Students

Water Purification Through a Straw

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Water Purification Through a Straw Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Allison Nitch

To help alleviate health issues caused by pathogens in water, a team of �山�� mechanical engineering students collaborated on a senior capstone project last spring to create PureSip, a prototype for a water purification system.

Housed inside a bottle lid, PureSip uses ultraviolet LED technology to purify water through a straw as the user drinks — killing 99.9% of germs and eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles.

To support product adaptability, the bottle lid can be used with common reusable water bottle brands such as Nalgene and Hydro Flask.

The purification process begins when the spout of the bottle lid is flipped open and can continue purifying for a total of 40 minutes before the batteries need to be recharged. With the assumption a user drinks at a certain pace, the team calculated that amount of time to equal 30 liters of water. On average, this would equate to 60 disposable plastic water bottles.

The PureSip team members — Jack Figueirinhas (MechEngr’23), Jack Isenhart (MechEngr’23), Mackenzie Lamoureux (MechEngr’23), Ella McQuaid (MechEngr’23), Marie Resman (MechEngr’23) and Carlos Yosten (MechEngr’23) — made a point of using lithium-ion polymer batteries because they’re rechargeable, have a long battery life and are more compact than other battery options.

The PureSip team pitched their idea at the 2023 New Venture Challenge, a cross-campus program and competition that gives aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to win money to fund a startup. The product received third place in the climate-focused section.

Lamoureux, PureSip’s product manager, said last spring, “We hope that our product can help reduce plastic pollution, and more particularly help eliminate the need for single-use plastic bottles.”

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Photo courtesy College of Engineering and Applied Science

The student prototype, PureSip, protects digestive health and the environment.

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Spring 2024

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Engineering professor Matt Morris Rebuilds His Home with CU Students

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Engineering professor Matt Morris Rebuilds His Home with CU Students Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

December 2023

Engineering professor Matt Morris (CivEngr’99; MS’02), pictured left, and his family lost everything they owned along with their home of 16 years in the 2021 Marshall Fire in Superior, Colorado. Nearly two years later, the family celebrated Christmas in the same spot — in their newly constructed house.

Morris, two of his students — George Kurtz (ArchEngr’24), pictured center, and Daniel Donado Quintero (CivEngr’22; PhD ex’26), pictured right — and volunteers constructed more than 80% of the home themselves.

“The experience changed my character and my understanding of commitment, discipline and accountability,” Quintero told the engineering school.

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Photo by Jesse Petersen

He and his family lost everything in the 2021 Marshall Fire.

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Spring 2024

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Olivia Omega Is Unlocking Doors for All Students

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Olivia Omega Is Unlocking Doors for All Students Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Kiara Demare

As senior director of marketing and communications at the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF), Olivia Omega (Bus’01) is an inclusion and diversity advocate within higher education. Omega is a TedX speaker and author of Beautifully Branded: The Girl’s Guide to Understanding the Anatomy of Brand You. During Homecoming Weekend in November 2023, the �山�� Alumni Association recognized her with the Alumni Recognition Award.

What does being a part of DSF mean to you?

I was raised by a single mom, and in high school I didn’t know if I could even attend college, simply because of the financial commitment. If it weren’t for the scholarships I received through CU, I wouldn’t have been able to attend. I want others to have that same opportunity to step into whatever their purpose is.

Why is representation in spaces like higher education so important?

As human beings we gravitate toward what is familiar, and we see ourselves in other people. Even thinking back to when President Obama was first elected, my daughter was three years old at the time and commented, “Look at that family. They look like us.” We know that visualizing and manifesting is powerful, so when you see people who look like you achieving something great, you can start to look and emulate that.

Race-conscious affirmative action ended last year. How does this affect DSF?

DSF scholarships are more important now than ever. We’re helping mostly first-generation students of color whose parents didn’t go to college navigate the application process, the financial aid process, making sure that school is affordable and also making sure that they get to college and graduate as well.

What is it like returning as a President’s Leadership Class (PLC) mentor?

I get to meet with students often, and I have quite a few mentees who I work with. I can honestly attribute every opportunity in my life to either CU or I can track it back to PLC. It is also about making sure that there is representation and that young women and students of color see themselves at CU and that they see themselves as thriving alumni.

How have you seen �山�� change since you were a student?

