University Of Colorado At Boulder Research Articles

Implementation of the photovoice methodology in a project-based upper-division physics course

Photovoice is a type of participatory action research in which individuals document their experiences through photography. Through the taking, captioning, and reflecting on photographs that they have taken, participants are able to affect change within their communities. Participants also take part in an interview or focus group about their photos at the end of the photovoice process in which they determine themes that appear in their photos, allowing them to participate in the research being done. We used the photovoice methodology in a small, project-based, upper-division, physics capstone course at the University of Colorado Boulder, in which students worked on an authentic industry project in partnership with a company in the quantum industry. As an example of the types of research results and benefits one could obtain using photovoice, we present a discussion of how we implemented the photovoice process within this course and present some of our results, including students’ experiences with the photovoice process. Photovoice may be particularly useful in understanding new, unique courses, as it allows students to co-create research that highlights ideas about the course that researchers would not know to ask about in more traditional research methodologies such as reflection questions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Tiny Satellites Can Provide Significant Information About Space

Students and faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder use CubeSats to learn more about the near-Earth environment.

Fairy Tales at CU Boulder Banner 3

This piece of digital media, one out of a series, is made by me as part of a UROP effort alongside the Rare and Distinctive Collections at Norlin to make a vast fairy tale collection accessible to the public. Pictured in the banner are a variety of illustrations taken from different books being entered into an online database to create a fantastical scene, highlighting parts of little-known tales across cultures. The illustration for this college are taken from the following sources housed on campus: From Europa’s Fairy Book: “A Dozen at a Blow,” “The Unseen Bridegroom,” “The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird,” “The Language of Animals,” and “The Master-Maid”. From The Green Fairy Book: “The Enchanted Snake,” From The Book of Fables and Folk Stories: “Puss in Boots,” From The Yellow Fairy Book: “The Six Swans,” From The Brown Fairy Book: “The Bunyip,” and From The Pink Fairy Book: “Esben and the Witch,” “The Snow-Queen”.

Fairy Tales at CU Boulder Banner 1

This piece of digital media, one out of a series, is made by me as part of a UROP effort alongside the Rare and Distinctive Collections at Norlin Library to make a vast fairy tale collection accessible to the public. Pictured in the banner are a variety of illustrations taken from different books being entered into an online database to create a fantastical scene, highlighting parts of little-known tales across cultures. The illustration for this college are taken from the following sources housed on campus: From Europa’s Fairy Book: “The Unseen Bridegroom,” from Histories or Tales of Past Times Written for Children Told By Mother Goose with Morals: “The Master Cat; Or, Puss in Boots,” From A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales: “The Frog Prince,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Hansel and Gretel,” from The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales from the Old French: “Beauty and the Beast,” and from The Allies’ Fairy Book: “Jack the Giant-Killer” and “The Golden Apple-tree”. This collage also contains images from the independent publication of Cinderella, or, The Little Glass Slipper (1904), as well as Beauty and the Beast (1891), along with a number of illustrations by fairy tale illustrators Edmund Dulac, John Dickson Batten, Alfred Henry Forrester, and Henry Justice Ford (Courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries).

Development of dynamic centrifuge models for measurement and visualization of deformation mechanisms in liquefiable soils

Recent advancements in geotechnical physical modeling have enabled visualization and analysis of deformation mechanisms in soil sections through the integration of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) in dynamic centrifuge modeling. PIV requires a rigid wall container. In this paper, we summarize the design considerations that enable reliable measurement and visualization of soil deformation mechanisms at the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder’s 400 g-ton, 5.5 m radius centrifuge facility. The primary objective of this system is to investigate the response of complex and stratigraphically variable, saturated granular soil deposits beneath shallow-founded structures, though it can also be used for other configurations that benefit from advanced visualization in the centrifuge. The setup aims to enable quantification and visualization of different deformation mechanisms, including shear, volumetric, and soil ejecta formation, near and away from structures. The paper provides detailed design considerations for the system components, including a rigid container with a transparent Perspex wall and duct seal inclusions, a linear-elastic single-degree of freedom (SDOF) structure, soil texture, a potential ground improvement technique, and a high-speed camera system. Through fully-coupled, three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element analyses, we investigate the influence of container type, domain size, and duct seal geometry on boundary effects, with consideration of nonlinearities within various soil profile configurations with and without the presence of a building model. The findings highlight the critical impact of proximity to lateral boundaries of the container on accelerations, excess pore pressures, foundation settlement, tilt, and shear strains, as well as the benefits of duct seal in reducing those boundary effects. The results also show that the extent of boundary effects on key performance measures depends on the properties of the container, soil layers, and ground motion. The simulations also show that surface ejecta potential within stratigraphic soil profiles is highly sensitive to the depth of the groundwater table and variations in soil permeability, which must be considered in designing experimental programs that investigate the development of soil ejecta.

