Deans Notes - August 31, 2023

Jamie Hodgkins, Associate Professor of Anthropology, is one of four scientists who voiced concerns about the research behind the recent, popular Netflix documentary Cave of Bones. In the documentary high-profile researchers say small-brained Homo naledi exhibited advanced behaviors such as burials. But the peer-reviewers of the paper making those claims called the supporting evidence “inadequate,” in an assessment that sits alongside the paper in the open-access journal eLife. This is serving as a high-profile test of eLife’s new publishing model - in which it no longer formally accepts papers but instead publishes them alongside peer reviewers’ reports. “I want to understand how the H. naledi fossils got there. They are very important fossils, and critical to understanding human evolution,” says Hodgkins. However, “there just wasn’t any science in the paper ultimately”.

Sharp criticism of controversial ancient-human claims tests eLife’s revamped peer-review model
Nature, July 25

Tom Noel, Emeritus Professor of History, recently said one fun fact many people don’t know about Colorado, the 38th state, is that the mountains serve like tentpoles, keeping the land mass from being bigger than it would be if it were flat. “If it were not for all of the mountains, it would be the largest state — if it were ironed out flat," Noel said.

On Colorado Day, 4 state historians share their favorite bits of Centennial State history
CPR, Aug 1

Venting to someone who is dismissive of your feelings can be detrimental, said Jonathan Shaffer, Associate Professor of Clinical Health Psychology. "It's invalidating to share and get no response from the other person. It might make you feel like you don't have worth or are not lovable."

Venting, in moderation, can be good for your health
Daily Herald, Aug 6

John Tinnell, Associate Professor of English, has been sharing his insights recently on the development of generative artificial intelligence and implications for the world around us and how we live our lives.

AI can now go anywhere we wish to take it. Is that a good thing?
San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 1

Benefits and Concerns of Mobile AI
ABC7 News, Aug 4

A detailed review of evidence, slated to be published in the Journal Evolutionary Anthropology, challenges the obstetrical dilemma - the theory of trade‐off between selection for a larger birth canal (permitting successful passage of a big‐brained human neonate) and the smaller pelvic dimensions required for bipedal locomotion. In the review, Assistant Anthropology Professor Anna Warrener argued that the evidence to date does not offer strong support for the obstetrical dilemma, and that scientists have not paid enough attention to possible alternatives.

A Theory of Childbirth’s Evolution May Not Be What You’re Expecting
The New York Times, July 30

The CLAS Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) has two new grant programs that are currently accepting applications from faculty:

• First, is a Presentation and Publication grant that provides up to $1,000 to assist with sharing completed (or near-completed) research and creative work with other scholars via conference presentation or publication. The award can be used to assist with conference and travel expenses to present research at a conference or invited seminar or to assist with costs associated with publication such as subvention or the production of graphics or art for a book, or open access fees or page charges for an article accepted for publication. 
• Second is a Research Launch or Completion grant that provides up to $1,000 in funding to assist with expenses related to furthering work on a new or ongoing research/creative project. These funds can be used to cover a wide range
...

Xiaofei Gao, Assistant Professor of History, has been awarded a 2023 Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowship in China Studies. This program is made possible by a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, and is administered by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Gao has been recognized as one of 15 exceptional emerging scholars at institutions in the US, Canada, and Europe, whose research centers on China’s societies, histories, cultures, environment, art, and global impact. Titled “The Blue Revolution: Maritime Connections and Coastal Communities in Modern China, 1910-2010,” Gao’s project examines the history of social and environmental transformations in the context of imperialism, revolution, and globalization.

“The Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships in China Studies provide critical support for the next generation of scholars who are deepening our understanding of China’s diverse cultural...

David Hildebrand, Philosophy Professor, will present on the ethics of data and A.I. at two conferences this September. In Helsinki, Finland he presents “Autonomy and Ethics in an Age of Algorithmic A.I” at the University of Helsinki and “Algorithms, A.I. and Data in Education: New Promises and Core Values” at the workshop, Pragmatist Approaches to Technological Problems. In Stockholm, Sweden, he presents on similar themes to a workshop and conference funded by the Swedish Research Council entitled Exploring Values in Emerging Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Education and Learning. These conferences support two of his publications presently in press: “Data in Educational Practice” in the volume Framing Futures in Postdigital Education: Critical Concepts for Data-driven Practices (Springer series in Postdigital Science and Education) and “Democracy without Autonomy? Information Technology’s Manipulation of Experience and Morality” in the volume John Dewey and Contemporary Challenges in Education (Routledge). Hildebrand was a member of the CLAS...

Ethnic Studies Clinical Teaching Track Associate Professor Katy Mohrman’s book Exceptionally Queer: Mormon Peculiarity and U.S. Nationalism (2022), published with University of Minnesota Press, was recently awarded the Best Book Award by the Mormon History Association. In the book, Mohrman offers a powerful rethinking of Mormonism and its place in U.S. history, culture, and politics, arguing that Mormon peculiarity is a potent expression of U.S. exceptionalism. Exceptionally Queer ultimately shows how discussions of Mormonism in this country have been and continue to be central to ideas of what it means to be American.