I have hopes for some really great things coming out of CU. At Leeds, for the first time ever, it’s 55% women. When I was there, I want to say it was maybe half that. If we can get to a place where the systemic barriers to education are dismantled, and there is more access, more funding, tuition isn’t skyrocketing every year — if those things are eliminated, then there’s no need for DSF. Wouldn’t that be the greatest thing — where things have changed so much that the work we do to increase equity isn’t even needed?

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Photo courtesy Olivia Omega

As senior director of marketing and communications at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Olivia Omega is an inclusion and diversity advocate within higher education.

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Spring 2024

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The Class of 2024: Embracing the Unknown, Becoming Unstoppable

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

The Class of 2024: Embracing the Unknown, Becoming Unstoppable Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

The class of 2024 is unique — though a more typical campus experience for them might have been easier.

Many of these students arrived on campus in the fall of 2020 at the height of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Some took classes from home on the other side of the world, waking up at 2 a.m. to attend a �山��-based Zoom class. Others experienced isolation. And some came back to a different world after trying a new experience — the military, an out-of-state school or a gap year.

They adapted to online learning as �山�� continued developing new curricula, and complied with weekly virus testing and mask requirements, while the university canceled campus activities. The “college experience” previous generations raved about didn’t exist. But they persisted, pioneering their own college traditions, while adjusting to ever-evolving technology, public health advisories and political divisions.

These students — many of whom were born after 9/11 — saw the rise of TikTok and ChatGPT, global wars and climate-related disasters that completely changed the world in four years. Interviews with 12 of these students revealed a resounding theme: the importance of their Buffs community. From the marching band to the physics lab — friends, peers, advisors, professors and family members motivated them to keep moving forward through it all.

Senior Benjamin Varga (BusAna, InfoMgmt’24) said: “Even though we come from so many different backgrounds, I really can feel a strong sense of community and pride within anyone that I run into who is from CU.”

Benjamin Varga (BusAna, InfoMgmt’24)

Parker, Colorado

“The on-campus professional business fraternity called Alpha Kappa Psi really influenced my time at CU. Meeting the upperclassmen in that fraternity was my first opportunity to make CU a little bit smaller. I made great friendships in the dorms and everything like that, but being pretty intentional about it and having to go through the process and then getting welcomed with open arms and shown a whole new subset culture of CU — that was a super cool way to feel a little bit more niche and find a little bit more of a closer circle, especially early on, which is really important.”

Jessica Valadez Fraire (ElEdu’24)

�山��, Colorado

“What’s happening in Palestine has been really impactful to me. I’ve seen more of a community effort to educate ourselves about issues that are happening not only in our communities, but outside of them and how they’re all connected. I’ve been part of a lot of circles and community spaces where we’re having critical discussions about injustice, oppression and colonialism, and we’re starting to build a broader community among a lot of different people that are struggling with issues similar to ours. This has taught me to educate myself and pushed me further into learning about the struggles of other communities and the responsibility I have to spread that message, including using my privilege in being a citizen here, the power in that and the responsibility I have to doing more.”

Elijah Parkes (IntlAf’24)

Superior, Colorado

“I initially fell into a leadership role in the College of Arts and Sciences’ student government, and from there, it allowed me to challenge myself as a leader and do things I never would have been able to do otherwise. Being president of a college student government was not something that I would’ve ever predicted for myself, but I now can’t imagine my college career without it. And working, networking and helping other people like my peers be leaders as well has been really, really rewarding.”

Matt Guerrero (Math, Phys’24)

Parker, Colorado

“I struggle a lot with transitioning back into the civilian world after being in the Navy, even now after four or five years. One of my very best friends runs an organization here in physics called COSMOS, the Community of Support for Marginalized and Other Students, which is a diversity-focused group within physics. And because he was one of my best friends and also a veteran, I ended up doing my best to support him in any way I could. And that flipped a switch in me to actively pursue diversity-related issues within STEM, particularly that people who are from underprivileged backgrounds or backgrounds of color don’t generally get the same attention as people who aren’t.

I’m half Filipino, half Ashkenazi Jew, and I’ve never really fit in anywhere. As a veteran who’s joining the civilian community, it’s difficult to find people you trust and can relate to. This group helped me not only recognize that a lot of people might feel like that wherever they come from, but also that it’s possible to relate to people who don’t know exactly what you’ve been through. And through that, I’ve tried to be that person who can do that for others.”