Brief Histories of Retroviral Integration Research and Associated International Conferences.

The field of retroviral integration research has a long history that started with the provirus hypothesis and subsequent discoveries of the retroviral reverse transcriptase and integrase enzymes. Because both enzymes are essential for retroviral replication, they became valued targets in the effort to discover effective compounds to inhibit HIV-1 replication. In 2007, the first integrase strand transfer inhibitor was licensed for clinical use, and subsequently approved second-generation integrase inhibitors are now commonly co-formulated with reverse transcriptase inhibitors to treat people living with HIV. International meetings specifically focused on integrase and retroviral integration research first convened in 1995, and this paper is part of the Viruses Special Issue on the 7th International Conference on Retroviral Integration, which was held in Boulder Colorado in the summer of 2023. Herein, we overview key historical developments in the field, especially as they pertain to the development of the strand transfer inhibitor drug class. Starting from the mid-1990s, research advancements are presented through the lens of the international conferences. Our overview highlights the impact that regularly scheduled, subject-specific international meetings can have on community-building and, as a result, on field-specific collaborations and scientific advancements.

The History Teaching & Learning Project: Laying the Groundwork for Departmental Change at the University of Colorado Boulder

The History Teaching & Learning Project: Laying the Groundwork for Departmental Change at the University of Colorado Boulder

To Earmark or to Nonearmark? The Role of Control, Transparency, and Warm-Glow

Problem definition: Charities face tension when deciding whether to earmark donations, that is, allow donors to restrict the use of their donations for a specific purpose. Research shows that earmarking decreases operational performance because it limits charities’ flexibility to use donations. However, there is also a common belief that earmarking increases donations. Earmarking is assumed to increase donations through three mechanisms: by (i) giving donors control over their donations, (ii) increasing operational transparency of donations, and (iii) changing donors’ levels of altruism and warm-glow. To resolve this tension, we study how, when, and why earmarking affects donors’ decisions. We consider three important decisions donors make that impact the fundraising outcome: (i) preference between earmarking and nonearmarking, (ii) decision to donate or not (i.e., donor activation), and (iii) the donation amount. Methodology/results: We design three online experiments that allow us to quantify the effect of earmarking on donors’ decisions and to investigate the role of the three aforementioned mechanisms in fundraising. Our results reveal, for example, that earmarking activates more donors but it does not always increase donation amounts. In addition, we determine the conditions under which the three mechanisms affect the outcome of fundraising campaigns. Managerial implications: Our findings provide actionable insights for how charities can design fundraising campaigns more effectively and suggest when to leverage earmarking and the three mechanisms depending on the charities’ fundraising goals. Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support provided by the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0096 .

Always Room for Mindfulness

CU Boulder Libraries created a Mindfulness Room by embracing a whole learner perspective, in which patrons can meditate, pray, learn, and be inspired. Although initiated by Muslim students seeking a place to pray at a secular, public university, the Mindfulness Room has transformed into a space that encourages all to explore mindfulness practices in the midst of stress and burnout in an academic setting. The presentation emphasized how the space signals to students that libraries support the spiritual, mental, and educational aspects of being a college student, thus positively impacting the student experience as a whole. The presentation situated the project in broader trends of mental health initiatives in libraries, and discussed the contents of the mindfulness room, including a non-circulating collection, as well as future related projects. Speakers reflected on learning opportunities and challenges that arose from balancing multi-faith and secular perspectives in a single, welcoming space.

