/cmdinow/ en /cmdinow/2026/05/20/announcing-spring-2026-deans-list <span>Announcing the spring 2026 dean's list </span> <span><span>Ellie Chase</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-05-20T10:52:41-06:00" title="Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 10:52">Wed, 05/20/2026 - 10:52</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-11/Flatirons%20in%20the%20summer%20with%20morning%20light_Kimberly%20Coffin_Fall%202025-11.jpg?h=5e08a8b6&amp;itok=4mPYNaVR" width="1200" height="800" alt="Flatirons in the summer with morning light"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/8" hreflang="en">Advertising Public Relations and Design</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/16" hreflang="en">Communication</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/50" hreflang="en">Critical Media Practices</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">Information Science</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">Journalism</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/54" hreflang="en">Media Studies</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/375" hreflang="en">deans list</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><span>More than 700 CMDI students were named to the dean's list for the fall semester. To qualify, students must&nbsp;complete at least 12 credit hours of CU Âé¶čÓ°Ôș coursework for a letter grade and achieve a term grade point average of 3.75 or better. Each person receives a notation on their transcripts and a letter from the dean. Congratulations to all honorees!</span></p><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><ul class="list-style-underline"><li dir="ltr">Zack Aarons</li><li dir="ltr">Matt Abatangle</li><li dir="ltr">Marlo Abrahamson</li><li dir="ltr">Logan Abrams</li><li dir="ltr">Kit Achar</li><li dir="ltr">Shea Ackman</li><li dir="ltr">Pilar Agostine</li><li dir="ltr">Quinn Ahrens</li><li dir="ltr">Maria Alali</li><li dir="ltr">Charlotte Alberti</li><li dir="ltr">Caitlin Alexander</li><li dir="ltr">Audrey Altounian</li><li dir="ltr">Olivia Alvarez</li><li dir="ltr">Ava Ambs</li><li dir="ltr">Alexandra Anaya</li><li dir="ltr">Marlowe Anderman</li><li dir="ltr">Ella Anderson</li><li dir="ltr">Julia Anderson</li><li dir="ltr">Jacqueline Anderson</li><li dir="ltr">Sierra Anguiano</li><li dir="ltr">Marina Araujo</li><li dir="ltr">Logan Arel</li><li dir="ltr">Liliana Arguello</li><li dir="ltr">Jazmin Armijo</li><li dir="ltr">John Armstrong</li><li dir="ltr">Madison Armstrong</li><li dir="ltr">Frances Arrighi</li><li dir="ltr">Preston Ashley</li><li dir="ltr">Ben Asphaug</li><li dir="ltr">SJ Bacallao</li><li dir="ltr">Claire Bachtel</li><li dir="ltr">Sarah Baggot</li><li dir="ltr">Alexia Bailey</li><li dir="ltr">Hannah Baity</li><li dir="ltr">Cadyn Banerian</li><li dir="ltr">Katie Barcroft</li><li dir="ltr">Caleigh Barletta</li><li dir="ltr">Emily Barnes</li><li dir="ltr">Blake Barnes</li><li dir="ltr">Thomas Barrett</li><li dir="ltr">Maddy Barth</li><li dir="ltr">Makdes Bass</li><li dir="ltr">Ellena Bassoukos</li><li dir="ltr">Klaire Bautz</li><li dir="ltr">Katie Baxter</li><li dir="ltr">Michael Benner</li><li dir="ltr">Tess Betman</li><li dir="ltr">Eliot Bevier Dill</li><li dir="ltr">Charlie Bickham</li><li dir="ltr">Teagan Bischoff</li><li dir="ltr">Katie Bixler</li><li dir="ltr">Miley Black</li><li dir="ltr">Grace Blitz</li><li dir="ltr">Julian Blumberg</li><li dir="ltr">Sophia Bobier</li><li dir="ltr">Ella Bode</li><li dir="ltr">Dylan Bole</li><li dir="ltr">Ella Boles</li><li dir="ltr">Sophia Bolich</li><li dir="ltr">Anvitha Bompalli</li><li dir="ltr">Lucia Bona</li><li dir="ltr">Elliot Bowen</li><li dir="ltr">Mckenzie Bowman</li><li dir="ltr">Dean Bowyer</li><li dir="ltr">Arielle Boxt</li><li dir="ltr">Grace Boyea</li><li dir="ltr">Reed Bracero</li><li dir="ltr">Anna Bradburn</li><li dir="ltr">Ema Bradley</li><li dir="ltr">Harper Bradshaw</li><li dir="ltr">Antonio Bravo</li><li dir="ltr">Olivia Brehm</li><li dir="ltr">Quinn Brewer</li><li dir="ltr">Adeline Briggs</li><li dir="ltr">Lily Broadhead</li><li dir="ltr">Finn Broderick</li><li dir="ltr">Jack Bronchetti</li><li dir="ltr">Katie Brooks</li><li dir="ltr">Zach Brooks</li><li dir="ltr">Addison Brower</li><li dir="ltr">Chase Browne</li><li dir="ltr">Lili Brownell</li><li dir="ltr">Emma Browning</li><li dir="ltr">Houston Brummet</li><li dir="ltr">Tessa Buchanan</li><li dir="ltr">Juliana Buck</li><li dir="ltr">Ashley Budy</li><li dir="ltr">Fatima Bugaighis</li><li dir="ltr">Isabella Burkett</li><li dir="ltr">Alena Burris</li><li dir="ltr">Brooke Bursteen</li><li dir="ltr">Parker Burt</li><li dir="ltr">Noelia Caballero</li><li dir="ltr">Grace Cadman</li><li dir="ltr">Claire Cameron</li><li dir="ltr">Cuauhtemoc Campos</li><li dir="ltr">Bianca Cano</li><li dir="ltr">Evan Caplan</li><li dir="ltr">Rhiannon Cargo</li><li dir="ltr">Ely Cariveau</li><li dir="ltr">Kaitlyn Carpenter</li><li dir="ltr">Harrison Carswell</li><li dir="ltr">Audrey Carter</li><li dir="ltr">Meredith Case</li><li dir="ltr">Madison Chasin</li><li dir="ltr">Mia Castro</li><li dir="ltr">James Cecchi</li><li dir="ltr">Charles Chambers&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Izzie Chan</li><li dir="ltr">Jack Chandler</li><li dir="ltr">Connor Chase</li><li dir="ltr">Ellie Chase</li><li dir="ltr">Jesus Chavez</li><li dir="ltr">Hayden Chedid</li><li dir="ltr">Cameron Cheney</li><li dir="ltr">Avery Childs</li><li dir="ltr">Luke Chisholm</li><li dir="ltr">Michael Chow</li><li dir="ltr">Rachel Clapham</li><li dir="ltr">Emily Cleary</li><li dir="ltr">Avery Clifton</li><li dir="ltr">Emme Clymer</li><li dir="ltr">Morgan Coffin</li><li dir="ltr">Finn Cohen</li><li dir="ltr">Kelly Colanto</li><li dir="ltr">MacKenzie Cole</li><li dir="ltr">Sophie Coleman</li><li dir="ltr">Drew Collins</li><li dir="ltr">Breah Conradson</li><li dir="ltr">Andrew Conroy</li><li dir="ltr">Ainsley Coogan</li><li dir="ltr">Connor Cook</li><li dir="ltr">Sophie Coombs</li><li dir="ltr">Ripley Coope</li><li dir="ltr">Zenden Copeland</li><li dir="ltr">Braedan Corliss</li><li dir="ltr">Susie Cormack</li><li dir="ltr">Kira Covington</li><li dir="ltr">Marissa Crenshaw</li><li dir="ltr">Elizabeth Cropper</li><li dir="ltr">Maddie Crosier</li><li dir="ltr">Micah Crowe</li><li dir="ltr">Charlotte Croy</li><li dir="ltr">Aidan Crump</li><li dir="ltr">Eryn Cryer</li><li dir="ltr">Marleigh Cummins</li><li dir="ltr">Kaylie Cunningham</li><li dir="ltr">Cody Cutone</li><li dir="ltr">Avery Czachor</li><li dir="ltr">Abikael Daniel</li><li dir="ltr">Lacey Daniell</li><li dir="ltr">Olivia Darby</li><li dir="ltr">Hannah David</li><li dir="ltr">John Davis</li><li dir="ltr">Turner Davis</li><li dir="ltr">Mason Davis</li><li dir="ltr">Patrick Dawson</li><li dir="ltr">Ramon De Arcos Tapia</li><li dir="ltr">Brandon De Pena</li><li dir="ltr">Weston Deaton</li><li dir="ltr">Lily Defnet</li><li dir="ltr">Lily Delgado</li><li dir="ltr">Maya Demaree</li><li dir="ltr">Clara Denham</li><li dir="ltr">Maggie Derr</li><li dir="ltr">Eli Deutsch</li><li dir="ltr">Charles Deutser</li><li dir="ltr">Zach Dial</li><li dir="ltr">Leo Dienstfrey</li><li dir="ltr">Henry Dietz</li><li dir="ltr">Ava Dillon</li><li dir="ltr">William Dinh</li><li dir="ltr">Merrick Dobin</li><li dir="ltr">Sydney Dobriner</li><li dir="ltr">Campbell Dokken</li><li dir="ltr">Connie Dolati</li><li dir="ltr">Lexi Dolsak</li><li dir="ltr">Hunter Donovan</li><li dir="ltr">Emily Doskow</li><li dir="ltr">Sydney Dossa</li><li dir="ltr">Daniel Doupe</li><li>Averie Dow</li><li>Veronika Drab</li><li>Simon Drews</li><li>Veronica Dryer</li><li>Ava Dubroca</li><li>Wyatt Duesenberg</li><li>Rowan Dulfer</li><li>Carolyn Dunlap</li><li>Nicollette Dunn</li><li>Etienne Dunoyer</li><li>Emily Duvall</li><li>Olivia Dye</li><li>Ryann Dyk</li><li>Mattia Echchaibi</li></ul></div><div class="col ucb-column"><ul class="list-style-underline"><li>Ansley Edelbrock</li><li>Avery Ehrig</li><li>Collin Eisenach</li><li>Kristin Eisenrich</li><li>Maeve Eklund</li><li>Kaoutar El Ouadi</li><li>Molly Elert</li><li>Reese Elliot</li><li>Libby Emery</li><li>Isaac Emmons</li><li>Brendan Engel</li><li>Lucy Esquival</li><li>Desmond Evans</li><li>Sienna Fahey</li><li>Sofia Faraci</li><li>Liam Fehlau-Barton</li><li>Sara Fernandes</li><li>Oren Figenblat</li><li>Emerson Fine</li><li>Josie Fineberg</li><li>Anjali Flagg</li><li>Maddie Flanagan</li><li>Aidan Fliszar</li><li>William Flockton</li><li>Cecilia Florian</li><li>Soleil Floyd</li><li>Lilli Flyer</li><li>Joshua Fong</li><li>Callie Forrest</li><li>Tatum France-Kelly</li><li>Ava Frankel</li><li>Natalie Free</li><li>Ellis French</li><li>Jayne Frey</li><li>Devin Friedman</li><li>Isabelle Friedrich</li><li>Hayes Frith</li><li>Sophia Fry</li><li>Adelene Frymoyer</li><li>Lulu Fuster</li><li>Colette Gagliano</li><li>Kaija Galins</li><li>Teagan Gallagher</li><li>Rikki Gallegos</li><li>Jacalyn Gamble</li><li>Lydia Gammon</li><li>Britney Garcia</li><li>Greta Gardetto</li><li>Violet Garrard</li><li>Caitlyn Garza</li><li>Abigail Garza</li><li>Ella Gates</li><li>Samson Gear</li><li>Parker Gehde</li><li>Carly Gelfand</li><li>Callie Gendolfe</li><li>Camryn Gerchow</li><li>Olivia Gewanter</li><li>Ellie Gianola</li><li>Caroline Gilchrist</li><li>Lauren Gillespie</li><li>Danny Gillis</li><li>Tal Gispan</li><li>Giorgia Glassford</li><li>Charlie Goffinet</li><li>Susannah Goldsmith</li><li>Karlyn Gonsalves</li><li>William Gooch</li><li>Bella Goodson</li><li>Drew Gorman</li><li>Pheobe Gorman</li><li>Abby Graham</li><li>Chloe Graham</li><li>Kylie Graham</li><li>Logyn Greer</li><li>Erica Griffiths&nbsp;</li><li>Charlee Grinstead</li><li>Lily Groten</li><li>Vicky Gutierrez</li><li>Owen Guzik</li><li>Eva Gyawali</li><li>Marin Hackney</li><li>Ava Hagan</li><li>Evi Hager</li><li>Paxton Haines</li><li>Sabina Hall</li><li>Mack Hammond</li><li>Norah Hampford</li><li>Mackenzie Hanlon</li><li>Ashley Elizabeth Hansen</li><li>Sabrina Harris</li><li>Brooke Harris</li><li>Shaela Hart</li><li>Lanier Harvey</li><li>Bennett Harvey</li><li>Nick Haseman</li><li>Josie Hayes</li><li>Skyler Haynie</li><li>Brooke Haynie</li><li>Madison Hays</li><li>Caroline Hecht</li><li>Ethan Heffern</li><li>Makayla Heinke</li><li>Alexis Henning</li><li>Will Henrickson</li><li>Dani Hermosillo</li><li>Vanessa Hernandez</li><li>Isabella Hernandez Jeppesen</li><li>Emily Herrmann</li><li>Jane Hershberger</li><li>Brandon Heydenreich</li><li>Megan Hill</li><li>Grace Hilliard</li><li>Malley Hirschle</li><li>Charlotte Hobosn</li><li>Hannah Hoffman</li><li>Jason Hoffman</li><li>Ellie Hoffman</li><li>Jackson Hoffman</li><li>Serena Holcomb</li><li>Jimmy Holda</li><li>Ella Holden</li><li>Audrey Ann Holsomback</li><li>Caden Homlish</li><li>Dylan Hommes</li><li>Grier Hopkins</li><li>Caleb Horwitz</li><li>Taylar Houck</li><li>Mira Hougen</li><li>Jordan Houten</li><li>Emily Howard</li><li>Brooklyn Howard</li><li>Taylor Hoyt</li><li>Maddie Hughes</li><li>Livia Hughes</li><li>Ronan Huizar</li><li>Ellie Hultgren</li><li>Wyatt Humble</li><li>Daniela Hunt</li><li>Camille Hunt</li><li>Elliette Igel-Manvitz</li><li>Maddie Inglis</li><li>Maxine Rosa Inman</li><li>Lauren Insul</li><li>Sasha Isaacman</li><li>Jules Isenberg</li><li>Isabella Jackson</li><li>Reed Jacobs</li><li>Paige Jaegar</li><li>Savannah Allyssa Jameson</li><li>Emilie Janzen&nbsp;</li><li>Grace Jenks</li><li>Alana Jenks</li><li>Annika Jobanputra</li><li>Mia Jochamowitz-Endersby Chikhani</li><li>Micah Johnson</li><li>Addison Johnson</li><li>Liv Johnstad</li><li>Teegan Johnstone</li><li>Lucien Juilland-King</li><li>Max Julian</li><li>Charlie Kahane</li><li>Doris Kahler</li><li>Nina Kanavati</li><li>Helen Karnstedt</li><li>Bailey Karraker</li><li>Skye Karsh</li><li>Dylan Kay</li><li>Catherine Kaynor</li><li>Henry Kelty</li><li>Rachel Kennedy</li><li>Caleb Kennedy</li><li>John Kerklo</li><li>Riley Kerstiens</li><li>Ella Kest</li><li>Amy Kibort</li><li>Meika Kinsey</li><li>Avery Kissinger</li><li>Ava Klein</li><li>Alexa Kofman</li><li>Jon Kolvereid</li><li>Colton Kominski</li><li>Ella Komo</li><li>Cecilia Konrad</li><li>Rian Korb</li><li>Jess Kotmel</li><li>Ava Kozlak</li><li>Sydney Kraabel</li><li>Ella Krelovich</li><li>Juliana Kirgsman</li><li>Katie Krochalis</li><li>Simone Kruger</li><li>Remi