Madison Tallman (Mus’24)

Colorado Springs, Colorado

“COVID was the biggest event that defined my growth the past few years. That’s because of how much it affected music specifically. Music is all about collaboration, so missing that element of it, I did see a lot of people struggle with that. I feel like I really just pushed through because I was like, ‘Once this is back to normal, it’s going to be so rewarding.’ It really was. And one thing it did for me — and in high school too because I had so much time to myself — was really allow me to reflect on what I wanted to do. It was reassuring in a way that, yes, this is what I want to do even though I’m not able to do these things collaboratively. I pushed through it, and I think it made me stronger in the end.”

Hazel Hays (CompSci’24)

Aurora, Colorado

“The fight for LGBT rights, especially to do with transgender rights, is a community issue that has shaped my personal growth while in college. It’s a big topic for me being transgender myself. That’s been the big defining thing lately for me. It’s mainly that they are my rights and so they’re something that I have to fight for.”

Nathan Thompson (Jour’24)

Lafayette, Colorado

“Due to illness in 2020, I couldn’t leave my room for two months. It was a lot of time in forced isolation. That really forced me to develop my inward perspective, become more comfortable with myself as a person and develop my own voice and my own self-confidence too. So that was interesting because my network was really small. It was just me and then maybe three or four friends for a while who were really formative in shaping me into who I am today. And I also think mentors too, and a lot of the photographers and professors that I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know and connect with deeply have really helped me and inspired me to continue to work hard and carve out a space for myself as a self-sufficient photographer.”

Shivank Chadda (Math, Phys’24)

Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

“During COVID, interestingly, there were a lot of bad things that were going on, but one of the good things was witnessing that the internet is a good place to get your education. And coming from islands where I didn’t really have internet for 18 years, and right when I started at �山��, I was very lucky to get the internet right at that particular time. And then in January 2023, my brother and I started a YouTube channel on science, “Doctor Chadha,” where we make physics videos based on dynamics and stuff like that. We were able to get 200,000 views per year and around 1,300 subscribers.”

Megan Finnigan (EngrPhys, MechEngr’24)

Superior, Colorado

“My entire time in my undergraduate career has been shaped a lot by climate-related issues. I’ve been involved with Engineers Without Borders and other environmental organizations on campus, and it’s something that has driven me to continue to study science and learn how I can make a difference. When I was in Rwanda I met this woman who, when I shook her hand, I noticed she had a Ralphie tattoo on her wrist, and we connected over that. It’s really cool to be part of a global community where people are looking out for each other and can unite over these shared experiences.

Two years ago, my family and I were part of the Marshall Fire, and while we didn’t lose our house, I saw a lot of my neighbors lose their homes, and we had extensive smoke damage at our house. And that felt like a very real experience of a natural disaster, largely attributed to the effects of climate change and drought. That further ignited the flame in me to keep pushing and pursuing a career where I can make an impact.”

Brandon Dixon (Soc’24)

Castle Rock, Colorado

“Being locked inside the house around my family 24/7 during a dark time really motivated me and gave me a different perspective on life. Just the uncertainty of it all and being around my loved ones at that time showed me that as long as you are around good people, anything can happen.”

Hassan Almatrood (MechEngr’24)

Saihat, Saudi Arabia

“I was studying at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, and I chose to come to �山�� because I always heard from people — especially from my brother because he knew people who graduated from �山�� — that there is a good community in �山��. I heard that the university culture is good and there is a balance between studying and social life, which is something that I would appreciate. So I chose to be here and it was correct. I’m glad that I came here.”

Joy Liu (Chem, PortugSpan’24)

Aurora, Colorado

“COVID definitely made me have a broader outlook on things. I am just more aware of how many different things are tied together. I feel like if I am worried about something, it’s like, ‘Well, it could be me being upset about this, or it could be tons of other things happening,’ and I need to learn how to understand why it’s happening and then learn how to deal with it.”

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Illustrations by Jacqueline Oakley

Interviews with the Class of 2024 give insight into what matters most to them as they prepare to graduate.