THE IMPACT OF WORKING IN A STATISTICAL COLLABORATION LABORATORY ON THE STATISTICS STUDENT COLLABORATORS

Graduate level statistics education curricula often emphasize technical instruction in theory and methodology but can fail to provide adequate practical training in applications and collaboration skills. We argue that a statistical collaboration center (“stat lab”) structured in the style of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA) is an effective mechanism for providing graduate students with necessary training in technical, non-technical, and job-related skills. We summarize the operating structure of LISA, and then provide evidence of its positive impact on students via analyses of a survey completed by 123 collaborators who worked in LISA between 2008–15 while it was housed at Virginia Tech. Students described their work in LISA as having had a positive impact on acquiring technical (94%) and non-technical (95%) statistics skills. Five-sixths (83%) of the students reported that these skills will or have helped them advance in their careers. We call for the integration of stat labs into statistics and data science programs as part of a comprehensive and modern statistics education, and for further research on students’ experience in these labs and the impact on student outcomes.

A Tiered Model for Data Management, Curation, and Sharing Support in Grant Proposals and Budgets

Recent trends in research funder policies and guidelines increasingly point to requirements for more detailed plans for data management, curation, and sharing with an emphasis on including allowable costs in grant budgets to support these activities as well. As a result, libraries and other collaborating units at academic institutions have an opportunity to develop streamlined models that allow researchers to incorporate institutional resources for data management, curation, and sharing into their grant proposals along with costs to support these resources. While the current literature contains examples and discussions of general funding approaches to activities like data curation and long-term preservation, little has been written on formal models or strategies for incorporating data management and curation support into the grant proposal and budget process itself. This article describes the development and implementation of a tiered grant support model at the University of Colorado Boulder that provides three levels of services, infrastructure, and expertise to researchers who are looking to incorporate support and costs for data management, curation, and sharing into their grant proposals. The article also presents lessons learned since the soft launch of the grant support model as well as key challenges that have emerged. This model may serve as an example for other institutions to use or adapt to continue to help researchers meet funder requirements while simultaneously increasing the visibility of existing data management and curation resources and identifying potential new revenue or cost recovery streams.

Can police camping ticket geographies facilitate homeless outreach? Identifying harms and people in homeless encampments

AbstractUnsheltered persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) encounter many kinds of harm, and it is often unclear what data sources can be leveraged to connect PEH to services. The present study contributes by first examining crime near encampments, and then determining the utility of police tickets to aid outreach to PEH who camp in public spaces. Using Boulder Colorado and Boulder Colorado Police Department data from November 2021 to October 2022, location quotients suggest that crime is approximately three times more concentrated near encampments identified by residents, and seven times more concentrated near encampments identified with police data. Police tickets for outdoor camping were concentrated among a small number of all ticketed persons. People ticketed most camped in the same area multiple times, and had camps established within a small number of geographically proximate locations. Results suggest outreach efforts to specific PEH could be enhanced with police camping ticket geographies, and this supports a coordinated response to homelessness.

Glimpses from the past: Michael Wertheimer dead at 95.

Michael was a historian by choice and calling, well-known for his Brief History of Psychology, which appeared in six editions. He also edited with Gregory Kimble a seven-volume series of Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology, an essential resource describing many of the illustrious ancestors of contemporary psychology. He was known for his long service to various professional associations, especially the APA. He was president of four APA divisions: 1 (General Psychology), 2 (Teaching of Psychology), 24 (Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology), and 26 (History of Psychology). These commitments show his extraordinary social conscience. In the Psychology Department at CU Boulder, he was highly respected for his superior knowledge and quick curiosity, but also feared for his critical questions and comments. Michael was not one to socialize with and enjoy small talk the way most of us do. Rather, his conversations were brief, to the point, and strictly academic. However, the author also learnt that behind his formal and reserved outward appearance, there was a charming, humorous, and cheerful Mensch. But most of all he was a scholar of universal knowledge, rare passion, and exemplary devotion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Identify, implement values to overcome obstacles for embedded counseling program

The University of Colorado Boulder Counseling and Psychiatric Services (known as CAPS) created an embedded therapist team to participate in a cross‐department collaboration beginning in 2018. (We shared the findings of this process in the article “Embedding counselors within departments across campus can meet increased demand,” published in the June 2022 issue of Student Affairs Today at bit.ly/44d8YyE.) In that article, we provided several key guidelines to support burgeoning embedded programs, including the following: “A needs assessment includes faculty, staff, and students in identifying the resources available and issues for action. Assessing needs from all perspectives allows for a collaborative process, community empowerment, and invaluable connection.”

