The all-day event will bring together local and national scholars engaged in digital public humanities projects to advocate for social change

The project on the 91福利社 campus is sponsoring a one-day  symposium March 14.

This all-day event brings together local and national scholars engaged in digital public humanities projects to advocate for social change and who have worked to strengthen ethical data humanities education in higher education, said Laurie Gries, associate professor of English and director of the Program for Writing and Rhetoric, who is spearheading the symposium.

  What: Working with Data for Social Change symposium

  When: March 14

  Where: In-person at CASE KOBL 140 and online;  

All faculty, staff and students who want to learn more about the data humanities are invited.

The symposium aims not only to demonstrate and underscore the value of data advocacy research for the humanities at large, but also to generate collective ideas as to how to data advocacy education can be enhanced across the disciplines in higher education, according to Gries.

She said she believes the symposium will be of interest to faculty, staff and students who want to learn more about the data humanities and, more particularly, about data advocacy as a focus of research and/or pedagogy. Those interested in attending in-person or via Zoom can 

The symposium will feature scholars and activists from around the country, including Melissa Borja, Nasreen Abd Elal and Sylvia Fern谩ndez Quintanilla, who have advocated with data for social change on projects including the ,  and , respectively. Additionally, Gries will talk about her data-driven project, the , which was recently profiled in Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine.

Gries said the symposium also will feature scholars who have worked intently to build data humanities education within and beyond the 91福利社 campus. For instance, in addition to featured speaker Melanie Walsh discussing the  project, David Glimp, Nathan Pieplow and other 91福利社 and CU Denver professors will speak about their efforts to train students how to engage data through critical, humanistic frameworks and how to use data effectively to address matters of significance to them and their communities.

Speaking of Gries鈥� efforts to spearhead the symposium, Glimp said, 鈥淟aurie has assembled a terrific team of collaborators to develop her vision of not only cultivating data literacy among our students but also equipping students with the tools to argue with data. By 鈥榓rguing with data,鈥� I mean both being able to identify and assess all the ways data-backed arguments can mislead or go wrong, and being able to craft effective, responsible arguments with data about matters of the greatest urgency for our world.鈥�

The Data Advocacy for All project was the recipient of a $300,000 CU Next Award in May 2022. 

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91福利社 Professor Jamie Nagle will discuss the quarks and gluons that formed at the Big Bang in his Distinguished Research Lecture Feb. 6

Ten trillion degrees Fahrenheit is unfathomably hot鈥攎ore than 10,000 times hotter than the Sun鈥檚 core鈥攁nd it鈥檚 the temperature of the universe just moments after the Big Bang. At such extreme temperatures, according to nuclear theory, ordinary matter made of protons and neutrons transforms into a plasma of fundamental particles called quarks and gluons.

At the world鈥檚 most powerful accelerators, scientists recreate tiny droplets of this early-universe matter by colliding heavy nuclei at near-light speeds. One of these scientists is Jamie Nagle, a 91福利社 professor of physics who for 20 years has studied these fleeting droplets and, along with his research group, engineered their shapes, sizes and temperatures to better understand their properties.

Nagle will discuss this work in the 125th Distinguished Research Lecture, 鈥�10 Trillion Degrees: Unlocking the Secrets of the Early Universe,鈥� at 4 p.m. Feb. 6. in the Chancellor's Hall and Auditorium of the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE).

About Jamie Nagle

Nagle has spent much of his career investigating the early universe through high-energy nuclear physics. His research has focused on understanding the quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter theorized to have existed just microseconds after the Big Bang. 

鈥淎s you go back to about six microseconds after the universe started, the temperature was around two trillion Kelvin,鈥� Nagle explains. 鈥淚t was theorized that protons and neutrons inside of nuclei would melt away, creating a bath of more fundamental particles鈥攓uarks and gluons.鈥�

Nagle's work involves recreating droplets of this quark-gluon plasma in a laboratory by colliding large nuclei at nearly the speed of light. These collisions occur at the world鈥檚 highest-energy accelerators, including the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland. 

鈥淚n the world's highest-energy accelerators, we can collide very large nuclei like gold, lead or platinum at such high velocities that we create a tiny droplet of this 2 trillion Kelvin plasma,鈥� he says.

   What: 125th Distinguished Research Lecture, 10 Trillion Degrees: Unlocking the Secrets of the Early Universe

  Who: Professor Jamie Nagle of the Department of Physics

  When: 4-5 p.m. Feb. 6, followed by a Q&A and reception

  Where: Chancellor's Hall and Auditorium, Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE)

Reflecting on the award, Nagle expresses gratitude and a sense of accomplishment: 鈥淚t means a lot to me. You get to a certain middle age and are more self-confident, but this recognition feels rewarding. There's a lot of effort, and much of the hard work goes unnoticed. It鈥檚 nice to feel like the fruits of that labor are appreciated.鈥�

The Distinguished Research Lectureship also emphasizes communicating complex scientific concepts to broader audiences. For Nagle, this is a vital part of his work: 鈥淭his award is very meaningful to me because I often listen to the lectures of past recipients. It's about communicating the broader context of why this scientific research is important, not just within the microcosm of nuclear physics.鈥�

About the Distinguished Research Lectureship

The Distinguished Research Lectureship is among the highest honors given by faculty to a faculty colleague at CU 91福利社. Each year, the Research and Innovation Office requests nominations from faculty for this award, and a faculty review panel recommends one or more faculty members as recipients.