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Spring 2024

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What's in My Phone: D'Andra Mull

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

What's in My Phone: D'Andra Mull Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

A Love for Student Work

Since June, D’Andra Mull has served as �山��’s vice chancellor for student affairs. In her role, she leads a division focused on student support and growth beyond the classroom. “Every day I get to wake up and love to do the work that I do,” she said.

How soon after waking up do you look at your phone?

Immediately!

App you wish you had the inner strength to delete?

Amazon!

Last person you called?

My best friend.

Duration of longest call last week?

57 minutes.

Location and description of last selfie?

Times Square, New York City — after a meeting with parents of our incredible Buffs.

Does anyone else have your passcode?

Yes! My best friend.

Oldest photo on your phone?

I had to look back a bit for this one. It is from Nov. 13, 2013. I was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What is your lock screen or background image?

My lovely six-month-old daughter, Gigi.

What do you use your phone for most?

Emails, texting and FaceTiming my daughter!

Three of your most used apps:

Snapchat

Safari

Baby+

Most-used emoji:

Laughing-crying emoji

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Photo courtesy D'Andra Mull

Since June, Mull has served as �山��’s vice chancellor for student affairs.

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Fall 2023

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(Art)ificial Intelligence

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

(Art)ificial Intelligence Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

Artist Hannah Purvis (MFA’25) began using artificial intelligence (AI) programs in her paintings and drawings only last fall. Now, she uses them regularly.

She may upload a rough sketch into a deep learning model like Stable Diffusion to prompt the program to create similar imagery which she’ll then paint by hand, re-upload and create animation frames for interactivity. Other times, she’ll ask AI to purposefully manipulate one of her prints so she can respond to the new image by painting over it.

“This back-and-forth process explores interactive art and uses physical and digital space simultaneously,” said Purvis, who came to CU from Houston, Texas. “In a way, I’m trying to be a computer, and the computer is trying to be a painter.”

Art students at �山�� are experiencing a new era firsthand.

“As with the general public, the student population’s response to AI is mixed: Some think of it as just another tool to be used in the creation of new works of art and creative writing,” said CU art and art history professor Mark Amerika, who has worked with AI for four years and integrates it into his teaching. “Others are suspicious of the way AI has appropriated the work of others and prefer to imagine that the only real way to be an artist is to create something supposedly original.”

Amerika — who has his AI-influenced art published in two solo exhibitions this year in Barcelona, Spain and Porto, Portugal — plans to integrate more AI art techniques into the classroom and his creative practice. Students are following suit.

Since 2018, Ryze Xu (MFA’24) has been experimenting with the ways public AI programs use language to produce an output. Then he started using these programs in his art.

As a ceramicist, who turned to clay after eschewing a career path as a fashion designer, he likens his process with AI to using the kiln.

“I view AI as a form of machinery, a tool that, at its core, operates on basic principles akin to all kinds of our daily technology,” said Xu. “The kiln is where we input clay and heat and we end up with fired ceramics, but you can’t see what is happening inside the kiln…With AI we input the world, but we can’t see what’s happening with the AI, and there is unpredictability with this process,” he said.

“I view AI as a form of machinery, a tool that, at its core, operates on basic principles akin to all kinds of our daily technology”

Xu is in favor of embracing AI and has digitized photos of some of his ceramics to train AI programs like Stable Diffusion to produce more art like his.

“I find gratification in comprehending AI’s capabilities and limitations,” said Xu. “This nuanced engagement allows me to offer a different perspective on how we interact with technology and how it influences our artistic expressions.

Eileen Roscina (MFA’23) chooses not to use AI in her work as a filmmaker and multimedia artist.

“It’s very troubling to me,” she said. “So much of it is an illusion — an illusion of connection.”

Roscina uses natural materials in her art, like creating works with pressed flowers. She’s drawn to the ephemeral nature of them, she explained, and the fact that they don’t last.

“Art brings the potential for a deeply human connection,” she said. “I want people to realize the beauty of not recording everything.”

Regardless of their views on AI, all three students agree that it’s too new to make predictions yet.

“We’ve only really been talking about this for a year,” said Purvis. “Just like in art history when the camera was invented and people were really resistant to the change it brought, I think AI can be seen as a new tool in the same way.”

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Art courtesy Hannah Purvis (top); Ryze Xu (middle); Eileen Roscina (bottom)

Some CU MFA students embrace AI programs in their work. Some stay far away.