Krupinski</li><li>Maria Kuhn</li><li>Viktoriya Kukarekina</li><li>Avery Kunkel</li></ul></div><div class="col ucb-column"><ul class="list-style-underline"><li>Brayden Kurzawa</li><li>Genevieve Kuykendall</li><li>Emily Kwon</li><li>Amy Labontu</li><li>Genevieve Lacey</li><li>Devin Lafave</li><li>Ella LaMura</li><li>Gabi Larocque</li><li>Blake Larson</li><li>Maddie Lasker</li><li>Simon Lauritzen</li><li>Emerson Layne</li><li>Nicolai Lazarev</li><li>Alex Lazarou</li><li>Camille Leach</li><li>Lou Leclercq</li><li>Alice Lee</li><li>Chloe Legere</li><li>Peighton Lemp</li><li>Aubrey Leneweaver</li><li>Miles Lerner</li><li>Matt Lerner</li><li>Brian Leuthold</li><li>Sierra Leverich</li><li>ZoĂ« Levitt</li><li>Inga Lexa</li><li>Kara Liguori</li><li>Jasmin Lin</li><li>Ahnnali Lindgren</li><li>Isabelle Lingo</li><li>Mia Lioudis</li><li>Margaret Lipscomb</li><li>Luke Lloyd</li><li>Leif Lomo</li><li>Lauren Lopez</li><li>Deborah Loseke</li><li>Hayes Louden</li><li>Linus Loughry</li><li>Lucy Lu</li><li>Julia Luther</li><li>Julia Maclean</li><li>Scarlett Maguire</li><li>Maxwell Majors</li><li>Devon Malling</li><li>Jon Mani</li><li>Lily Maniotes</li><li>Andrew Manson</li><li>Alexis Manzo</li><li>Nicholas Marcin</li><li>Annaliese Markel</li><li>Moses Markels</li><li>Tyler Markus</li><li>Jackson Martin</li><li>J Martinez</li><li>Eloise Masciola</li><li>Andrew Mason</li><li>Carolyn Mason</li><li>Luca Mastroeni</li><li>Nikki Mastroianni</li><li>Sarah Matarelli</li><li>Cashel Matus</li><li>Kylah McAuliffe</li><li>Finn Mccarthy</li><li>Adri McCarville</li><li>Audrey McClure</li><li>Evan Mccormick</li><li>John Mcdermott</li><li>Lucia Mcgetrick-Dima</li><li>Matthew McGovern</li><li>Madison Mcguire</li><li>Annalise McIntosh</li><li>Grace Mckee</li><li>Delaney Mckernan</li><li>Megan Mckew</li><li>Sydney Mclaughlin</li><li>Abbey McMahon</li><li>Jordan Mcphee</li><li>Margaret McQueen</li><li>Alan Medved</li><li>Yordanos Mehari</li><li>Ava Melen</li><li>Ryan Melson</li><li>Alex Melvin</li><li>Claire Mercer</li><li>Ava Marias</li><li>Tatum Merrill</li><li>Chase Messner</li><li>Olivia Meyers</li><li>Hailey Miller</li><li>Allison Miller</li><li>Channing Miller</li><li>Maggie Miller</li><li>Brooklyn Miller</li><li>Ellen Miller</li><li>Madeline Mims</li><li>Maya Miniati</li><li>Amanda Mitry</li><li>Ella Mobeck</li><li>Hudson Mobley</li><li>Wyatt Moeller</li><li>Ashley Mohrbach</li><li>Jayde Moniz</li><li>Gigi Montgomery</li><li>Justice Montoya</li><li>Emily Moore</li><li>Felipe Moore</li><li>Brianna Morgan</li><li>Ben Morlan</li><li>Adrien Morlet</li><li>Jenna Morley</li><li>Maya Morse</li><li>Mia Mosebrook</li><li>Gabriel Mrochek-Moore</li><li>Ally Murphy</li><li>Rue Murray</li><li>Mason Mutz</li><li>Addie Myers</li><li>Natalie Myslinski</li><li>Hailey Nagel</li><li>Nicholas Nedostup</li><li>Caitlin Neil</li><li>Remi Netupsky</li><li>Corey Neumeier</li><li>Natalie Newmann</li><li>Taylor Nichols</li><li>Taylor Nickerson</li><li>Rebecca Niewood</li><li>Rebecca Nishizawa&nbsp;</li><li>Grayce Norden</li><li>Madeline Northman</li><li>Dulce Nunez</li><li>Lila Nuttle</li><li>Nora O-connor</li><li>Quinn O'donnell</li><li>Rosie O'Farrell</li><li>Aidan O'flynn</li><li>Olivia O'Haver</li><li>Taylor Oldenburg</li><li>Justin Olschewsky</li><li>Annabelle Olson</li><li>Sofia Olsson</li><li>Brinley O'neill</li><li>Alexandra Organa</li><li>Finn O'Riley</li><li>Annika Ort</li><li>Maddie Osterkamp</li><li>Jonathan Ostrom</li><li>Alina Ouligian</li><li>Emmett Owenby</li><li>Izzy Paradiso</li><li>Aly Pardo</li><li>Katy Parks</li><li>Harley Parsons</li><li>Haley Patterson</li><li>Kaya Patterson</li><li>Madelyn Payne</li><li>Trevor Peck</li><li>Ingrid Pehrson</li><li>Izzy Pell</li><li>Lily Pemberton</li><li>Salem Peralta</li><li>Jaclyn Pereira</li><li>Kennedy Perez</li><li>Emma Perlmutter</li><li>Eliza Perry</li><li>Anthony Petro</li><li>Ellie Phillips</li><li>Bell Piccirillo</li><li>Sophia Pike</li><li>Mackenzie Pinksa</li><li>Elizabeth Piper</li><li>Alison Plagge</li><li>Skye Platto</li><li>Lily Podowski</li><li>Sydney Polacek</li><li>Lilly Polak</li><li>Ashley Pomeroy</li><li>Norah Pope</li><li>Phoebe Potischman</li><li>Elle Pottinger</li><li>Dax Prata</li><li>Bradley Pratt</li><li>Jamie Pressdee</li><li>Ingrid Preusser</li><li>Addisson Pribble</li><li>Trevor Price</li><li>Elle Price</li><li>Christina Proctor</li><li>Mackenna Proffitt</li><li>Sutton Raeburn</li><li>Samantha Ramirez</li><li>Lia Rapka</li><li>Stella Ratto</li><li>Maya Raulf</li><li>Nick Rauscher</li><li>Madelyn Ray</li></ul></div><div class="col ucb-column"><ul class="list-style-underline"><li>Quentin Rebholtz</li><li>Molly Reed</li><li>Jenna Reed</li><li>Hailey Reed</li><li>Anna Rehak</li><li>Sebastian Reid</li><li>Jack Remington</li><li>Ella Revivo</li><li>Grace Rhile</li><li>Brody Rhodes</li><li>Peyton Rhodes</li><li>Conner Richardson</li><li>Mesa Ridgik</li><li>Katie Ridgway</li><li>Peri Riegner</li><li>Maire Riley</li><li>Tessa Ring</li><li>Jack Rittinger</li><li>Jackie Rivera</li><li>Eliza Roberts</li><li>Michael Robinson</li><li>Sarah Robinson</li><li>Kate Rogers</li><li>Laura Rogers</li><li>Aly Rosado</li><li>Jenna Rose</li><li>Sierra Rosen</li><li>Alison Rosenbaum</li><li>Eli Rosenthal</li><li>Sierra Rossman</li><li>Jane Roth</li><li>Taylor Roth</li><li>Giova Rubenstein</li><li>Sophie Rubinstein</li><li>Reagan Russell</li><li>Sam Russo</li><li>Niamh Ryan</li><li>Danni Sackstein</li><li>Brooklyn Sadler</li><li>Sosan Safi</li><li>Ana Salazar-Terrazas</li><li>Joaquin Salinas</li><li>Eloisa Samper</li><li>Kevin Sanchez</li><li>Yahir de Jesus Sanchez Diaz</li><li>Carson Sanders</li><li>Lydia Sarbacker</li><li>Melanie Scanlon</li><li>Kate Schaefer</li><li>Stephanie Schmitt</li><li>Addie Schneider</li><li>Jaimie Schoenke</li><li>Holly Schofield</li><li>Sydney Schrader</li><li>Teagan Schreiber</li><li>Ben Schweiger</li><li>Paige Searl</li><li>Ella Seevers</li><li>Iris Serrano</li><li>Olivia Shachtman</li><li>Krish Shah</li><li>Ava Shanrock</li><li>Red Shaw</li><li>Natalie Sheehan</li><li>Charlee Sheinbaum</li><li>Jenna Shenbaum</li><li>Daniel Sher</li><li>Ryan Shigley</li><li>Lauren Shindler</li><li>Zoe Showalter-Flowers</li><li>Anika Siethoff</li><li>Matthew Silver</li><li>Diego Simental</li><li>Finley Simon</li><li>Gannett Simonton</li><li>Nathaniel Sindt</li><li>Zachary Sirkus</li><li>Mac Skudlarczyk</li><li>Marie Slotnick</li><li>Ryan Smith</li><li>Shaun Smith</li><li>Lucy Snow</li><li>Sevi Solari</li><li>Jade Solomine</li><li>Noel Sookswat</li><li>Simon Spillane</li><li>Samantha Spiwak</li><li>Maria Splawska</li><li>Sydney Spoor</li><li>Jaden Spriggins</li><li>Lindsey Stafford</li><li>Bella Stamper</li><li>Kaeden Stander</li><li>Caidin Steele</li><li>Cece Steer</li><li>Evan Stellino</li><li>Cole Stephan</li><li>Ariele Stern</li><li>Brendan Stewart</li><li>Zoe Stillman</li><li>Braden Stirrett</li><li>Anna Stout</li><li>Mary Strasser</li><li>Ava Strauss</li><li>Xander Sucich</li><li>Elizabeth Suffian</li><li>Lucy Suja</li><li>Clara Sullivan</li><li>Olivia Sullivan</li><li>Aoife Sullivan</li><li>Dennis Swanson</li><li>Livi Sweeterman</li><li>Maddy Sweig</li><li>Sadie Symonds</li><li>Ava Tabor</li><li>Willow Tachna</li><li>Ben Tal</li><li>Rueben Tasler</li><li>Tyler Tatman</li><li>Owen Taylor</li><li>Sarah Taylor</li><li>Cecelia Tecu</li><li>Angela Testani</li><li>Kaira Theisen</li><li>Tyler Thime</li><li>Channing Thomson</li><li>Ella Threlkeld</li><li>Tyler Tigerino</li><li>Kalyn Tippett</li><li>Grace Toomey</li><li>Zohair Toor</li><li>Clio Torrance</li><li>Alexa Tovar</li><li>Hendley Tracy</li><li>Eduardo Trejo Trinidad</li><li>Ricky Tuka</li><li>Jack Turpin</li><li>Caroline Valdes</li><li>Kade Van Steenvort</li><li>Maya Vanvleet</li><li>Kennedie Vargas</li><li>Gia Vasilopoulos&nbsp;</li><li>Maddie Veasey</li><li>Sophie Vertrees</li><li>Bianca Villordo Rosado</li><li>Saanvi Vookanti</li><li>Laurel Vose</li><li>Maya Vu</li><li>Fiona Wachter</li><li>Nick Walker</li><li>Chloe Walsh</li><li>Dylan Walsh</li><li>Halle Walters</li><li>Evie Warner</li><li>Leighton Warner</li><li>Kadyn Warner</li><li>Ryder Watkins</li><li>Greta Wattson</li><li>Ellery Weil</li><li>Hannah Weimer</li><li>Nicole Weis</li><li>Grace Westling</li><li>Ryder Weston</li><li>Kobie Weterrings</li><li>Annabelle Whitaker</li><li>Ella Whittall</li><li>Ella Wilkins</li><li>Samantha Wilkins</li><li>Triny Willerton</li><li>Charlotte Willey</li><li>Jackson Williams</li><li>Abigail Williams</li><li>Molly Williamson</li><li>Ranney Willis</li><li>Piper Wills</li><li>Holly Wininger</li><li>Emma Winkelbauer</li><li>Kaitlyn Winkelmann</li><li>Mia Winstead</li><li>Chloe Wolfram</li><li>Eva Woodruff-Stern</li><li>Grace Wymore</li><li>Jackie Wynne</li><li>Maggie Yalmokas</li><li>Indira Yantorno</li><li>Genevieve York</li><li>Ryleigh Young</li><li>Hannah Young</li><li>Lily Young-Stallings</li><li>Laurel Yule&nbsp;</li><li>Madison Zelibor</li><li>Elsie Zerega</li><li>Zengyi Zhai</li><li>Emily Zhou</li><li>Devon Zisser</li><li>Tatum Zrubek</li></ul></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>More than 700 CMDI students were named to the dean's list for the spring semester.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-11/Flatirons%20in%20the%20summer%20with%20morning%20light_Kimberly%20Coffin_Fall%202025-11.jpg?itok=nbVIic7N" width="1500" height="1002" alt="Flatirons in the summer with morning light"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 20 May 2026 16:52:41 +0000 Ellie Chase 1379 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/05/18/shack-vole <span>Shack-a-vole</span> <span><span>Jayden Fortner</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-05-18T09:37:23-06:00" title="Monday, May 18, 2026 - 09:37">Mon, 05/18/2026 - 09:37</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-05/Voleterra_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202026-74_0.jpg?h=5e08a8b6&amp;itok=k-Q0pHxh" width="1200" height="800" alt="team "> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/24"> Features </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> </div> <span>Hannah Stewart</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p dir="ltr"><span>Voles can be affectionate, monogamous creatures, which makes them great research subjects to study bonding behaviors like loss and grief. They’re also diggers, which makes them difficult to study in the wild.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>So, how could CU Âé¶čÓ°Ôș researchers study neuroscience in nature without voles running loose all over campus? They brought on students in the environmental design department at the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information.</span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-05/Voleterra_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202026-53.jpg?itok=FuVFh8ly" width="750" height="501" alt="Student helping with voleterra costruction"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Over the course of two semesters, Voleterra students designed and constructed a research site on CU's East Campus, gaining valuable hands-on experience. <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>“If you told me undergrads were going to build a research station, I would have said, ‘that’s cute.’ But I am so impressed with what they’ve been able to do,” said&nbsp;</span><a href="/psych-neuro/zoe-donaldson" rel="nofollow"><span>Zoe Donaldson</span></a><span>, the lead researcher on the project.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Did it need to be done this way? No. Is it a much better educational experience for students to work on something that has real-world implications and applications? Absolutely. What’s the point of having a university if we're not training students to go out and ultimately add something beneficial to the world?”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Donaldson, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who studies behavior and neuroscience, and her team initially approached the campus architect for help developing the site. That led to a connection with&nbsp;</span><a href="/cmdi/marcel-de-lange" rel="nofollow"><span>Marcel de Lange</span></a><span> and&nbsp;</span><a href="/cmdi/jared-arp" rel="nofollow"><span>Jared Arp</span></a><span>, two faculty members in environmental design.