CU SCIENCE UPDATE

Episode 36 - The Gluten-Trend

On 18 November 2013, NASA launched the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile Evolution spacecraft. It's mission - to study the upper atmosphere of Mars and determine what processes may have led to the loss of its atmosphere. The University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, led by principal investigator Bruce Jakosky, developed the MAVEN concept. They also designed one of its most important remote sensing instruments. The LASP team at CU will pour over the data sent back by the spacecraft when it reaches Mars in late 2014. In this edition of CU Science Update, we present an overview of the mission leading up to its launch. Hosted by Alexandra Pash with reporters Nick Altieri, Erica Jackson, Lauren Maslan, Scott Oberto and Caitlin Rockett.

As the dominant life on Earth, insects are robust, and they will likely survive human beings in the distant future. For centuries, naturalists would often collect insects for study. But today’s collections are helping us understand how to protect the insect world, not only to ensure their value for scientific study, but also to understand how we can preserve their habitat from human destruction. Researchers at the University of Colorado have found a way to digitally preserve these tiny storytellers for years to come. In this special Teen Edition, produced by middle schoolers participating in the CU Science Discovery program, we learn about the important role insects have not only in our current lives but also in our future.

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At the University of Colorado, the Sommers-Bausch Observatory provides an educational tool for students and the public. It's real-time observations of celestial events includes the occasional eclipse and planetary transits. It's where young astronomers can get hands-on training in astronomical observations, using 16, 18, and 24-inch telescopes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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