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Fall 2023

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�山�� Grad Students Make a Mark in Cañon City

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

�山�� Grad Students Make a Mark in Cañon City Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Sarah Kuta

The stoke is high in Cañon City, Colorado, which has developed 62 miles of new, purpose-built hiking and mountain biking trails within the last decade. Residents hit the trails during lunch, after work and on weekends, and travelers visit the area for outdoor recreation-themed vacations.

As Rick Harrmann, the city’s economic development manager, said: “We love the trails, and we know visitors do too.”

But actually quantifying their value to the community — and showing city council a return on their investment — is a much harder task.

Fortunately, three �山�� graduate students in the university’s Master’s of the Environment (MENV) program are up to the challenge. Nathan Boyer-Rechlin (MEnv’24), Joshua Corning (MEnv’24) and Eric Howard (MEnv’24) are partnering with Cañon City trail advocacy nonprofit Fremont Adventure Recreation to help determine the socioeconomic impact of trails in Cañon City.

Since building new trails requires time, money and labor, the nonprofit — and the city more broadly — will use the students’ findings to help inform future decisions.

“A socioeconomic impact report hasn’t been done in this area — especially in regards to the value of recreation amenities,” said Ashlee Sack, Fremont Adventure Recreation’s coordinator. “In the wake of COVID-19 and the nationwide emphasis on work-life balance, as well as in the interest of attracting and retaining residents in our rural community, we’d like to be able to address trends, issues and opportunities in this arena.”

The three students are undertaking the ambitious project as their master’s capstone, an applied professional project that takes the place of a traditional master’s thesis. As MENV students prepare to pursue a wide variety of careers related to the environment, the capstone gives them hands-on experience with real partners and problems.

Even if they don’t end up working in an area that’s specifically related to their capstone, the project gives them experience with everything from financial planning to community engagement.

Throughout their work, the students have found a common lesson.

“There is so much pivoting,” said Boyer-Rechlin, a 31-year-old who came to the program after working in conservation ecology. “It’s constant learning and adapting as we encounter new challenges. It’s messy, and you have to be ready to adjust.”

Meanwhile, organizations that partner with �山��’s capstone projects get the benefit of working with highly motivated students who, acting as external consultants, can provide innovative solutions to their challenges.

“Harnessing the experience and education of the master’s students is a natural fit for our community as we navigate this first round of data collection and analysis,” said Sack.

Each year, MENV students undertake roughly 30 capstone projects in partnership with Colorado-based nonprofits, government agencies and companies. This year, for example, some students are working with the footwear company Crocs while others are working with Growing Gardens, a nonprofit focused on local food systems.

This diversity of projects is also reflected in the MENV students’ career aspirations. Some will pursue roles in renewable energy, while others may specialize in urban resilience. No matter what field they choose to enter, they’re poised to make a difference in Colorado and beyond.

“The breadth of what you can do with a master’s in the environment these days is as broad as the environmental problems that we’re facing,” said Boyer-Rechlin.

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Photos by Joshua Corning; Illustration by Sierra Walton

Students partner with Colorado organizations to help identify solutions to environment-related challenges.

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Fall 2023

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Erika Randall and the Art of Anding

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Erika Randall and the Art of Anding Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/10/2023 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

Erika Randall, professor of dance, has worked at �山�� since 2007. She is now associate dean for student success in the College of Arts and Sciences and dedicated to helping students achieve their goals through academic support and student-based services. In January, she launched her podcast The Ampersand, which focuses on people who eschew specialization and instead use their many interests to spur creativity and fulfillment.

After 16 years, what keeps you at �山��?

It’s so interesting to land in a dance program in the middle of the country. But those who are making art here are truly exceptional. I knew if I came to a Tier 1 university, I would have mentors. I met the team and I thought, ‘These are badass artists. These are the kinds of humans I want to keep challenging and inspiring me.’ With most of my colleagues, we take each others’ classes. We sit in for each other. We co-teach. We lecture. We watch each other’s work. We are deep in conversation. It makes you better.

What has been your favorite class to teach at CU over the years?