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I think it shows the university values what we do and the knowledge the students have,” Arp said. "Now they have a really deep, genuine understanding of where theory and application meet, where that conflict is—and how to resolve it in the field on the fly.”</span></p><h3><span>A space for neuroscience in nature</span></h3><p dir="ltr"><span>Students who took the course said they came to environmental design for the chance to get hands-on experience and develop their technical skills. The voles project—dubbed Voleterra—had the added benefit of emulating what it would be like to work in the real world.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“So many times people focus on the abstract and the computer side of things, and they don't really understand how things fit together,” said Mati Merten, a senior studying environmental products of design who’s been with the project since the beginning.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Voleterra began as a studio class in spring 2025, in which students designed, pitched and ultimately built a 528-square-foot structure. But the biggest challenge wasn’t figuring out how to construct a building on a tight budget. Instead, it was ensuring their proposal met the standards of CU’s Design Review Board.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“They would send us back our proposals marked up with feedback and everything that needed to change. Then I would go through the building codes to figure out how to make it all work,” said Remi Daniel (EnvDes’25), a recent architecture graduate who was on the team last year.&nbsp;</span></p> <div class="align-left image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-05/Voleterra_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202026-69_0.jpg?itok=3Wi6IFH_" width="750" height="501" alt="student drilling beam"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Students on the Voleterra project not only got to design for real-life clients, but they also got the chance to build the structure CU researchers would use to study voles. <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Eventually, Daniel—now a master’s student in architecture at the University of Virginia—and another student led their formal presentation approved by the board.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Those delays, plus wintry weather last spring, meant students were late in breaking ground, though many stuck around throughout the summer to make up for lost time. This spring, Voleterra students focused on outfitting the interiors of the buildings, ensuring the office and laboratory spaces were both functional.&nbsp;</span></p><h3><span>Skill(ed) building</span></h3><p dir="ltr"><span>For repeat students, the project also provided the opportunity to develop leadership skills.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I’ve never seen myself as a teacher, but I've taken a bit of a step back so I can share my experience and show new students how to do anything,” Merten said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Daniel, meanwhile, said being involved in everything from drafting designs to pouring concrete has helped her make better connections between theory and practice as a graduate student.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That included the give-and-take between students and the board.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The fact that it took us the whole first semester to break ground was very eye-opening for the students working through that process,” Arp said.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“If we were to repeat this, I think we would work within a different building system or framework. Everyone understands this was super valuable for the students, so we need to find a way to create more opportunities like it.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The students were just as excited about the opportunity.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“This will go into my portfolio as something that shows I have some experience with interior design,” said Nico Ross, a junior studying EPOD who joined Voleterra this spring. “And it also demonstrates my ability to work with a team, including subdividing and delegating tasks.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>He said the process taught him everything from how to integrate client feedback into the design process, to being creative on a tight budget, to technical skills like cutting metal railing for wall panels.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>But more than anything, he said, it was fulfilling to be part of a project with purpose.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“It's cool that this is a real client project,” Ross said. “But it’s valuable because we're doing this, not just for them as individuals, but for our school and allowing them to do research.”</span></p> <div class="imageMediaStyle wide_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/wide_image_style/public/2026-05/Voleterra_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202026-73%20-%20Edited%20-%20Edited.jpg?h=75b5e3b9&amp;itok=ByU3wdiJ" width="1500" height="563" alt="no roof"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Environmental design students studying architecture, environmental products of design and even landscape architecture all participated in building Voleterra, a research site to study "neuroscience in nature." <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><hr><p><em><span>Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.</span></em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Students designed and built a pop-up lab so researchers from the psychology and neuroscience department can help voles find love—and study their behaviors.<br> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 18 May 2026 15:37:23 +0000 Jayden Fortner 1376 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/29/jail-blazers-how-reporters-tenacity-changing-laws-around-pregnancy-behind-bars <span>Jail blazers: How reporters’ tenacity is changing laws around pregnancy behind bars</span> <span><span>Ellie Chase</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-29T10:54:05-06:00" title="Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - 10:54">Wed, 04/29/2026 - 10:54</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/AdobeStock_462248560.jpeg?h=ef225a50&amp;itok=6xdY022y" width="1200" height="800" alt="jail cell nakkula band"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/24"> Features </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">Journalism</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/108" hreflang="en">Nakkula</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/189" hreflang="en">faculty</a> </div> <span>Ellie Chase</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p dir="ltr"><span>When Mackenzie Mays stumbled across a lawsuit about a woman forced to give birth in jail, she had no idea the systemic failure and tragedy she was about to uncover.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In a yearlong investigation, Mays, a Bloomberg Law reporter, and NBC News journalist Jon Schuppe uncovered 54 lawsuits from women and their families alleging severe mistreatment or medical neglect in jails.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The response to </span><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/pregnancy-behind-bars-proves-deadly-for-women-and-their-babies" rel="nofollow"><span>their story</span></a><span> was swift: Officials at the federal and state level—including lawmakers in eight states—have proposed laws or pledged legislation to prevent more cases of neglect and mistreatment.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“This is part of a system that does not work for women who are pregnant in jail, even though there are court rulings and standards of care that should be preventing it from happening,” Schuppe said.&nbsp;</span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-04/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29.png?itok=PUojFIZm" width="750" height="506" alt="Mays and Schuppe Headshots"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em><span>Mackenzie Mays, left, and Jon Schuppe, right. Photos provided by Mays and Schuppe.</span></em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Mays and Schuppe’s in-depth research and tenacious investigative reporting was recognized this spring with the </span><a href="/cmdi/thenakaward" rel="nofollow"><span>Al Nakkula Award for Police Reporting</span></a><span>, awarded by the journalism department of CU Âé¶čÓ°Ôș’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information and the Denver Press Club.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Luige del Puerto, editor of the Denver Gazette and this year’s guest judge, said the reporters made clear that no one should give birth in jail, without ignoring the choices that put these women behind bars.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The women in this story are not portrayed as angels. They had problems—drugs, DUI or, in the case of Chasity Congious, a schizoaffective disorder along with developmental disabilities,” del Puerto said. “Whether she belonged in jail is the wrong question. For their sins, their babies paid the price.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The babies survived in only 21 of the 54 cases examined by the reporters, and two mothers died. Most of the women had been arrested on low-level, nonviolent charges, and told the reporters their medical concerns were dismissed by correctional workers in emergency healthcare situations.</span></p><h3>Reliving ‘the worst days of their lives’</h3><p dir="ltr"><span>The Nakkula judges were impressed by the reporters’ determination to ensure the women behind every case were able to tell their stories.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“We were asking them to relive the worst day of their lives,” Mays said. “It was very important to us to make sure we told every single woman’s story.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Building that kind of trust took time: Mays accompanied one woman as she went through her daily routine, attending nail appointments and family meals. Schuppe sent handwritten letters to contact a woman who, in recovered body camera footage, writhed on the floor of a jail cell as her cries for help were ignored.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I was so impressed with the resilience of women and mothers. The survival instincts of some of these women is incredible,” Mays said. “People chewed through umbilical cords. People found ways to survive and do CPR on their babies that were born into toilets.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“That’s what really stuck with me at the end of it—not only did they try to survive, they believed in that fight enough to sue, and then relive it to share it with us.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>As part of their reporting, Mays and Schuppe created a public database so readers and policymakers could learn more about each woman’s story and identify cases that happened in their own states.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The story was published in late November, but already there are signs of its potential impact. Lawmakers from California to Louisiana are exploring policies designed to protect mothers and infants, such as keeping pregnant women accused of nonviolent offenses out of jail during pretrial proceedings.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In 2023, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove introduced the Pregnant Women in Custody Act in Congress. Mays and Schuppe said she plans to bring a new version of the bill to the floor following their story; the measure would require federal data collection on pregnancies in jails and teaching corrections staff about the risks faced by pregnant detainees.