Deans Notes - March 2, 2023

An in-depth examination of the Postal Service's historic ups and downs with CTT History Associate Professor of History and Interim Director of Digital Initiatives, Cameron Blevins, author of Paper Trails: The U.S. Post and the making of the American West.

Supreme Court takes another Colorado free speech case; Postal Service history
Colorado Public Radio, February 15

Psychology Assistant Professor Carly Leonard talks about frequency bias or frequency illusion when it comes to the why it seems like we are seeing more balloons and other unidentified objects in the sky recently.

Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR), February 22

Political Science Professor Christoph Stefes, and Associate Professor Betcy Jose, talk about the Russian and Ukrainian conflict one year after the Russian invasion.

It has been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine
9News Denver, February 24

Associate Professor of Mathematical and Sciences Troy Butler is the University of Colorado Denver recipient of the 22-23 Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion Award. This award recognizes significant achievements of faculty, staff, and students in expanding the use of open educational resources. Butler is being commended for his considerable achievements and impact with course material developed for “Programming for Data Science and Partial Differential Equations.” Specifically he is being acknowledged for: 1) for the use of free cloud-based Jupyter notebooks (e.g. Google Colab) ensuring every student has access to the same content and computing platform, and (2) for the creation transformative materials bringing an experimental mindset into mathematics and statistics curricula previously reserved for physical science disciplines.

Lisa Keränen, Associate Professor and Chair of Communication, gave the inaugural lecture at Biocriticism 2023-Through the Microscope, a symposium organized at the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. Her talk was entitled “Biocriticism as Inventional Practice: The Case of Global Health Security.” Other speakers in the series include Frédérique Aït-Touati, who will discuss La Trilogie Terrestre (created with Bruno Latour), and the University College London’s Laura Choskey, who is speaking about epigenetics, poetics, and atmosphere.

Last Month Michelle Rich, Graduate student in History and Social Studies Teacher at East High School, had the opportunity to participate in the National Humanities Center’s More than a Slogan: Understanding the Historical Context of Black Lives Matter. This weeklong institute situated the Black Lives Matter movement in the larger historical context for the fight for racial equality.  Common themes among the various presenters were the roots of the Black Lives Matter Movement in Black radical tradition, the emphasis of BLM prioritizing dignity in the struggle for full rights of citizenship, and the expansion of democracy as the basis of the struggle for racial equality. Rich Says, “A major takeaway from this institute is as educators to consider how we encourage our students to create a critical consciousness that posits BLM as a movement in the greater struggle for racial equality despite its many misrepresentations.”

Assistant Professor of Economics Andrea Velasquez is a 2023-2024 awardee of The University of Chicago’s Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society. Each year, this award is given to a diverse range of interdisciplinary faculty research projects that address critical issues. The Neubauer Collegium is committed to the idea that by working together people can come to better understand ourselves and the world. Research projects sponsored by the Neubauer Collegium bring together scholars and practitioners whose collaboration is required to address and solve complex challenges.

The CLAS Staff Council invites your nominations for outstanding staff in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) to be recognized for excellence in service and engagement on behalf of the college in the categories listed below. You can find the nomination form and read the details of the eligibility criteria for each award and the nominations review process at the website.  Nominations will be accepted until March 13^th, and the winners will be notified by Staff Council by April 7th. Don't hesitate to reach out to clas.staffcouncil@ucdenver.edu with any questions.

The CLAS award categories are:
Outstanding Newcomer
Student Engagement
Community Engagement
CLAS Outstanding Staff Award

In addition, CU Denver is offering a Staff Inclusive Excellence Award to honor a staff member (classified or professional exempt) who demonstrates a long-standing commitment to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at CU Denver. Nominees will be selected...

9am – 11 am
Student Commons Building, ACAD 1500
Register for Zoom: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/91205604354

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

10:00 am - 10:45am
Rob and Lola Salazar Wellness Center (2^nd floor- studio room)

12:00 – 5:00 pm
Geospatial Analysis & Mapping Laboratory (North Classroom 3rd floor) and the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technology on the 5th floor

Hosted by the Geography and Environmental Sciences Department and located just a few blocks away from the two venues hosting the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting in Denver this year, the community is invited to come and explore our mapping projects, computing facilities, geography research, and more. Visit our programs in Geography, Environmental Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning & Design. Meet CU Denver students, faculty, and Geographers visiting for the AAG meeting. Take a guided tour of our learning and research spaces, including the Geospatial Analysis & Mapping Laboratory (GAMLab) and the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technology (FAST Lab).  After the open house, enjoy a locally brewed beer at The Tivoli. Questions can be directed to Alicia Cowart, Director...

Information will be sent with Confirmation Email upon Registration

In this workshop, we explore ways we can approach faculty mentoring from an EDI lens using the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) web-based tools and resources, along with other supplemental materials. This webinar will be available for participation via Zoom only. As the CFDA Faculty Fellow for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), Ivan J. Ramírez, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Behavioral Sciences, is developing workshops/webinars that introduce faculty to the NCFDD resources as well as assembling resources that support the university’s 2030 goal to be the first equity-serving institution. This webinar supports the university’s goal to be an equity-serving institution by 2030 and also support CLAS’s DEI Strategic Plan.  

9:00 am - 3:00 pm
CU Denver Wellness Center

The Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RaCAS) is CU Denver’s annual celebration of research and creative activities, where students from across campus share projects they’ve been working on throughout the year. View posters, oral presentations, and exhibits to learn more about the amazing work our students are doing!

It's never too early to register to judge the National History Day in Colorado State Contest! It takes over 200 judges and volunteers to keep the day running smoothly, and to make the event a positive experience for our incredible students. You do not have to be a historian or even a history expert to judge! We will train you, feed you, and we guarantee you will see some talented kids put together some amazing projects. Find out more information and sign-up at our website.