When science writers visit breweries, they get a lot of pointed chemistry questions.
When science writers meet astronauts, they ask questions about propulsion (and, of course, take selfies). As they hike with scientists, they ask many questions about the geology, flora and fauna of the Rocky Mountains.
A tour at Sanitas Brewing, social time at the planetarium, and a geology hike at Chautauqua Park are among the dozens of tours, panel discussions, and lectures held at Cylighters 2023 from October 6th to 10th. was included in. The National Association of Science Writers and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, hosted by Universities Boulder and Anschutz, was an astonishing success. Yes, the weather was gorgeous, but the conference sessions also achieved the desired result of stimulating participants’ deep curiosity about the natural world and the humans who inhabit it.
Approximately 650 journalists from news organizations including The New York Times, Scientific American, Slate, Wired, Inside Climate News, Ars Technica, Washington Post, Discover, NPR, Science, and the Associated Press participated. In addition, institutional communicators representing three countries and 39 countries also participated. Each state came to Colorado to hone their skills, meet their peers, and gather story ideas from the top minds in science and medicine. Organizers said it was the largest turnout in the event’s history.
“We are grateful for the important storytelling you do to advance our work and the work of our fellow universities across the country,” said Anne Schmiesing, vice president for academic resource management at UW Boulder. Thank you,” he said in his opening remarks. “You are an important part of the work we do here and make science essential to our world.”
Schmiesing touted the “million-dollar view” from the club level of Folsom Field overlooking the Flatirons, where much of the conference was held, and said it was actually a “$658 million view.” Ta. That’s the amount of federally supported research reported by the University of Boulder last year. He noted that more than half of that funding is generated by UW Boulder’s 12 research institutes, which work closely with local federal laboratories such as NOAA, NIST, NREL, and NCAR. .
“It is these opportunities for interaction and the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary, multilevel research that make UW Boulder an attractive destination for faculty from around the world,” she said.
Anschutz and Boulder faculty attracted the majority of the four-campus CU system’s $1.46 billion in sponsored research funding and endowments during fiscal year 2022. Through initiatives such as AB Nexus, these two research powerhouses continue to build partnerships that work across disciplines and campuses to advance research and uncover answers to important questions in science and medicine. .
In remarks at the Science Writers Plenary with noted geophysicist and climatologist Michael Mann, Massimo Ruzenne, UW Boulder’s vice chancellor for research and innovation and director of the Institute, said UW Boulder’s He pointed out that the scale of the research enterprise has almost doubled in the past 10 years. .
“This past year has been another record-breaking year, and last month was also a record-breaking month in terms of research funding,” he said.
With a huge amount of research and expertise on both campuses, there was no shortage of fun activities for those who love science and stories about science.
Other topics explored include: UFO (now known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon or UAP). The cutting edge of quantum science in physics. Colorado River Crisis. Trauma and resilience among asylum seekers. The neurochemistry of sadness. How bacteria in the soil become a “stress vaccine”. Science of smell. Legal issues related to emerging technologies. soft robot. Deep brain stimulation for OCD. and the resurgence of psychedelic medicine.
Other activities include visits to UW Boulder’s Media Archeology Lab (Who is Pac-Man?), UW Boulder Museum of Natural History, the ATLAS Institute, and hands-on experiences with augmented reality and medical dogs helping pediatric patients. will appear. See below for event details.