&nbsp;</span></p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="lead"><span>“There are very few</span><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-right fa-3x fa-pull-right ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i><span>&nbsp;concrete aspects of impact that you can point to that are more important than having a law changed. It’s very rewarding to have that kind of work being done because of the journalism we do.”&nbsp;</span><br><span>Jon Schuppe, NBC News</span></p></div></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>Schuppe said the chance to see that impact, after a year spent chasing the story, has been gratifying.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“There are very few concrete aspects of impact that you can point to that are more important than having a law changed,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to have that kind of work being done because of the journalism we do.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Their passion for change, and tenacious reporting, reflected the legacy of late&nbsp;Rocky Mountain News reporter Al Nakkula, whose legendary police reporting is honored through the award.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“He was a real dogged reporter, and so in the tradition of Al Nakkula, we really try to honor newsrooms or projects that are in his spirit—doing reporting that takes a lot of work,” said contest judge </span><a href="/cmdi/people/journalism/chuck-plunkett" rel="nofollow"><span>Chuck Plunkett</span></a><span>, assistant teaching professor of </span><a href="/cmdi/academics/journalism" rel="nofollow"><span>journalism</span></a><span> and director of </span><a href="/initiative/newscorps/" rel="nofollow"><span>CU News Corps</span></a><span>, the capstone journalism program at CMDI.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“We want to see really great journalism that has the potential to change things. We really value impact.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That emphasis on impact can also be seen in </span><a href="https://veritenews.org/2025/03/11/louisiana-jimmie-duncan-bite-mark-analysis-death-row-junk-science/" rel="nofollow"><span>this year’s runner up</span></a><span>, which went to Richard Webster, of Verite News, in collaboration with ProPublica. Webster’s reporting helped nullify a first-degree murder conviction for a man accused of raping, biting and drowning a child; he had been found guilty nearly three decades ago based on expert testimony that was dismissed as junk science.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Each year, Nakkula contest judges look for stories that meet the highest journalistic standards, help readers understand complex issues and solutions, show a commitment to community, and bring about societal change. The award has been presented annually since 1991.</span></p><hr><p dir="ltr"><em><span>Ellie Chase is studying journalism at CMDI, with a minor in business. She covers students and student news at the college.</span></em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Following a yearlong investigation into healthcare for pregnant women in prison, reporting by Mackenzie Mays and Jon Schuppe is drawing attention from lawmakers—and judges for the Al Nakkula Award for Police Reporting. <br> <br> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-04/AdobeStock_462248560.jpeg?itok=pvt6j6qp" width="1500" height="1001" alt="jail cell nakkula band"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:54:05 +0000 Ellie Chase 1367 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/24/trust-process <span>Trust the process</span> <span><span>Joe Arney</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-24T11:02:14-06:00" title="Friday, April 24, 2026 - 11:02">Fri, 04/24/2026 - 11:02</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/2026.04.24%20UGWU-COMM%20lede.jpg?h=7156df93&amp;itok=O_E2Of4Y" width="1200" height="800" alt="A man poses during a light snowstorm on campus."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/10" hreflang="en">APRD</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/28" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/291" hreflang="en">graduation</a> </div> <span>Joe Arney</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-center image_style-original_image_size"> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2026-04/2026.04.24%20UGWU-COMM%20lede.jpg?itok=8ATT9Hf7" width="4240" height="2385" alt="A man poses during a light snowstorm on campus."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Henry Ugwu was managing communications for the Nigerian government’s pandemic response when he realized he needed more experience. That led him to CMDI and its PhD in strategic communication. <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> </div> <p>It was while managing the Nigerian government’s pandemic-related communication campaign that <a href="/cmdi/people/graduate-students/advertising-public-relations-and-media-design/henry-ugwu" rel="nofollow">Henry Ugwu</a> realized he needed more experience.</p><p>“I was all of 25 years old, running meetings with ministers and governors, and trying to guide them on what to do,” said Ugwu, who was the technical communications lead on the project. “That’s when I realized I had to up my game.”</p><p>To be fair, Ugwu’s game was already highly leveled when he arrived at CU Âé¶čÓ°Ôș. Most notably, he was a senior communications specialist with Credo Advisory—with offices in Nigeria and Washington, D.C.—where he worked on clients such as World Bank and the US Agency for International Development; he also was a youth fellow at the International Monetary Fund.</p><p>But coming to the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information for his PhD in <a href="/cmdi/academics/advertising-pr-and-design" rel="nofollow">strategic communication</a> gave him a theoretical grounding that he said has dovetailed nicely with the practical skills he developed in his professional career. It was still an adjustment for Ugwu to find himself in a classroom, though.</p><p>“The industry is all about immediate results—you run a campaign, you see the data in real time, you see the impact of the work you’re doing and behaviors you’re helping to change,” he said. “Now, I apply theories to explain the phenomena of what happens in the field.</p><p>“My first semester was a bit of a learning curve, with a lot of reading to do. But I love the academic research side of things, where I explore varying topics, make a hypothesis, test it and try to publish it.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h3>An early advisor connection</h3><p>Ugwu credited his advisor, <a href="/cmdi/people/advertising-public-relations-and-media-design/jolene-fisher" rel="nofollow">Jolene Fisher</a>, with helping his maturation as a student and researcher. In fact, he already knew of Fisher—an expert in <a href="/cmdi/academics/advertising-pr-and-design" rel="nofollow">strategic communication</a> for development work and social change—from his career.</p><p>“My first introduction to Jolene was through her incredible work, and when I reached out to her to learn more, she could not have been more encouraging and personable,” he said. “I came here with all these broad ideas, and Jolene really helped me narrow things down. She has been extremely instrumental in my success as a researcher.”</p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2026-04/2026.04.24%20UGWU%20fisher-mug.jpg?itok=xhkM9vrN" width="375" height="375" alt="Headshot of Jolene Fisher"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text text-align-right">Jolene Fisher</p> </span> </div> <p>Fisher still remembers the Zoom call she took with Ugwu as he was exploring doctoral programs.</p><p>“I couldn’t believe, after doing so much research in international development and communication, that I might finally have a student who was just as into this work,” she said.</p><p>Ugwu’s work is tailor-made for the crisis development organizations are navigating. His broad interests encompass public relations, health communications and development communications; his dissertation explores issues of trust that multilateral development organizations like USAID and the United Nations are facing at a time of cutbacks and intense scrutiny of their work.</p><p>“The legitimacy of organizations like the World Bank and the UN is coming from critics who say that, since they’ve been established, they haven’t met their missions of driving development and eradicating poverty,” Ugwu said, noting the significant positive impact such organizations have had in addressing the world’s most complex issues. “But it’s important to examine the impact and relevance of these organizations from the perspective of communications professionals who are managing this emerging crisis.”</p><p>One thing he’s interested in, for instance, is localization—involving stakeholders in a solution, rather than prescribing answers from faraway places.</p><p>“It’s listening to what the needs are and having people at the grassroots lead in identifying and working toward solutions,” Ugwu said. “This kind of work is important to anyone working on communications in global health or in international development.”</p><p>There is extensive scholarly work on development communication, but Fisher said Ugwu’s work represents a novel approach in thinking about how these kinds of relationships are created and managed through the lens of public relations.</p><p>As seismic shifts test those partnerships and strain resources, “it’s more important than ever to understand how we think about who holds the power to make decisions about development projects,” she said. “And his fieldwork really helps him see these challenges and bring them to life for the students in his classes, who may not appreciate the different places their strategic communication education can take them.”</p><h3>Combining work experience, research insights</h3><p>The chance to bring the observations from his life and work in Nigeria to the field was a key reason Ugwu was excited about doing a PhD.</p><p>“I think it’s a great opportunity to contribute to revisiting, and maybe improving, some existing theories—or potentially developing a new one,” he said.</p> <div class="align-center image_style-original_image_size"> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2026-04/2026.04.24%20UGWU-COMM%20offlede.jpg?itok=Yi0d5N7d" width="4234" height="2381" alt="Henry Ugwu leads a class discussion"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Henry Ugwu’s work in the field ‘really helps him see these challenges and bring them to life for the students in his classes,’ says his advisor, Jolene Fisher. <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Ugwu hopes to research and teach in academia—he recently won a Graduate Part-Time Instructors Teaching Excellence award from the Graduate School and a research and academic achievement award from CMDI—but plans to keep active in industry so that he’s able to bring trends and insights to his students. He shared the story of fueling up his car during the worst of COVID and overhearing a conversation where a woman claimed the disease wasn’t real, in spite of all Ugwu and his team were doing to change behavior and ensure positive health outcomes for residents.</p><p>“That was hard to hear—despite being aware of such skeptics from our polling data—but it forced us to change our approach, which had been really high-level communications,” he said. “We realized we needed more grassroots engagement to complement what we were doing on radio, television and social media.</p><p>“Conducting research that helps people better understand the scale of the problem was fulfilling. And that’s something I want to be able to offer to students—because there are some lessons that you can really only learn from being out there and doing the work.”