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) recently announced that Ivan J. Ramírez, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Behavioral Sciences, will join its first-ever cohort in the new Elevate the Discipline program, which will train and showcase geographers around this year’s theme of Climate and Society. Fifteen geographers were selected through a competitive process. The program will train them over the next several months in leadership, media skills, and policy strategies, and thereafter will connect and elevate their work in public discourse. The program launched in July with frequent virtual meetings culminating in a week-long intensive training onsite at AAG headquarters in Washington, DC. Thereafter, AAG will work with the participants and their institutions to continue to promote their public scholarship.

“Geography is essential to understanding and solving the world’s most pressing issues,” said Gary Langham, AAG Executive Director. “We created Elevate the Discipline to help...

Candice Shelby, Professor of Philosophy, presented a paper, "Use of Psychedelics in Healing Fragmented Consciousness" for the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, in Fresno, CA, on July 28.  This conference promotes interaction among philosophers in all styles and areas of Philosophy.  While at that conference, she also delivered a paper virtually, entitled "Addiction:  Engaged Philosophy of Science" for the International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

For the 2023-2024 Accadmic Year leadership for CLAS Staff Council will be:

Michelle Médal (Chair)
Kristen Salsbury (Vice-Chair)
Maria Rase (Treasurer)
Anne Beard (Secretary)

Visit the CLAS Staff Council website to learn more about who we are and how we might support you: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/staff-council/  

- Public Lecture (Sep 6th) - ACAD 1600 @ 5:30 pm - Flyer
- Chemistry Lecture (Sep 7th) - ACAD 1600 @ 11:00 am - Flyer
- Poster Session (Sep 7th) - Open space outside Science Bldg Cafe @ 3:00 pm - Flyer

An award was made to the Chemistry Department from the Henry and Jean Dreyfus Foundation to host a high profile researcher’s visit our campus. Tbis year that researcher is Dist. Prof. Miguel A. Garcia-Garibay  from UCLA. Besides the two seminars, there will be an interview, a poster session, and a number of interactions with students.  The award (with extended support from CLAS and Chemistry) also supported four students’ summer research efforts.

1:00 – 2:00 pm
NC1009B

CU Denver subscribes to a fund search database called SPIN (Sponsored Programs Information Network). SPIN is provided as part of the University's subscription to the lnfoEd Electronic Research Administration Suite and is accessible to faculty, staff and students with university credentials. On any given day, it has about 40,000 funding opportunities, representing 10,000 sponsors. This workshop will assist faculty in using SPIN to search for funding opportunities. Faculty may attend this workshop via zoom or in person in a computer lab where computers are available to conduct a search during the workshop.  If you are unable to attend, please register your interest in being notified of a link to the recording. Please register here.

3:00-4:30pm
1100 Lawrence Street Center (LSC)

Carlos Hipolito, Interim Executive Director of the Latino Research and Policy Center, would like to invite interested faculty to a welcome. Enjoy live music and appetizers. Learn more about the LRPC, tour the offices, and meet the staff. This is a great opportunity to network and learn about the revisioning of the LRPC. Please RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/CUDenverLRPC

9am – 11 am
Student Commons Building, ACAD 1500
https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/95986851633

All CLAS Faculty and Staff are invited to an update on the college from Dean Jansma and the Associate/Assistant Deans.

11:00 am
640 Tivoli.

CLAS MixTape will present a monthly gathering of CLAS stakeholders for lively presentations and conversation about CLAS research, teaching, creative works, service, and other professional activities. Conceived as a compilation of CLAS’s greatest hits, CLAS MixTape seeks to showcase CLAS faculty, staff, students and alumni; build community; and foster connections across our college, campus, and beyond. Like the creations after which it is named, CLAS MixTape represents a love letter to our students and community consisting of artfully curated CLAS content. We seek scientists, poets, artists, writers, and musicians alike, folx who represent a full spectrum of CLAS roles and expertise.

For our fall programming, we need your recommendations for dynamic and interesting presenters whose work (research, teaching, service, professional development, musical gifts and talents, etc.) touches on the following areas and themes:

• Racial justice/racial equity
• Climate change/climate justice
• Democracy’s challenges (a special election
...

12 noon – 2:00 pm
Student Commons Room 1401 (Boettcher Foundation conference room)

A workshop series for CU Denver faculty to provide information on the resources available at CU Denver for developing grant proposals, to inform on the processes and protocols related to each stage of a project’s lifecycle, and to provide expert-level knowledge and support to faculty as they launch their careers as independent investigators. CU Denver's new faculty are especially encouraged to attend.

Please see the Faculty Grants Academy in CU Denver News Article, and register here.

The fifth annual CU Denver Data Symposium’s goal is to bring data scientists across CU Denver and the Denver area together to discuss data science efforts and build community among data scientists and students on campus. The agenda will include a focus on education, research, and our new world of AI for data-driven science. Find out more about their talks at the symposium site. The symposium is mainly in-person, but will provide the option for people to attend virtually. Please be sure to indicate on the registration form whether you intend to attend in-person or remotely as it will help with logistics planning. If you are planning on attending (in-person or virtually), please register here. We are encouraging any faculty, students or staff who would like to give in-person presentations on their research or education efforts related to data science to submit a talk for this year’s symposium. Talks are...