I really love teaching ballet. I’ve been doing ballet since I was 5, and I just choreographed my first ballet because I didn’t trust that I could give proper trouble to the form until now. Even though ballet can be problematic, there’s something about its structure and its training. When I teach that class here, I get to blow open people’s ideas about ballet or themselves in ballet. We close the mirrors, we swear sometimes. The class is usually about half non-dance majors who grew up dancing — science majors, engineers. They come to ballet carrying with them some baggage and leave feeling liberated and like this form was returned to them in a way that they can dance for the rest of their lives.

What keeps you dancing?

Certainly not my knees and hips now. But I have an insatiable appetite for moving. I talk about the litany of things, and mine would read ‘dancer first.’ It’s the physics of motion and the relationship to bodies and music. The connection between falling and flying. If I’m not spinning off balance, I don’t know how to be. I’m always dancing — in every room, which means I am definitely a kitchen dancer. The happiest moments in my life have been dancing. It’s been a passport to my world experience. I’ve met my people because of dance. I got so lucky in this lifetime to be a dancer.

How do you think dance can influence big change?

Difficult conversations on things like race or gender or sexuality feel more manageable when you can sweat in a cypher with someone. Our students here are working on transformation and challenging systems. What is it like to learn through your body? In dance you mess up, but we are trying to get comfortable in failure. We need a dancer in every room where important decisions are made about bodies and time and space.

Tell us about your new podcast, The Ampersand.

The podcast is about this made-up concept of ‘anding.’ Anding is taking the conjunction and making it a verb. Anding can be about cooking and mothering and evolutionary biology and race car driving — all of these things create the uniquenesses that are us.

When I got to [the College of] Arts and Sciences, I realized everyone was very active and working across all these different disciplines. I went to [marketing’s] Tim Grassley, who is now the producer, and asked him what he thought about doing a podcast on this idea. It’s since been such a creative spark for us.

What’s been your reaction to the stories you’ve shared so far?

We’ve been surprised at how moved people are after listening. It’s been inspiring to students who haven’t been encouraged to study what they want — or a first-generation student who has a very specified path laid out for them. The alchemy of anding starts to create your weird, I say. It’s exciting for students, faculty and staff. And nobody can be mad at it because everyone gets to make it up for themselves, so it’s inclusive by nature.

What have you seen change at �山�� over the years that you love?

My colleagues Michelle Ellsworth and Markas Henry have been absolutely amazing. They are artists in the world who inspire me with their imagination, capacity and mentorship. I’m lucky to have them as best friends. And the students: I love watching the humans who are going to save the planet with and for us. They are just so creative. They put together their curiosities with such acuity that even if I don’t know what they are talking about, I feel lit and I feel hope.

What else do you do outside of this university?

I mom hard. Which means I spend a lot of time at skateparks. I love the sound of wheels on concrete, because that’s the sound of my son at peace and happy. I write every day, either letters to myself from ‘older Erika’ or a poem to my partner. I am a filmmaker — I’m finishing a documentary short about dance, percussion and song called Hambone Griot. I’ve been working on that film for 10 years, featuring the indomitable Rennie Harris. I like to read, kayak, watch baseball — things that slow me down. I like anything water-based.

I really like to talk to people every day, especially the humans I dearly love. I’m committed to reading poetry before email. And I go to yoga five days a week.

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa

Erika Randall launched her podcast <i>The Ampersand</i>, which focuses on people who eschew specialization and instead use their many interests to spur creativity and fulfillment.

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Summer 2023

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“I Will Never Forget This Journey”

Anonymous — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:45:31 +0000

“I Will Never Forget This Journey” Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/05/2023 - 09:45

Christie Sounart

As a college sophomore in late 2020, Carter Snelson (Fin, RealEst’23) decided to walk every one of �山��’s labeled city streets using the city’s zoning map. After 2.5 years, and less than two weeks until commencement, he completed the journey on April 28, 2023. On his final day of walking, Snelson also achieved another personal goal of walking 100,000 steps in one day, which in reality ended up being 112,000 steps — 56.25 miles.

Did you have a favorite street or landmark you saw on this walk?

My favorite area that I walked in all of �山�� was in between Evergreen and Alpine by North �山�� Park. I had never been to North �山�� Park prior to that walk, and I walked by it on Oct. 22 — so right in the middle of fall — and it was absolutely stunning. I had also passed the park around mile 16 of a 38-mile walk, and the beauty of that area, with the perfect view of the Flatirons and the hundreds of people enjoying the park, gave me an incredible boost of energy.