</p><hr><p><em>Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-black"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="text-align-center"><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-large" href="/cmdi/graduation/2026" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents"><i class="fa-solid fa-graduation-cap">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;Celebrating the Class of 2026</span></a></p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The transition from industry to PhD work was an adjustment for Henry Ugwu when he arrived at CMDI. Learning new perspectives helped him create novel research on trust. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <a href="/cmdinow/2026graduation" hreflang="en">2026 Graduation Celebration</a> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:02:14 +0000 Joe Arney 1366 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/20/giving-flowers-introducing-cmdis-outstanding-spring-graduate <span>Giving flowers: Introducing CMDI’s outstanding spring graduate</span> <span><span>Joe Arney</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-20T15:46:49-06:00" title="Monday, April 20, 2026 - 15:46">Mon, 04/20/2026 - 15:46</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/2026.04.20%20LOPEZ-LEDE-2.jpg?h=f0e6b76b&amp;itok=qeK_Cfmw" width="1200" height="800" alt="A woman in a black dress in front of a buffalo statue and some mountains."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/16" hreflang="en">Communication</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/291" hreflang="en">graduation</a> </div> <span>Hannah Stewart</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Until she took a class in human resources as a high school student, Lauren Lopez was pretty sure she was going to become either a florist or a welder.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-04/2026.04.20%20LOPEZ-LEDE-2.jpg?itok=Uq1n5x_q" width="750" height="1123" alt="A woman in a black dress in front of a buffalo statue and some mountains."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">‘CMDI makes it really easy to choose your own path, which I really love,’ says Lauren Lopez, who graduates this spring with both the William W. White Outstanding Graduate Award and as the outstanding senior in the communication major. <em>Photo by Kimberly Coffin.</em></p> </span> </div> <p>By the time she completed that class—offered through a partnership between her high school and Austin Community College, in Texas—she knew she wanted to make a living in HR.</p><p>She’s now one step closer to that dream as she graduates from CU Âé¶čÓ°Ôș’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information with a degree in <a href="/cmdi/academics/communication" rel="nofollow">communication</a>, and as the college’s top student.</p><p>“CMDI makes it really easy to choose your own path, which I really love,” she said. “I've always been able to do the classes I want to do, and I think that's really built my experience here.”</p><p>Each year, the CMDI student with the highest GPA receives the William W. White Outstanding Graduate Award. On top of that, Lopez graduates as the outstanding senior in the communication department, an honor that recognizes students based on academics, professional achievement and service to the college.</p><p>Rarely is a graduate recognized at both levels, but it’s hardly surprising, considering how engaged Lopez has been. On top of graduating early, she will walk with two minors—in sociology and leadership studies—completed an honors thesis and held four on-campus jobs, including one as a CMDI ambassador.</p><p>Christi Wade, who supervises ambassadors as the college’s student recruitment program manager, said Lopez made an incredible impression right from her initial interview.</p><p>“She brings a positive attitude and smile to every interaction with prospective students, and will be greatly missed on our team,” Wade said.</p><h3>Leaving a legacy</h3><p>Lopez said she loves her roles as an ambassador and as a peer mentor with the Office of Precollege Outreach and Engagement. Both programs, she said, offer the opportunity to make an impact by leaving a legacy for future students while extending her community. Thanks to her communication and leadership classes, she feels prepared to serve and guide her peers, whether by providing coaching on a resume or advising prospective students on choosing a major.</p><p>Her biggest piece of advice is to do the best you can. Lopez said it’s easy to feel burned out, especially when juggling a lot of classes and other responsibilities, but staying curious and putting in the effort pays off. It’s how her honors thesis came together.</p><p>“I’ve heard a lot of things in college about intimate partner sexual assault, and I think it’s really important to talk about,” she said. “And then I read <em>Everybody Lies</em>, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. He basically says people lie on surveys. I thought, ‘That's amazing, I want to do exactly that, but with this topic.’”</p><p>So Lopez turned to Reddit—where she assumed people would be more candid, since the platform is largely anonymous—ultimately analyzing 300 posts and identifying themes. She presented her findings to her thesis committee, which recommended she receive summa cum laude honors.</p><p>“We were all impressed with her study,” said <a href="/cmdi/people/communication/joelle-cruz" rel="nofollow">JoĂ«lle Cruz</a>, an associate professor of communication and Lopez’s thesis advisor. “Between the amount of the data and type of data, Lauren’s thesis had a level of sophistication I've rarely seen for an undergraduate student. She is so hardworking and it was a pleasure to work with her on it.”</p><p>Lopez said she loved the thesis experience—and all of her time at college—and though she’s certain she’ll miss the learning environment CMDI cultivates, she’s excited for what’s next. In her case, it’s a role with the HR team at local marketing firm Âé¶čÓ°Ôș Heavy Industries.</p><p>“Graduating college is such a privilege—I’m so grateful, and I hope I’ve made my family proud,” she said. “CU has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I love the university and the city, and I’m excited to stay in Âé¶čÓ°Ôș after graduation and keep cheering on my fellow Buffs as an alum.”</p><hr><p><em>Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-black"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="text-align-center"><a class="ucb-link-button ucb-link-button-gold ucb-link-button-default ucb-link-button-large" href="/cmdi/graduation/2026" rel="nofollow"><span class="ucb-link-button-contents"><i class="fa-solid fa-graduation-cap">&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;Celebrating the Class of 2026</span></a></p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Lauren Lopez is graduating a year early after holding four on-campus jobs and completing an honors thesis, in addition to her academic accolades.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:46:49 +0000 Joe Arney 1363 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/15/apart-heard <span>Apart from the heard</span> <span><span>Hannah Stewart</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-15T16:00:53-06:00" title="Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - 16:00">Wed, 04/15/2026 - 16:00</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/Vann%20thumbnail.jpg?h=cc872d96&amp;itok=095d3T7E" width="1200" height="800" alt="Brook Vann posing next to artwork"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/50" hreflang="en">Critical Media Practices</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/26" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/28" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <span>Hannah Stewart</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p dir="ltr"><span>Brook Vann has long been interested in sound as a tool for both data analysis and digital storytelling.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I have some really fond memories of having story time and having something read aloud,” Vann, a PhD candidate in media production, said. And they’re particularly interested in how the accessibility of sound can help a story better resonate with an audience.</span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2026-04/Brook%20Van-circle.png?itok=d4EaDy6K" width="375" height="375" alt="Brook Vann posing next to artwork"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="text-align-right small-text"><span>Brook Vann curating an art show at D.D.D.D., in New York. </span><em><span>Photo courtesy of Brook Vann.</span></em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>“If your car is making a strange noise, you don’t have to be a trained musician to think about whether something is wrong with it,” they said. “And sound can help make sense of data that might otherwise be impalpable—it allows for a certain viscerality.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Visceral is a good word for two research projects Vann has collaborated on—the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting and a eugenics campaign North Carolina embarked on a century ago. They said they are motivated to research heavy topics because they believe it’s important to be curious and talk about difficult things. Creative work, they said, brings stories to the public in a digestible way, and inspires a sense of curiosity in viewers—which is even more powerful when that audience is students.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I get to teach undergraduates why media is important, and how and why you should engage with it,” Vann said. “I love talking to students about their intentions with the project versus how their peers interpreted it. And that’s where my creative practice comes in because I can share my own experiences working through a project and how I can be certain my audience receives the message I intend.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>It was this passion for teaching that led them to be one of six graduate students who represented the college at last year’s Institute on Teaching and Mentoring Conference, in Atlanta. Vann said it was a great opportunity to not only represent the college, but to also network with scholars from different fields, thus gaining new perspectives.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Their advisor,&nbsp;</span><a href="/cmdi/people/critical-media-practices/betsey-biggs" rel="nofollow"><span>Betsey Biggs</span></a><span>, an assistant professor who’s working with them on the Pulse project, said Vann’s perspectives are a reason for their success.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“They are willing to bring a lot of different fields together, such as sound studies, gender studies, music, art, cultural theory, materiality and so on,” Biggs said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Pulse team created a 24/7 web broadcast made up of eight individual audio channels. Alone, the channels are abstract, at times eerie and disjointed. For the full experience, users must listen with other participants, each using their own mobile device, in the same setting.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The inspiration for the project was a graffiti wall at the site of the shooting, where survivors and allies left messages in remembrance of the victims. The wall was recently torn down; in contrast, Vann and the team hope to further develop the memorial, expanding the eight channels to 49—one for each victim of the shooting—and integrating voices into the broadcast stream.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“With the graffiti wall, you could see messages, but then they faded with time and new messages,” Vann said. “By allowing the community to contribute, it won’t have an end point—it will continue to be a space that holds memory and grief.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Community engagement is something that’s always been important to me and has been a big part of the research and work I’ve done here at CMDI.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>And their research has taken them beyond Âé¶čÓ°Ôș. Last summer, Vann was a research fellow for the Digital Justice Lab, at Dartmouth College, where they worked closely with faculty and data scientists on a project called Eugenic States, which tracks forced sterilizations in North Carolina, Iowa and California. There were thousands of historical documents to sort through—many of which were heavily redacted—that had to be rendered into data points.