College News 2021
Protecting our Engineering Buffs
Read about CU Engineering’s research efforts and actions to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Research breakthroughs
- Return to Research series
- Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era series
GPS pioneer inducted into National Academy of Sciences
Kristine Larson became the first GPS researcher to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.
When Kristine Larson began her research in the 1980s, GPS was little known to the public, and a single receiver cost $150,000.
“When I started, no one had heard of GPS. I couldn’t tell my family what I did,” said Larson, professor emerita in the Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences.
Today, GPS is everywhere, but Larson has stretched and reshaped the technology, inventing methods to use it for everything from measuring Arctic ice sheets to monitoring soil moisture on farms.
Earlier this year, she became the first GPS researcher to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. She sees the induction as a recognition not just of her work but GPS science as a whole.
“It was an unexpected and welcome acknowledgment of the research ideas that I pursued because they were fun and interesting. It’s also a recognition of GPS and its importance,” Larson said. “Thirty years ago, no one in the National Academy was talking about GPS. A lot has changed.”
Engineering GoldShirt Program receives national recognition
The National Academy of Engineering has recognized the college’s Engineering GoldShirt Program as an “exemplary admissions practice that promotes diversity in engineering.”
These students are academically driven to perform well.
Phil Courey
GoldShirt Program Manager
The GoldShirt Program, housed in the BOLD Center, was created in 2009 to provide a path to engineering for students traditionally underrepresented in the college. It is modeled after the concept of redshirt athletes who spend time preparing and improving athletically before fully participating in all team activities.
Through the program, 374 students who would have previously been denied access to engineering have been admitted into the college.
“These students are incredibly driven academically to perform well,” GoldShirt Program Manager Phil Courey said. “They also really take advantage of the opportunities available to get involved in extracurricular activities, to grow. They maximize their experience here in ways that definitely impact their peers and the broader work of faculty and staff in the college.”
The NAE received 25 nominations from across the country and chose programs at eight universities.
Gold Shirt Stats
45-50students who participate in the GoldShirt Program each year.
2weeks spent in Summer Bridge program to prepare students for classes.
375students have been admitted to the program.
Kiewit partnership provides scholarships, career development
The program will prepare our engineers for an exciting career that makes an impact on the quality of life in Colorado and throughout the nation.
Keith Molenaar
Interim Dean, College of Engineering
& Applied Science
With the Kiewit Design-Build Program, the company has made a five-year commitment to support up to 40 students each year with significant annual scholarships as well as enhanced academic and professional development opportunities, including internships, service-learning experiences, research projects and mentorship. The program is designed to graduate well-rounded engineers and builders prepared to tackle our nation’s infrastructure demands.
“This partnership builds on 50 years of construction engineering and management at the Թ of Colorado Boulder and accelerates our long-term relationship with Kiewit,” said Keith Molenaar, interim dean of the college and a leader in design-build engineering. “The program will prepare our engineers for an exciting career that makes an impact on the quality of life in Colorado and throughout the nation.”
The partnership, a novel model for university-corporate relationships, illustrates Kiewit’s commitment to innovation and elevates the relationship between the university and a significant contributor to the Colorado economy.
The company awarded the first 16 Kiewit Design-Build Scholarships as part of the program launch. Twenty-four additional scholarships will be announced in the spring.
Longtime diversity champion helps renovate BOLD Center
MarcoCampos
Founder, Campos EPC
A longtime supporter of diversity and inclusion efforts within the College of Engineering and Applied Science and across Colorado, Campos said he felt called to make an immediate impact when the pandemic took hold this spring. He grew concerned that the pandemic was creating a greater burden among first-generation and underrepresented students. He felt that now, more than ever, these students needed an enhanced center of support and connection.
“We have to do something to help where we can,” Campos said. “This isn’t business as usual. People are suffering, and we have to consider the long-term effects of this crisis.”
The renovation brings a dramatic improvement to the center’s technological offerings, allowing for remote and in-person learning through lecture capture and enhanced digital displays. The transformation also will provide better lighting, more space for students, and opportunities for students to create cultural displays, engineering projects and artwork.
The BOLD Center seeks to broaden opportunities through leadership and diversity. Located in the heart of the Engineering Center, it provides a community space and affinity-based programming for students historically underrepresented in engineering.
USAID, NASA support Mortenson-led drought resilience technology
A CU Boulder co-led program committed to ending humanitarian drought emergencies in the Horn of Africa has gained support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and NASA and recognition from leading nonprofits.
The Drought Resilience Impact Platform, or DRIP, combines the technical leadership from within the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and across campus with water security actions taken by the Millennium Water Alliance, national governments, and local communities in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
DRIP will monitor water security in these three countries, create actionable drought forecasts, and incentivize water system operations to ensure that when rains fail, water access is secure and costly drought emergencies are prevented.
The program was recognized as an inaugural member of the Million Lives Club, which recognizes positive impact on at least a million people living on less than $5 a day. It was also honored as one of the 100 top-scoring finalists in a challenging vetting process from the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition and at the 2020 San Francisco Design Week, with a first-place finish in the Internet of Things category.