Research

Postdoc working on AI for astronauts

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 21:58:58 +0000

Postdoc working on AI for astronauts Jeff Zehnder Fri, 12/05/2025 - 14:58

Jeff Zehnder

Ulubilge Ulusoy is advancing the science of artificial intelligence to help astronauts on future missions to Mars.

Although such a flight is years away, AI systems will be critical to assisting astronauts as they journey beyond Earth’s orbit.

“These are problems we need to understand now,” Ulusoy said. “The International Space Station works because we have a huge group of humans in ground control helping these systems to function. When you go to Mars and the time delays for communications can be up to 24 minutes one way, it’s impossible for NASA to check things in real time. You need AI-based systems ready to keep the crew alive and the habitat functional.”

Ulusoy is designing methods to test human responses to AI systems within a framework where AI systems assist humans and humans also assist AI. The goal is to better understand how people can best interact with them.

He is the inaugural Smead Distinguished Postdoctoral Associate at the �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder. The one-year position provides funding for leading PhD graduates conducting aerospace research.

Ulusoy uses sensors to collect an array of physiological data as humans interact with AI systems in real-time, including heart rate variation, perspiration, breathing rate, and cognitive load.

Such objective data can reveal how trustworthy and useful human users find AI systems as well as the best methods AI can use to provide assistance.

“These systems are getting better, but we often ignore them anyway. You sometimes have Siri or Google pop up to say something and you’re like, ‘Not now, Siri.’ These new AI systems have machine learning technology so when you provide counter feedback, it can learn from that,” he said.

Ulusoy is conducting pilot tests this semester with the hope of beginning human trials in the spring. He and fellow Postdoctoral Associate Patrick Pischulti are working with Katya Arquilla, an assistant professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, and an expert on how humans interact with and adapt to complex systems.

The research is a long-time goal of Ulusoy. He first began working on AI/astronaut interactions in 2020 during his PhD program. At that time, its potential was largely theoretical.

“I wanted to present a framework on paper, but in my third year, commercial, off-the-shelf large language models came out. It is a really exciting time to move forward,” he said.

The experiments this spring will see human test subjects working with a robotic arm to complete a physical task. Ulusoy will monitor the human test subject responses to see how well they work together.

“Being able to do human factors work, specifically collective physiological data is really helpful,” he said. “Implementing real-time, objective measurements will bring this to the next level.”

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Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 18:35:37 +0000

Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread Alexander Jame… Fri, 12/05/2025 - 11:35

PhD student Laura Shannon, alongside Professors Greg Rieker and Peter Hamlington of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering are setting fires inside wind tunnels to gain a better understanding of how fire spreads across different terrain. The team says their findings could help keep communities safer in a world where climate-driven wildfire is becoming more common—and more dangerous.

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PhD student earns top award for video showing hidden odor patterns

Susan Glairon — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 23:26:01 +0000

PhD student earns top award for video showing hidden odor patterns Susan Glairon Wed, 12/03/2025 - 16:26

Susan Glairon

Elle Stark, a PhD student in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, was recently awarded a prestigious Gallery of Fluid Motion (GFM) Award for a video describing her research.

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Bruce Kirkpatrick honored with Outstanding Dissertation Award

Susan Glairon — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 21:07:51 +0000

Bruce Kirkpatrick honored with Outstanding Dissertation Award Susan Glairon Wed, 11/26/2025 - 14:07

Susan Glairon

Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD Student Bruce Kirkpatrick was honored with the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award. His hydrogel research supports technologies that enable 3D cell culture for tissue engineering and disease modeling, as well as acellular biomaterials for applications like controlled release of drugs or vaccines.

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Alexander James Servantez — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:40:29 +0000

A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time Alexander Jame… Thu, 11/20/2025 - 14:40

Soil is comprised of an intricate network of bacteria and other microbes that humans depend on, but this complex environmental system is constantly shifting, making it difficult for scientists to measure. Associate Professor Gregory Whiting and his team of researchers are developing reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time to help farmers optimize their use of fertilizers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money in the process.