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>To make sense of the information, Vann created a booklet as well as an interactive digital platform that shows sterilizations filtered by age, assigned sex and county. Depending on the data’s value, the points vary in size and color, and there’s an ambient sound element Vann created to go with the data visualization.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I was inspired by the blue ghost fireflies in North Carolina—when you're far away, they tend to have a green hue, but when you're closer, they look blue,” Vann said. “The counties with smaller numbers of sterilizations have a smaller ring with fewer green layers, while the counties with more sterilizations are blue, have more layers and take up more of the screen.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Vann plans to continue working with the lab after graduating from CMDI in May, helping the Dartmouth team to integrate the interactive platform onto the servers there.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Biggs said their contributions to the college extend far beyond their creative successes.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“They’ve really helped the culture of our department for the graduate students, and so we'll miss them, but we know they're gonna go out and do great things,” she said.</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><hr><p><em><span>Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.</span></em></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>PhD candidate Brook Vann was one of six students to represent CMDI at a national teaching conference last fall. Their research and creative work blends sound with social justice, which makes them a stronger instructor.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:00:53 +0000 Hannah Stewart 1358 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/14/throwing-shade <span>Throwing shade</span> <span><span>Joe Arney</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-14T10:05:36-06:00" title="Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - 10:05">Tue, 04/14/2026 - 10:05</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/2026.04.14%20SHADE-LEDE.jpg?h=1d4c315f&amp;itok=8_cBIn1W" width="1200" height="800" alt="The sun breaks through from behind a building in downtown Denver."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/318" hreflang="en">Community Engagement Design and Research Center</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/28" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/189" hreflang="en">faculty</a> </div> <span>Joe Arney</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>When you’re thinking about urban infrastructure, the first things that come to mind are probably related to transportation, utilities, communications and public services.</p><p>Shade is probably not on that list. But if you’re a mile closer to the sun, as Denver is, it should be, according to an expert in environmental health and urban greenness.</p><p>“As the climate changes, many cities have increased their focus on studying sun exposure,” said <a href="/cmdi/sara-tabatabaie" rel="nofollow">Sara Tabatabaie</a>, an assistant teaching professor of <a href="/envd/" rel="nofollow">environmental design</a>. “But they’re doing so mainly from a heat mitigation standpoint, and not necessarily for skin cancer prevention.”</p><p>Earlier this year, Tabatabaie received a third grant to continue studying how Denver, and other cities, can engage in sun safety planning and shade design to make the outdoors a less hazardous place for your skin. Worldwide, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer; in Colorado, it is a rising problem, per the National Cancer Institute.</p><h3>Creating novel guidelines</h3><p>It’s such a novel consideration for designers and public health officials that Tabatabaie’s work really had to start at the beginning. In the <a href="/cmdi/2024/12/17/creating-shade-building-sun-safe-communities-denver" rel="nofollow">early phases of this project</a>—a partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the <a href="/cedar/" rel="nofollow">Community Engagement, Design and Research Center</a>—she developed an intensive methodology to assess ultraviolet exposure in different urban environments, or typologies. From there, she proposed design guidelines—customized for different public space typologies—to help neighborhoods hit appropriate sun safety thresholds.</p><p>“This work incorporates lived experiences of shade and place into real design guidelines,” she said. To do so effectively, she and student researchers from CEDaR completed extensive surveys—audits, observation, environmental modeling and parametric simulation—to establish design guidelines that could improve UV safety for each typology as the sun moves through the sky during the day.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-04/2026.04.14%20SHADE-tabatabaie_0.jpg?itok=OyYeHYB7" width="1500" height="844" alt="Headshot of Sara Tabatabaie"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>Sara Tabatabaie’s research looks at sun mitigation from the standpoint of UV protection. Other research has mostly focused on heat prevention. </span><em>Photo by Nathan Thompson.</em></p> </span> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-04/2026.04.15%20SHADE-offlede.jpg?itok=Bh7RZtrk" width="1500" height="844" alt="A model showing shade cover in a Âé¶čÓ°Ôș neighborhood."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Project visualizations illustrate the placement of shade structures related to play areas. This one shows shade at Scott Carpenter Park, in Âé¶čÓ°Ôș, in the afternoon.</p> </span> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>The current phase of the project is translating her evidence-based findings into actionable strategies that can guide policy and transform neighborhoods for sun safety. Tabatabaie hopes that, through this work, CDPHE can craft stronger urban forestry initiatives, improve streetscape requirements and invest in neighborhoods that lack sun protection.</p><p>“In this next phase, I’ll be investigating the institutional and political pathways for shade interventions, so we understand how to integrate these findings into urban policies, regulatory codes and planning frameworks,” she said.</p><p>She also plans to perform a cost-benefit analysis of shade.</p><p>“We want to be able to share the cost of implementing shade against the health benefits that shade offers to residents,” she said. “We know cost will be an important consideration for helping people understand the value of introducing shade into these typologies.”</p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2026-04/Jota%20Samper-Website%20circle.png?itok=rEwv7wYG" width="375" height="375" alt="Headshot of Jota Samper"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text text-align-right">Jota Samper</p> </span> </div> <p>In the first phase of the project, the team—Tabatabaie; <a href="/cmdi/jota-samper" rel="nofollow">Jota Samper</a>, associate professor and co-director of CEDaR; and a team of environmental design students—surveyed six different neighborhoods throughout the city to assess shade and sun risk. The orientation of streets, walkability and sidewalk types were shown to directly affect the sun risk index; the survey also revealed neighborhoods with a higher percentage of children provided limited shade—problematic, as children are more susceptible to sun damage than adults.</p><p>“What I found fascinating about Sara is that she took tools that are used in other fields”—like Rhino, a versatile 3D modeling tool, and related applications like Grasshopper and Ladybug—“and applied them to her interest in research,” Samper said. “It was amazing to see how she implemented them not just to measure sun exposure, but to show how different modalities of design could have different impacts, and help us visualize and understand that in a more complex way.”</p><p>The work may seem simple on its face, but there are a number of quirks that become apparent the more you look at shade. Cover from trees, for instance, is variable on windy days and mostly disappears in the winter. Meanwhile, surfaces designed to reflect sunlight, and protect from heat, may reflect those UV rays back at people.</p><p>“Until now, shade thresholds have not been consistently defined across all typologies, which has made it more difficult to design sun-safe places,” Tabatabaie said.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-right fa-3x fa-pull-right ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i>“Community engagement, and using people’s lived experience, is so important in the design process. Because if people don’t believe in the design, they won’t use it.”<br><br>Sara Tabatabaie, assistant teaching professor, environmental design</p></div></div></div><p>All this is happening against the backdrop of cities embracing the outdoors and encouraging residents to spend time outside by investing in parks, multiuse trails and micromobility options. But based on average UV levels in Denver, more than 20 minutes of direct sun exposure is not recommended, especially for fair-skinned people.</p><p>Balancing more time outdoors with more awareness of sun risk is something Tabatabaie takes seriously in her work.</p><p>“Community engagement, and using people’s lived experience, is so important in the design process. Because if people don’t believe in the design, they won’t use it,” she said. “We can’t just design something that looks great. We have to observe how people behave and interact with a design to ensure we’re creating something people want to use.”</p><h3>Student research impact</h3><p>That’s a lesson she imparted to the students working alongside her on the project. Gabby Rodriguez, a senior majoring in landscape architecture, studied urban trail systems to help guide recommendations for that typology.</p><p>“Looking at the climate we live in today demonstrates that smart landscape architecture projects are more needed than ever—especially at a time when everything is changing so rapidly,” said Rodriguez, who hopes to do more public-oriented projects after graduating this spring. “But the challenging part is definitely putting the scientific processes and methodologies into terms that the general public can understand, so you can convey that importance to people.”</p><p>The work is especially important to Rodriguez, who—like many native Coloradans—never turns down an opportunity to be outdoors.</p><p>“It’s exciting to see a project like this come to the surface,” she said. “I loved the opportunity to work with Sara, who is one of the most intelligent people I’ve known and is focused on cultivating a good space to bring design solutions for important problems to light.”</p><p>Tabatabaie’s gift for encouraging her students to become passionate about these issues speaks to her teaching ability, Samper said. &nbsp;</p><p>“The rigor Sara brings to her research really rubs off on her students,” he said. “The students understood the stakes were high, that this was a real client with a serious issue, and that their research was really going to impact policy in Colorado. That elevated the whole output of the students, which was really wonderful.”</p><hr><p><em>Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>More cities are studying ways to mitigate heat from intensely sunny days. One expert is more focused on the dangers posed by UV exposure.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-04/2026.04.14%20SHADE-LEDE.jpg?itok=TfXNYCP3" width="1500" height="844" alt="The sun breaks through from behind a building in downtown Denver."> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:05:36 +0000 Joe Arney 1356 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/04/07/beyond-game <span>Beyond the game</span> <span><span>Joe Arney</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-07T10:03:06-06:00" title="Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - 10:03">Tue, 04/07/2026 - 10:03</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-04/2026.04.07%20hearst-lede.jpg?h=62bd74a1&amp;itok=wvz_D1aX" width="1200" height="800" alt="A male student flips through his notebook in front of a buffalo statue."