Rachel Sauer

New CU Art Museum exhibit highlights the ways in which art meets challenging times and finds the sometimes-elusive silver lining

It began not with the more known Confederate battle flag鈥攖he infamous stars and bars鈥攂ut with the lesser-known Confederate flag of truce, a white linen towel waved on April 9, 1865, by Confederate troops when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, ending the U.S. Civil War.

In 2019, textile and social practice artist Sonya Clark made the flag of truce the focal point of her work Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know, recreating the 鈥渃loth that brokered peace and represented the promise of reconciliation.鈥� The University of Colorado Art Museum recently acquired Clark鈥檚 2022 print, Confederate, surrender, which reconstructs the historical artifact.

"From Me, All Things Proceed and to Me, They Must Return," by Hollis Sigler (1991) is part of the "Better Days" exhibition now open at the CU Art Museum.

It was this interpretation of a lesser-known symbol that got curators and staff at the museum thinking: 鈥�(Clark) is taking this ongoing moment in history and, in many ways, elevating it with an act of repair,鈥� says Hope Saska, acting director, chief curator and director of academic engagement in the museum. 鈥淭hat started us thinking about how do artists take these times that may be challenging and then use art to respond?鈥�

The fruit of those discussions is 鈥�Better Days,鈥� an exhibition on view beginning today and open through Oct. 26, highlighting how artists 鈥渞espond to times of uncertainty鈥� with 鈥渨ork that can help make sense of the world.鈥� In the works in the exhibit, drawn from the museum鈥檚 collection, 鈥渟ome [artists] imagine a better world, encouraging viewers to find silver linings, while others reveal hidden aspects of conflict, sparking conversation鈥� Collectively, they offer ways to contend with a complex world, urging viewers to celebrate our shared humanity, witness injustice and work to repair division and inequity.鈥�

These themes are especially timely as the U.S. presidential race speeds toward election day and as events worldwide seem to create tumult and fracture rather than hope and healing, Saska says.

鈥淚n some of these artworks (in the exhibit), artists are taking stands about racial injustice and political and social conflict, or they鈥檙e making artworks related to the AIDS crisis,鈥� she explains. 鈥淔or the museum, in the climate we have today, taking on these topics kind of feels risky sometimes. We were thinking about all of these things as we curated the exhibit, so hopefully it is thought-provoking even in its challenging aspects. Our goal is that what people really get out of it is positive and reparative. We want them to come away with hope.鈥�

If you go

What: "Better Days" exhibition

When: Aug. 20-Oct. 26; reopening February 2025. Opening celebration from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 12.

Where: CU Art Museum

More information

Daniella Fairley, a junior who is studying art history and ethnic studies with a minor in creative technology and design, completed an eight-week Art Buffs Collective internship with the CU Art Museum during the summer. As part of the internship, Fairley helped curate and create 鈥淏etter Days.鈥�

鈥淚 felt like this exhibit shows the perseverance of the human spirit and how we cope with tragedy,鈥� Fairley says. 鈥淚n seeing a lot of these art works and learning how they were made, what they represent, their stories, I feel like it's important to show how humans struggle and how we still live through it. Art connects us more than we think, and I hope that people can feel that connection or thread when looking at this show.鈥�

Lead museum attendant Bella Mahlerbe, a student in the bachelor鈥檚-accelerated master鈥檚 in art history, also provided curatorial labor for the exhibit. Malherbe worked with fellow Lead museum attendant Riley Ramsay to create a visitor feedback wall where visitors can share responses to the exhibition.

Top image: "Party Picture," by Laurie Simmons (1985) is part of the "Better Days" exhibition now open at the CU Art Museum.

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New CU Art Museum exhibit highlights the ways in which art meets challenging times and finds the sometimes-elusive silver lining.

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Students may learn ecology (and much else) in the wild

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:31:08 +0000

Students may learn ecology (and much else) in the wild Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/28/2024 - 12:31

Blake Puscher

CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 Mountain Research Station is offering six field courses this summer, giving students the opportunity to study a wide range of disciplines in nature

This summer, some 麻豆影院 students will study topics ranging from field ornithology to bioinformatics in one of the most beautiful classrooms in the state.