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Smart toilet designs in Cambodia held promise, but a key piece was missing

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:38:19 +0000

Smart toilet designs in Cambodia held promise, but a key piece was missing Alexander Jame… Wed, 11/19/2025 - 14:38

Assistant Teaching Professor James Harper recently led a behavioral study analyzing toilet use in Cambodia. Their goal was to introduce a new, smart toilet design that can keep rural households safe and protect the environment. But while households reported that they liked the new system, a crucial piece was missing: using it correctly.

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Matt Hallowell wrote a book on workplace safety. Industry made it a bestseller.

Susan Glairon — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 20:12:13 +0000

Matt Hallowell wrote a book on workplace safety. Industry made it a bestseller. Susan Glairon Mon, 11/17/2025 - 13:12

Susan Glairon

With fatalities unchanged for nearly two decades, industry has been hungry for clear, practical guidance rooted in solid research, says Professor Matt Hallowell. In his first book, Hallowell summarized the research of more than 100 journal papers in reader-friendly terms, providing the first comprehensive, evidence-based explanation of why serious worksite injuries persist and how to prevent them.

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Researchers redefine hip arthroscopy with breakthrough surgical device

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:00:36 +0000

Researchers redefine hip arthroscopy with breakthrough surgical device Alexander Jame… Fri, 11/14/2025 - 13:00

Research Professor Jacob Segil collaborated with Dr. Omer Mei Dan from the �Թ�� of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine to create a redesigned surgical instrument called the CAP-LIFT cannula. The device was recently launched in October, and within the first few weeks used in over 100 successful surgeries.

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Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems

Susan Glairon — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:00:31 +0000

Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems Susan Glairon Wed, 11/12/2025 - 12:00

A new CU Boulder study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how electric fields control nanoparticle movement through porous materials, enabling independent control of speed and direction. This finding could advance nanorobot technologies for applications like tumor detection, drug delivery and environmental cleanup of toxic chemicals.

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Space law – Influencing policy for low Earth orbit and beyond

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:09:52 +0000

Space law – Influencing policy for low Earth orbit and beyond Jeff Zehnder Tue, 11/11/2025 - 09:09

Jeff Zehnder

�Թ�� of Colorado Boulder researchers have been shaping space exploration for decades and now are expanding into space law.

As more nations launch satellites, space probes, and military hardware into orbit, policy has become an increasingly critical field in the U.S. and beyond.

Marcus Holzinger is a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the inaugural holder of the Hatfield Endowed Professor in Space Policy & Law, a position created to shape the future of legal frameworks for space and serve as a bridge between academic research and real-world governance.

“The university brings a nonpartisan, technical perspective to the table, which is incredibly important,” Holzinger said. “When you’re talking about aircraft policy, where they fly, how high and how low, you wouldn’t want to make those decisions without anyone who knew how an airplane worked. We want to provide that necessary information to form cogent policy, but for space.”

CU Boulder also recently created the Colorado Space Policy Center to bring together academic majors across the university and further boost research and engagement in industry, civil, and military space. It is being led by Dan Baker, who served as director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for nearly 30 years.

“We have one of the best concentrations of space scholars in the nation,” Holzinger said. “There’s also a very large space industry here in Colorado. There are a lot of people interacting across academia, industry, and government. This is the right place, at the right time, with the right people.”

CU Boulder already teaches non-engineering courses on space policy and has a Space Law Society for students. In addition, the aerospace department has revised its PhD practicum requirements to offer a policy option.

“Traditionally the practicum has been mentoring or teaching. We changed that so students could fulfill it by applying their technical skills to benefit society. We’ve now had students do that by interning at the state legislature and in the Department of Commerce Space Office,” Holzinger said.

He is hoping to further integrate students into the space policy sphere. The Hatfield Professorship only began in June 2025, but Holzinger said he has already been contacted by many students interested in learning more about space policy.

“I’m really excited overall about the work being done here,” Holzinger said. “We’re drawing upon CU Boulder’s technical expertise and strengths to be a real center of mass and resource for policymakers, through the students we graduate and the expertise we can provide.”

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