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">Journalism</a> </div> <span>Iris Serrano</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-center image_style-original_image_size"> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2026-04/2026.04.07%20hearst-lede.jpg?itok=3KWKFS-7" width="6000" height="3136" alt="A male student flips through his notebook in front of a buffalo statue."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Lincoln Roch reviews his notes by the Ralphie statue outside Folsom Field. Despite being a rookie on the sports beat, he captured a prestigious Hearst award for a feature story on fan behavior after the Buffs hosted Brigham Young University in the fall. <em>Photo by Hannah Howell.</em></p> </span> </div> <p>A year and a half ago, Lincoln Roch walked into a Sko Buffs Sports meeting not knowing what a third down was. The story of how he got from there to winning one of the most prestigious awards for collegiate sports writing is a bigger story than any game he has covered.</p><p>In the fall, the Âé¶čÓ°Ôș was fined $50,000 by the Big 12 Conference after hateful and discriminatory language targeting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was chanted from the stands during a football game against Brigham Young University.</p><p>Lincoln Roch, a senior studying <a href="/cmdi/academics/journalism" rel="nofollow">journalism</a> at the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, was sitting in the student section at Folsom Field during the game, and could hear fans shouting derogatory chants. When the fine was announced, he wrote about it before moving on to other news.</p><p>It wasn’t until later that week that Jake Shapiro (Jour’18), his sports practicum professor and advisor of Sko Buffs Sports, encouraged the class to dig deeper and find a new angle about the human impact. Roch searched BuffConnect and found Institute, a campus organization affiliated with the church.</p><p>The group was meeting that night, so he rushed to his apartment to change out of a football jersey and shorts and headed to Wolf Law, hoping someone would talk. When one of the organization’s leaders asked who had been to the game, Lucy Reese raised her hand, and agreed to speak with Roch afterward.</p><p>“That’s where I realized this was way worse than I had thought,” Roch said.</p><p>This was the first of many conversations that reframed the story: Less than a week after the fine was announced, Roch published <a href="https://www.skobuffssports.com/post/slurs-and-harassment-at-byu-game-alienate-mormon-cu-students" rel="nofollow">“Slurs and Harassment at BYU Game Alienate Mormon CU Students,”</a> featuring firsthand accounts from sources who felt alienated or threatened by the behavior during the game. The article won first place in the sports writing competition of the 2025-26 Hearst Journalism Awards Program.</p><p>He credited Shapiro and Harrison Simeon, president and editor-in-chief of Sko Buffs Sports, for pushing him to find a story with deeper meaning and helping him perfect the piece.</p><h3>A willingness to learn</h3><p>“Lincoln joined the club with no sports background whatsoever—he didn’t know what a third down was a year and a half ago,” said Simeon, also a senior in journalism. “But what he did was learn. He's our best journalist, in terms of willingness to learn.”</p><p>The article is the most-viewed story on Sko Buffs Sports, with more than 8,000 views. The story was also shared on X by the assistant athletic director at BYU and the governor of Utah.</p><p>“I’m incredibly proud of the impact it had. It kind of restored my faith to see a lot of dialog between BYU and CU fans in the comments on social media,” Roch said.</p><p>Roch received a $3,000 scholarship for the article and qualifies for the National Writing Championship, in San Francisco, in June, when he has the chance to be one of the top three intercollegiate winners.</p><p>For <a href="/cmdi/people/journalism/vicky-sama" rel="nofollow">Vicky Sama</a>, associate teaching professor and director of student media at CMDI, this recognition comes as no surprise.</p><p>“The Hearst awards are prestigious acknowledgements of student journalism nationwide, so it’s very competitive,” said Sama, whose journalism career included a producer role at CNN and extensive freelance work. “Lincoln shows a lot of promise. He’s going to make the university proud when he graduates.”</p><hr><p><em>Iris Serrano is studying strategic communication and journalism at CMDI. She covers student news and events for the college.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Lincoln Roch took home a first-place award in the Hearst Sports Writing Competition with a powerful story that highlighted the impacts of discriminatory chants at a CU football game.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:03:06 +0000 Joe Arney 1342 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/03/31/good-evening-im-ai-and-your-nightly-news <span>‘Good evening, I’m an A.I., and this is your nightly news’</span> <span><span>Joe Arney</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-03-31T07:40:58-06:00" title="Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 07:40">Tue, 03/31/2026 - 07:40</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-03/2026.03.31%20AI-ANCHORS-lede.jpg?h=86809ad4&amp;itok=zECz9olb" width="1200" height="800" alt="A student presents to an audience in front of a projected graphic showing A.I.-generated people."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">Journalism</a> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/28" hreflang="en">Research</a> </div> <span>Joe Arney</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-center image_style-original_image_size"> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2026-03/2026.03.31%20AI-ANCHORS-lede.jpg?itok=zS2k2C87" width="5400" height="3038" alt="A student presents to an audience in front of a projected graphic showing A.I.-generated people."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Most Americans haven’t yet encountered A.I.-generated news anchors, but the popularity of the technology abroad—and the potential cost savings—mean that’s likely to change, says PhD student Muhammad Ali. Here, he showcases his work at the university’s Three-Minute Thesis competition. <em>Photo by Glenn Asakawa.</em></p> </span> </div> <p>The rigors of pursuing a doctoral degree leave even the most dedicated students occasionally questioning what brought them on this difficult path.</p><p>For <a href="/cmdi/people/graduate-students/journalism/muhammad-ali" rel="nofollow">Muhammad Ali</a>, a PhD student in journalism, motivation is never far from the surface. His father, Malik Sajid Diyal, was killed in 1990 after being the driving force for establishing the first girls’ schools in his conservative Pakistani hometown.</p><p>“My father was a government contractor, he was a social worker—but more than that, he was a person who believed education can transform society,” Ali said. It’s a reason he left a career in public relations behind, seeing education as “not just a way to give information, but a powerful tool for resistance, hope and transformation.”</p><p>“This degree is not just a piece of paper for me. It is a legacy I have to carry forward, and a change I can make to society.”</p><p>As he prepares to graduate this May, Ali’s research work, which explores how news stations are using generative artificial intelligence—especially in on-air broadcasting—is shedding light on an area with enormous implications for how the news is delivered in the future.</p><h3>‘A completely A.I. newsroom’</h3><p>His interest was piqued when he was watching Channel 1, out of Los Angeles, and realized something was a little off about the telecast.</p><p>“It’s a completely A.I. newsroom, where they are producing, disseminating and gathering news content through A.I.,” Ali said. “You could see it if you looked closely at the anchors’ mouths, and some of their gestures.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-03/2026.03.31%20AI-ANCHORS-offlede.jpg?itok=5WYNjnPH" width="1500" height="844" alt="A student presents to an audience in front of a projected graphic showing A.I.-generated people."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">‘A.I. videos are generating views on social media, they’re making money on social media—and the business managers will be paying close attention to that,’ Muhammad Ali says. <em>Photo by Glenn Asakawa.&nbsp;</em></p> </span> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-03/2026.03.31%20AI-ANCHORS-offofflede.jpg?itok=gJNuIhBa" width="1500" height="844" alt="Three people pose with an award in a classroom."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Muhammad Ali, right, accepts a best paper award at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual conference. <em>Photo courtesy Muhammad Ali.</em></p> </span> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>It’s the sort of thing Ali had never seen in American journalism before, but A.I. anchors have been in use throughout Asia and the Middle East, including his native Pakistan, for years, and they’re quickly getting better at mimicking human speaking behaviors.</p><p>“What’s really unknown, especially in the US, is how audiences will react to these changes, and whether they will accept A.I. news presenters,” he said. “It’s one thing for a movie or cartoon, another when it’s the nightly news.”</p><p>Even if you have been following the rise of A.I. journalists and anchors, you may not be aware that stations have required anchors to sign deals giving the company the rights to their faces, to build digital versions that are available day and night, don’t require holidays, health insurance or sick time, and don’t have long commutes.</p><p>You probably have an idea of where this is going, but Ali said A.I. will create new kinds of jobs in journalism without replacing editorial judgment or human curiosity. Stations in Pakistan, for instance, have started employing “prompt managers” who use A.I. to create and refine content for the digital anchors to read.</p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-right fa-3x fa-pull-right ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i>“The influence of technology companies on the news is much more than what we ever expected.”<br><br>Muhammad Ali, journalism</p></div></div></div><p>Even if job displacement is minimal, there are many ethical considerations to moves like this—and given the speed at which A.I. is rolling out in news and elsewhere, research like Ali’s is critical to slowing down and challenging us to ask the right questions about how this technology could change our relationship with the news. &nbsp;</p><p>“If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?” he said. “The organization is requiring the journalist to give his face, but that face doesn’t come with his integrity and objectivity and beliefs. There is real potential for misuse.”</p><p>In fact, he’s finding examples of that already, including authoritarian regimes and terrorist groups that are using A.I. anchors to disseminate misinformation and propaganda in ways that look convincing.</p><h3>A matter of perspective</h3><p>Ali’s advisor, <a href="/cmdi/people/college-leadership/patrick-ferrucci" rel="nofollow">Patrick Ferrucci</a>, said the work is important because there is little scholarship on this topic in western Europe or the United States, where free presses have historically helped journalists push back against these kinds of innovations. And his background—not only growing up in a place where A.I. anchors are more common, but bringing years of leadership and industry experience in public relations—make his perspectives especially valuable, in class and as a researcher.