The CU 麻豆影院 Mountain Research Station (MRS) is offering field courses including the Art and Environment Field School, Field Methods in Vegetation Ecology, Field Ornithology, Forest and Fire Ecology, Lake and Stream Ecology, and Bioinformatics in the Mountains.

In addition to a selection of classes, the MRS is also piloting a scholarship program for undergraduate field courses, in the hope of making them more accessible to students.

Scott Taylor, a CU 麻豆影院 associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is director of the Mountain Research Station.

The value of field experience

Scott Taylor, the station director, notes that most of the research station鈥檚 classes offer students the chance to build practical skills such as sample collection, field work and data analysis. For those who know what they want to do after graduation, this is a way to gain experience and employability, Taylor says, adding that it may clarify others鈥� interests and ambitions.

Because of its venue high in the Rocky Mountains, the MRS allows students to learn in ways that would not otherwise be possible, Taylor says. For example, the Art and Environment Field School helps students create art by exposing them to the natural beauty of the Front Range, and field ornithology allows them to observe bird activity in nature. Classes at the MRS give students access to what they are studying in its natural context.

鈥淣ot every university has its own field station that is just 45 minutes away,鈥� Taylor says, adding that many students鈥� remote-learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the value of field studies.

Inspiring the next generation

A goal of the research station is to 鈥渋nspire the next generation to care about and study the mountains, so we want to expand the number of ways people can engage with that鈥攁nd that鈥檚 why there鈥檚 everything from art and the environment to bioinformatics to more classic ecological courses,鈥� Taylor explains.

This further highlights an unusual aspect of MRS field courses, Taylor says: While all good classes impart students with knowledge and skills, many are limited by the constraints of the classroom. Field courses, however, are active learning experiences that are immersive and engaging, Taylor notes. The field courses offered at the MRS this summer bridge the gap between students and the inspiration of nature.

Students at the Mountain Research Station can study topics ranging from field ornithology to bioinformatics in a beautiful mountain setting. (Photo: Scott Taylor)

Because students also can stay at the MRS, they are immersed in an environment dedicated to ecology. According to Taylor, 鈥測ou get to know your cohort of students and colleagues really well and be part of the Mountain Research Station community, which is not just students taking field courses; it鈥檚 also researchers who are out there for the summer studying various aspects of the mountains.鈥�

Course information

Students can register for the Mountain Research Station鈥檚 summer field courses through the regular process once enrollment begins on March 11. Most classes are listed on the CU website as sections of EBIO 4100, but the bioinformatics class is EBIO 4460-750. Course credit is transferrable to other institutions and meets the application requirement for CU鈥檚 Environmental Studies program.

Each course is limited to 15 people, and courses may vary length, subject and prerequisites; all of this information is on the MRS website. Though they have different start and finish dates, the courses are all two or three weeks. Most classes have a prerequisite of either one year of course work in general biology or environmental science, or a general ecology course.

Tuition for these courses includes lodging in shared two-person cabins and meals at the MRS dining hall. Thanks to a recent generous anonymous donation, these additional costs will be covered for all field-course participants in 2024, which means that field courses at the MRS will be similarly priced to on-campus classes offering the same number of credit hours this summer.

Top image: Students, flora and fauna at the CU 麻豆影院 Mountain Research Station (Photos: Scott Taylor)

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CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 Mountain Research Station is offering six field courses this summer, giving students the opportunity to study a wide range of disciplines in nature.

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New scholarship celebrates, supports 鈥楢NDers鈥�

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 17:32:01 +0000

New scholarship celebrates, supports 鈥楢NDers鈥� Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/21/2023 - 10:32

Students who are passionate about 'ANDing' are encouraged to apply for the ANDer Scholarship by March 15

The College of Arts and Sciences uses 鈥淎ND鈥� as a verb, and new scholarship aims to support students who do, too.