Member Spotlight

Casey Fiesler is an associate professor of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, specializing in technology ethics, internet law and policy, and online communities.

Su Yun Kim. Imperial Romance: Fictions of Colonial Intimacy in Korea, 1905–1945.

Journal Article Su Yun Kim. Imperial Romance: Fictions of Colonial Intimacy in Korea, 1905–1945. Get access Su Yun Kim. Imperial Romance: Fictions of Colonial Intimacy in Korea, 1905–1945. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020. Pp. xi, 190. Cloth $49.95. Sungyun Lim Sungyun Lim University of Colorado Boulder, US Email: sungyun.lim@colorado.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 128, Issue 2, June 2023, Pages 1056–1057, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/rhad216 Published: 22 June 2023

Biohybrid microrobots for enhancing adoptive cell transfers.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ARTICLES ASAPViewpointNEXTBiohybrid Microrobots for Enhancing Adoptive Cell TransfersC. Wyatt Shields IV*C. Wyatt Shields, IVDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United StatesBiomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United StatesMaterials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States*Email: [email protected]More by C. Wyatt Shields, IVView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4138-8462Cite this: Acc. Mater. Res. 2023, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXXPublication Date (Web):June 1, 2023Publication History Received20 April 2023Published online1 June 2023https://doi.org/10.1021/accountsmr.3c00061© 2023 Accounts of Materials Research. Co-published by ShanghaiTech University and American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views-Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (1 MB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

0163 Impact of cold-water hand immersion on cognitive performance and sleepiness during sleep inertia

Abstract Introduction Sleep inertia is a state of impaired cognitive performance upon awakening that dissipates with time awake. Manipulation of the distal-to-proximal skin temperature gradient using cold water has been hypothesized as a potential countermeasure to sleep inertia, but not previously explored (Krauchi et al., 2004). This study examined the effects of cold-water hand immersion on subsequent cognitive performance and sleepiness during sleep inertia. Methods Ten healthy adults (mean±standard deviation [SD] age 23.2±4.96 years; 6M, 4F) have thus far completed an ongoing 8-day protocol. Prior to an overnight in-laboratory visit, participants maintained habitual 8h sleep schedules for 1 week at home. In-laboratory sleep opportunities were timed to coincide with habitual sleep time. Following at least 5-min of electroencephalogram (EEG) verified continuous slow wave sleep (SWS), participants were awakened twice during the night to submerge their non-dominant hand in warm (34 C) or ice-cold water (0 C) for 3 min in a randomized, crossover design. Sleep inertia was assessed with a Mathematical Addition Test (ADD) and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) at ~ 5, 15, and 25 min after each awakening. Outcomes included number of correct responses and median reaction time for correct responses on the ADD and KSS scores. Data were analyzed with mixed-model ANOVA with condition, condition order and time since awakening as fixed factors and subject as a random factor. Results The average (Mean±SD) amount of SWS prior awakening was similar before the cold 7.0±2.3 min and warm 6.6±1.0min conditions (p>0.10). Following cold water immersion, subjective sleepiness was reduced and the median reaction time for correct responses was faster compared with warm water immersion (main effects of condition, p’s< 0.05). The number of correct responses was not significantly different between conditions, nor were there any significant interaction effects among the fixed factors. Conclusion These preliminary findings indicate that cold-water hand immersion may reduce sleepiness and increase the speed of arithmetic calculations during sleep inertia, which could have important implications for military and first responders performing after awakenings from sleep. Support (if any) Office of Naval Research MURI N00014-15-1-2809; NIH RHL165343A and CTSA Grant UL1 TR002535; Undergraduate Research Opportunities Grant, University of Colorado Boulder.