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-original_image_size"> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2026-03/ferrucci-mug.jpg?itok=vbrdWfk9" width="225" height="225" alt="Headshot of Pat Ferrucci"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text text-align-right">Patrick Ferrucci</p> </span> </div> <p>“Journalism here historically fights new technology well past losing that fight,” said Ferrucci, a professor and chair of the <a href="/cmdi/academics/journalism" rel="nofollow">journalism department</a>. “Because of the economics of the news, you can absolutely see A.I. anchors coming to journalism.</p><p>“But I see some of the things A.I. can do and I think, ‘That would have helped me when I was a journalist,’” he added. “Understanding how to use these technologies without making yourself irrelevant is something we talk to our students about, and Ali’s research is really important, especially as the topic is so understudied outside of Asia.”</p><p>The interdisciplinary nature of a CMDI education—where students are encouraged to explore the intersections of different industries and schools of thought, to better uncover innovation—helped Ali bring a tech-oriented perspective to the craft, and business, of journalism.</p><p>“The influence of technology companies on the news is much more than what we ever expected, and means we have to answer for new kinds of biases or hallucinations in the data that aren’t being fact checked,” he said. “And like we’ve heard about in other industries, editorial decisions are being impacted by these technologies, as well.”</p><p>He’s already started to make his mark in academic circles, including earning a best student paper award at the conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Kappa Tau Alpha Award for top student paper.</p><p>Motivated by his father’s memory, Ali is committed to using his PhD—which he expects to complete in May—to teach future generations of students to work with these technologies and become smart consumers of news who are aware of A.I.’s inroads into the nightly news.</p><p>Especially because, as he’s found, younger viewers are more accepting of their headlines coming from a machine.</p><p>“The younger generation wants to experience new things, see new things, and they’re used to using their technology and social media to do it,” he said. “These A.I. videos are generating views on social media, they’re making money on social media—and the business managers will be paying close attention to that.”&nbsp;</p><hr><p><em>Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>More stations are experimenting with A.I. anchors, and a PhD student says the trend has finally reached the United States.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:40:58 +0000 Joe Arney 1246 at /cmdinow /cmdinow/2026/03/26/documenting-deportation-it-comes-hospitals <span>Documenting deportation as it comes to hospitals</span> <span><span>Ellie Chase</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-03-26T10:15:49-06:00" title="Thursday, March 26, 2026 - 10:15">Thu, 03/26/2026 - 10:15</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2026-03/Medical_Deportation_01.JPG?h=790be497&amp;itok=aIYoNViz" width="1200" height="800" alt="Junior Clase embraces his wife, who is being threatened with medical deportation"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/301"> College News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmdinow/taxonomy/term/22" hreflang="en">Journalism</a> </div> <span>Hannah Stewart</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="small-text"><strong>Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StComm’18) and Jessi Sachs</strong></p><p>Months before Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were going through Minnesota neighborhoods, Jessi Sachs was going through Reddit threads searching for a niche angle to investigate immigration under Donald Trump.&nbsp;</p><p>That was when she first learned about medical deportations.</p><p>Sometimes called medical repatriation, medical deportation is when hospitals and medical transport companies attempt to—or successfully—return an uninsured, noncitizen patient to their country of origin.</p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-right fa-3x fa-pull-right ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i>“Not only did we tell a story that was really impactful for Junior, but we spoke truth to power in the niche intersection of healthcare and immigration.”&nbsp;<br><br>Ann Marie Vanderveen (Jour'25)</p></div></div></div><p>“I found the post and thought how crazy it was,” Sachs, a senior majoring in journalism, said. “I didn't even know that people could be deported out of the hospital without the involvement of ICE in any way.”</p><p>Last year, Sachs and Ann Marie Vanderveen (Jour’25) participated in the prestigious Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship hosted by Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Their story about medical deportations was picked up by multiple outlets, including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-hospitals-medical-deportation-8f2fc9d6bcfee86046d7963eb3e5ae41" rel="nofollow">The Associated Press</a>.</p><p>“It felt really impactful that it was picked up by so many media organizations once it went out on the AP wire,” Sachs said. “I wanted to write about something people weren’t super knowledgeable about and bring awareness to a unique facet of the immigration conversation.”</p><p>First launched in 2005, News21 is a two-semester intensive experience where student journalists investigate a topic such as hate groups, juvenile justice, gun rights and, last year, immigration under the Trump administration. In the spring, students attend weekly workshops and classes to develop knowledge around the theme before embarking on a 10-week reporting fellowship based in Phoenix that culminates in a published story.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2026-03/Untitled%20design%20%2810%29.png?itok=TCnKyfrQ" width="750" height="512" alt="Jessi Sachs and Ann Marie Vanderveen Headshots"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Jessi Sachs, left, and Ann Marie Vanderveen, right. Photo taken by Kimberly Coffin and provided by Ann Marie.</p> </span> </div> <p>Vanderveen wanted to be a journalist since she dressed up as a reporter for an elementary school career day, and she quickly found her people by joining the CU Independent in her first year, which is where she met Sachs.</p><p>The News21 piece wasn’t the first time the reporting duo worked together—at the CUI, they collaborated with another writer on a story about a sexual assault investigation involving a Ralphie handler. But covering medical deportations was definitely the most challenging piece either had written while still in college.&nbsp;</p><p>“It took a long time to find people to talk to us,” Vanderveen said, as they looked for sources on social media and GoFundMe. “Our breakthrough came when we found an activist coalition in Philadelphia, but it took time to build trust with them. Eventually, they connected us with other people.”</p><p>Legally, only the federal government can remove an individual from the United States, and Medicare-participating hospitals are required to treat people—including uninsured noncitizens—with emergency conditions. But federal cuts mean there’s less money to reimburse hospitals for costs associated with those treatments—and through their reporting, the pair learned some hospitals have been attempting to repatriate patients without searching for other pathways for medical coverage.</p><p>Vanderveen and Sachs spent one week in Philadelphia, eventually building their story around Junior Clase and his wife, who was being threatened with medical deportation. While in the field, they also spoke with attorneys and activists. By the time they returned to Phoenix they had copious notes and interviews, but between the training from News21 mentors and their own experiences reporting in Âé¶čÓ°Ôș, they felt prepared to take on such a delicate story.</p><p>“To be able to tell someone's story who doesn't normally get to speak in the media is exactly what I want to do with my life,” Vanderveen said.</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-03/Medical_Deportation_01.JPG?itok=P8H2F1fS" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Junior Clase embraces his wife, who is being threatened with medical deportation"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><span>According to student journalist Ann Marie Vanderveen, it took time to develop trust with sources, but their hard work paid off. She and her peer Jessi Sachs traveled to Philadelphia, where the duo spent time with Junior Clase and his wife, who was being threatened with a medical deportation. </span><em>Photo by Jessie Sachs.</em></p> </span> <p>Within two weeks of publication by News21, it was picked up by <em>The Philadelphia Inquirer</em>, AP and others.</p><p>“When we saw our names published in the AP, Jessi and I dropped everything and went to get Champagne, because we were so overjoyed,” Vanderveen said. “It was definitely the hardest summer of my life, but it was also the best. Not only did we tell a story that was really impactful for Junior, but we spoke truth to power in the niche intersection of healthcare and immigration. It also gave me a lot of confidence for the future.”</p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_square_image_style"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_square_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_square_image_style/public/2026-03/Untitled%20design%20%289%29.png?h=5532f47d&amp;itok=WH4BYjmC" width="375" height="375" alt="Jessi Sachs kneels on top of a car trunk, taking photos"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text">Jessi Sachs in the field. <em>Photo provided by Sachs.</em></p> </span> </div> <p>Professor <a href="/cmdi/people/college-leadership/patrick-ferrucci" rel="nofollow">Patrick Ferrucci</a>, chair of the <a href="/cmdi/academics/journalism" rel="nofollow">journalism department</a>, said he was impressed when he read the piece.</p><p>“Our students in News21 always do really good work, but this particular year—with the timeliness of the story and the story itself—they did an amazing job,” he said. “When you have students like Jessi and Ann Marie who are super involved in student media—really caring about journalism beyond what they're doing in a classroom—it sets a culture for the department.”</p><p>Vanderveen, now a reporter for <em>The Journal</em>, in Cortez, said News21 developed her technical skills, but her experiences with the CUI and networking opportunities with CMDI deepened her love for the craft.</p><p>Sachs, who will graduate in May, agreed.</p><p>“I felt very prepared going into News21 because of my classes, and especially the CUI,” Sachs said. “I walked away from the experience not only with an impactful story I was proud of, but also as a more mature writer."</p><p>“Wherever I end up, I have what it takes to find sources, be creative and get the story done.”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr><p><em>Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.</em></p><p><em>Photographer Kimberly Coffin graduated from CMDI in 2018 with degrees in media production and strategic communication.</em></p><p><br>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Two students collaborated on an investigative journalism project that was ultimately picked up by The Associated Press.<br> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmdinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2026-03/Medical_Deportation_06.JPG?itok=oXzlso2A" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Close up on two people holding hands, one is in a hospital bed"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Junior Clase spends all his free time caring for his wife, who is being threatened with medical deportation. Student journalists Jessi Sachs and Ann Marie Vanderveen traveled to Philadelphia to hear their story. <em>Photo by Jessi Sachs</em></p> </span> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:15:49 +0000 Ellie Chase 1243 at /cmdinow