鈥淎NDing鈥� takes the conjunction and makes it a verb, says Erika Randall, associate dean for student success and the college鈥檚 pre-eminent ANDing campaigner. 鈥淎NDing can be about cooking and mothering and evolutionary biology and race car driving鈥攁ll of these things create the uniquenesses that are us,鈥� she says, adding:

鈥淚n the College of Arts and Sciences, we want to bring attention and excitement to stories of people intentionally bringing together disparate interests, research, creativity, identities, hobbies and more. That alchemy is the creative engine stored within the ANDer Scholarship, and I'm fascinated to see what we discover about the humans who apply. I'm thrilled that the college is supporting ANDers in this way.鈥�

Randall notes that when people are passionate about their interests and pursuing self-understanding, they鈥檙e happier. 鈥淎NDing and arts and sciences make room for tolerance, humility and acceptance. When students and faculty AND, they are more well-rounded, combine disparate interests and create synergistic connections across ways of thinking.鈥�

The ANDer Scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences is designed for students who:

Are incoming first-year, transfer or current undergraduates enrolled full-time with a declared major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Experience ANDing as a verb.
Complete the CU 麻豆影院 General Scholarship Application.
Submit the scholarship application by the March 15 deadline on the Academic Works scholarship site.

As the scholarship description notes, ANDing emphasizes the connections that enliven university scholarship and creative expression. By ANDing, new ideas are sparked and space for multiple paths, voices and human stories are created. For example,

鈥淚 want to study biochemistry, and I鈥檓 also really into technical theatre and community outreach.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 going to be a philosophy major, I write poetry and I want to minor in geography.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 committed to social justice and plan to double-major in Spanish and integrative physiology with a minor in women and gender studies.鈥�

Students applying for the scholarship will be asked to complete a short response to this prompt: 鈥淭he 鈥�&鈥� between Arts & Sciences is a symbol that represents the many intersectional identities, disciplines and imaginations of the college. Please share with us how you embody the ampersand symbol, the ways you AND as a verb and how you enliven research and creative expression through the alchemy of ANDing.鈥�

The scholarship award is $3,000 annually, and the College of Arts and Sciences plans to award approximately 25 in 2024.

Students who are passionate about 'ANDing' are encouraged to apply for the ANDer Scholarship by March 15.

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Learning culture through beautiful brush strokes

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 22:03:33 +0000

Learning culture through beautiful brush strokes Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/27/2023 - 16:03

Rachel Sauer

At an evening of Chinese calligraphy, CU 麻豆影院 students studying Chinese practiced an art whose history dates back millennia

Learning a language is not just a matter of memorizing vocabulary and verb tenses or, in the case of Chinese, using the correct tone. It is not merely a matter of time spent in the classroom.

鈥淟anguage is also a part of culture,鈥� says Yingjie Li, a 麻豆影院 teaching associate professor of Chinese and Chinese language coordinator in the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 living tradition.鈥�

For students of Chinese, this means learning to write a body of characters whose history dates back more than 3,000 years, to oracle bones from the Shang Dynasty. Rather than letters, many of the characters were visual representations of what they expressed. Echoes of those original characters can be found in the modern ones that evolved from them.

Thursday evening, almost two dozen first-, second- and third-year Chinese students gathered to practice Chinese calligraphy, which elevates Chinese writing to art.

鈥淭his is a way for students to get deep into the culture,鈥� Li says. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing in the workshop relates to what they鈥檙e learning in class, but it鈥檚 a more hands-on way to learn a really important part of Chinese culture.鈥�

Led by Runqing Qi, a CU 麻豆影院 teaching assistant professor of Chinese who began the workshop with, 鈥淟et鈥檚 learn something interesting together,鈥� students first practiced with water on special paper that allows each brush stroke to emerge in vivid black and then gradually disappear. Then they graduated to ink.

鈥淚t looks simple, but it鈥檚 actually not,鈥� said Claire Kennedy, a third-year advanced Chinese student who is majoring in psychology and speech, language and hearing sciences.

In written Chinese, each stroke has a name and the strokes in each character are written in a specific order. And to do that beautifully?

鈥淚 think I鈥檓 going to need a lot more practice,鈥� said Gregory Del Bene, a first-year Chinese student and math and computer science major.

鈥淭his is something fun for students that鈥檚 also a tangible connection to Chinese culture,鈥� said Yu Zhang, a teaching assistant professor of Chinese, adding that faculty in the Chinese language program organize activities throughout the semester highlighting various aspects of the culture. The next will be a Chinese board game night, including mahjong and Chinese chess, at 5 p.m. Nov. 11.

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At an evening of Chinese calligraphy, CU 麻豆影院 students studying Chinese practiced an art whose history dates back millennia.

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