0201 Prebiotic Diet Impact on Cognitive Performance, Sleepiness, and Mood During Combined Sleep Restriction and Circadian Misalignment

Abstract Introduction The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in health and affects mood and behavior. The composition and function of the gut microbiome can be modified by prebiotics, which are defined as substrates selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit. This study examined the effects of a prebiotic diet combination of polydextrose (PDX) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) on cognitive performance and sleepiness during combined sleep restriction and circadian misalignment. Methods Eleven healthy adults (aged 24.6 ± 4.5, 6 females, 5 males) completed a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study lasting a total of 39 days. Participants consumed 14 days of prebiotic (7.5g/day each of PDX [Danisco] and GOS [FrieslandCampina]) or maltodextrin placebo diets at home(sachets dissolved in water with breakfast) while maintaining ~8h sleep per night at habitual times for two separate weeks before undergoing ~4 days of in laboratory testing under combined sleep restriction (3h sleep opportunity per day) and circadian misalignment (wakefulness at night) conditions. Prebiotic or placebo diet continued in-laboratory. Cognitive function testing occurred every 3h during scheduled wakefulness and included the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Stroop Color and Word Test (STROOP) visual analog mood scales (VAS), positive and negative affect scales (PANAS), and the Karolinska sleepiness scale (KSS). Participants had a 3-day washout, then repeated the same procedure with the second condition. Results Sleepiness on the KSS was reduced, and positive mood on the PANAS and calm mood were increased under prebiotic versus placebo (all p < 0.05). Median reaction time on the PVT was faster, whereas median reaction times for congruent stimuli on the STROOP task were slower under the prebiotic diet versus placebo (all p < 0.05). Conclusion A prebiotic diet had beneficial effects on many performance, sleepiness and mood outcomes during combined sleep restriction and circadian misalignment. These findings have important implications for shift workers, emergency responders, and military personnel working under the demanding conditions of sleep restriction and circadian misalignment. Support (if any) Office of Naval Research MURI N00014-15-1-2809, NIH CTSA Grant UL1 TR002535 and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Grant, University of Colorado Boulder.

0011 Daily verses circadian amplitude of the distal-proximal skin temperature gradient

Abstract Introduction Sleep, circadian rhythms, and thermoregulatory physiology are highly integrated and impact each other. The daily rhythm in the distal-proximal skin temperature gradient (DPG) is wider/more negative during wakefulness, and narrower/closer to zero during sleep. The circadian rhythm in the DPG is wider during the biological day and narrower during the biological night. Here we aimed to quantify and compare the amplitude of the daily rhythm in the DPG under wakefulness-sleep conditions versus the amplitude of the circadian rhythm in the DPG under sleep deprivation conditions to examine associations and magnitude differences. Methods Eleven [5 females] healthy adults [aged 27.6±10.2y, BMI 23.1±2.2 (mean±SD)] participated. After one week of at-home ambulatory monitoring with 8h per night sleep opportunities at habitual bedtimes, participants were studied in the laboratory for three days under controlled dim light (< 8 lux maximum) and ambient temperature conditions (22-24°C). Participants arrived in the afternoon, were kept awake 4h later than typical and scheduled to a 4h sleep opportunity. The next day, participants were sleep deprived for 28h followed by recovery sleep. Skin temperature was assessed every min with iButtons placed subclavicular (proximal skin temperature) and foot palmar (distal skin temperature). The DPG was calculated as difference between proximal and distal skin temperatures. A three-harmonic regression model was used to fit DPG data and derive daily and circadian rhythm amplitudes, and percent difference in amplitude was calculated. Pearson correlations were calculated between daily and circadian rhythm DPG amplitudes. Results DPG amplitude was significantly greater for daily versus circadian rhythm (p < 0.05). Percent difference analyses showed daily DPG rhythm was 57% larger than circadian DPG rhythm (SD 30%, range 22-134%). A significant correlation was found between daily and circadian rhythm DPG amplitudes (r = 0.71, p< 0.05). Conclusion The amplitudes of daily and circadian rhythms of the DPG are associated, but the daily rhythm amplitude is larger. Additional research is needed to compare the relative importance of daily versus circadian skin temperature amplitudes for sleep and circadian relevant outcomes. Support (if any) CurAegis Technologies Inc., Fundacio Joan Riera I Gubau, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program University of Colorado Boulder