Which stretch of time was your most difficult in this journey?

The most difficult stretch of time throughout this whole journey was the final five miles of the last walk that I ever did. This walk was 56.24 miles long and with five miles left, I had been walking for 17 hours; my knees were aching, my feet were sore and my hips were burning, but I knew that after these last five miles, I would have completed the entire city of �山��. To help push myself through this last hour and 15 minutes of walking, I kept reminding myself of how far I’d come, how many miles and hours I’d put into this, how proud of myself I would be once I completed it and how amazing it would feel. I just kept walking and didn’t stop until I reached that last street.

What do you feel now that it’s complete?

In being so exhausted after the final 18.5-hour walk to complete it all, it definitely took a few days to really comprehend what I had just done. This was a 2.5-year long journey, walking almost 1,000 miles, and realizing that I have no more walks to ever do in �山�� is very surreal. This had been the longest commitment I’ve ever had, and having it come to an end was very emotional and incredibly fulfilling. Even though I cannot say I remember exactly every one of the 165 walks I’ve done, I will never forget this journey.

What else should we know about this feat?

Here are some quick stats:

For the final walk of it all, I walked 56.24 miles. It took 18 hours and 33 minutes. At the end of that day, I had logged 112,442 steps.
The four longest walks I did were 56.24, 38.01, 26.69 and 26.25 miles.
I walked a total of 970 miles in 165 total walks.
The total time of all my walks combined was a little over 10 days of walking.

What is one thing people should know about you?

I’m just a regular student here at CU, and I never thought I would accomplish something so big like this — but anyone could have done this. I’m not special in any way, I just set this goal and completed it little by little over a long period of time. If there’s a goal that you have or something you want to complete that may seem incredibly challenging, don’t have any doubt that you can accomplish it.

Photo by Cliff Grassmick/Daily Camera

New graduate Carter Snelson walked every street in �山�� for a total of 970 miles.

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From the Chancellor: The University’s Role in Democracy

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

From the Chancellor: The University’s Role in Democracy Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/06/2023 - 00:00

Philip DiStefano

As today’s political climate turns increasingly divisive, we tend to hear a common refrain — a pining for “simpler times” when politics felt less contentious.

It’s debatable if those times ever existed. One stance is that the “civility” of this bygone era that we pine for too often came at the expense of free speech, justice and equity for those who held less power. And yet it’s certain modern politics are in deeply troubled waters.

When political disputes arise, I recall what a faculty member told me early in my career: a university should be a “house of conflict,” where a wide swath of perspectives are discussed and debated in search of greater understanding. Embracing the idea that conflict is inevitable, even healthy, clarifies our purpose as a university and the role we play within a democratic society.

In my State of the Campus address last fall, I said that �山�� must rededicate itself to supporting and sustaining democracy every day. Each of us has a responsibility and a role to play by supporting free speech and thoughtful discourse, conducting research that informs policy and serves the public good, and enabling and encouraging participation in the democratic process, to prepare students to become leaders in our state, country and world.

By doing these things, we can inspire a generation of Forever Buffs who value principled leadership, demand integrity and embrace compromise across political divides. And we can model for all of society what it means to hold fast to democratic principles even in the face of intolerance, gridlock and animosity.

So how do we get there?

There’s no singular answer, but I believe every action we take as a university must include these attributes:

The university must commit to open communication that intentionally focuses on equity, justice and the inclusion of diverse voices.

We need more organizations that foster reasoned discourse and bring new voices and broad perspectives to conversations about social issues.

It’s also important to differentiate between spirited public debate and the self-interested confrontation that degrades democracy. Valuable arguments persuade rather than stifle.

We also must encourage all — particularly students — to participate in democratic processes.

I’m proud that �山�� participates in the All In Campus Democracy Challenge, which encourages campuses to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement.

Supporting democracy is a tall order, and we won’t get it right every time. But it’s important that we make that effort.

Philip P. DiStefano is the 11th chancellor of �山��. He is the Quigg and Virginia S. Newton Endowed Chair in Leadership, overseeing �山��’s leadership programs.

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Photo by Patrick Campbell

The university's role in democracy.

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