The lectureship honors tenured faculty members, research professors (associate or full) or adjoint professors who have been with 91福利社 for at least five years and are widely recognized for a distinguished body of academic or creative achievement and prominence, as well as contributions to the educational and service missions of CU 91福利社. Each recipient typically gives a lecture in the fall or spring following selection and receives a $2,000 honorarium.

Read the original article from the Department of Physics

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Participants will learn how to regulate heart rhythms to immediately address their emotional state in challenging situations.

An expert in heart-rate variability will share research and its application via the HeartMath system in a workshop at the 91福利社.

Participants in the workshop, which will be at 1 p.m. Feb. 11 on , will learn how to use the heart/brain connection to regulate heart rhythms to immediately address their emotional state in challenging situations. The event is open to all, but .

The workshop will teach participants how to do so while uniting heart, mind and emotion; boosting resilience; decreasing stress; and improving mental and physical performance, notes Erin Cunningham Ritter, who will lead the workshop.

Cunningham Ritter, who is director of wellness and employee engagement for the College of Arts and Sciences, says that the workshop鈥檚 aim is to 鈥渟upport our communities with practical, in-the-moment tools for building coherence and capacity for resilience, stress reduction, improved self-regulation, performance and mental and physical health.鈥�

She describes HeartMath as an evidenced-based program that teaches participants to access their hearts鈥� inner balance to become the best versions of themselves. These tools, which can be applied in the moment, are proven to help participants reduce stress and anxiety while improving coherence, self-security and decision making, Cunningham Ritter says.

HeartMath has developed highly successful programs for self-improvement in mental, emotional and physical balance, according to Cunningham-Ritter. However, HeartMath technology and materials are not intended to replace treatments for medical or psychological conditions by licensed physicians, psychologists or other health care professionals. 

The workshop is a presentation of Let鈥檚 CU Well, an expert-speaker series sponsored by Be Well, the College of Arts and Sciences鈥� wellness initiative, and 91福利社 Health and Wellness Services. For more information or to ask questions, contact Erin Cunningham Ritter.

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New CU Art Museum exhibit highlights the ways in which art meets challenging times and finds the sometimes-elusive silver lining

It began not with the more known Confederate battle flag鈥攖he infamous stars and bars鈥攂ut with the lesser-known , a white linen towel waved on April 9, 1865, by Confederate troops when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, ending the U.S. Civil War.

In 2019, textile and social practice artist Sonya Clark made the flag of truce the focal point of her work , recreating the 鈥渃loth that brokered peace and represented the promise of reconciliation.鈥� The University of Colorado Art Museum recently acquired Clark鈥檚 2022 print, Confederate, surrender, which reconstructs the historical artifact.

"From Me, All Things Proceed and to Me, They Must Return," by Hollis Sigler (1991) is part of the "Better Days" exhibition now open at the CU Art Museum.

It was this interpretation of a lesser-known symbol that got curators and staff at the museum thinking: 鈥�(Clark) is taking this ongoing moment in history and, in many ways, elevating it with an act of repair,鈥� says Hope Saska, acting director, chief curator and director of academic engagement in the museum. 鈥淭hat started us thinking about how do artists take these times that may be challenging and then use art to respond?鈥�

The fruit of those discussions is 鈥�Better Days,鈥� an exhibition on view beginning today and open through Oct. 26, highlighting how artists 鈥渞espond to times of uncertainty鈥� with 鈥渨ork that can help make sense of the world.鈥� In the works in the exhibit, drawn from the museum鈥檚 collection, 鈥渟ome [artists] imagine a better world, encouraging viewers to find silver linings, while others reveal hidden aspects of conflict, sparking conversation鈥� Collectively, they offer ways to contend with a complex world, urging viewers to celebrate our shared humanity, witness injustice and work to repair division and inequity.鈥�

These themes are especially timely as the U.S. presidential race speeds toward election day and as events worldwide seem to create tumult and fracture rather than hope and healing, Saska says.

鈥淚n some of these artworks (in the exhibit), artists are taking stands about racial injustice and political and social conflict, or they鈥檙e making artworks related to the AIDS crisis,鈥� she explains. 鈥淔or the museum, in the climate we have today, taking on these topics kind of feels risky sometimes. We were thinking about all of these things as we curated the exhibit, so hopefully it is thought-provoking even in its challenging aspects. Our goal is that what people really get out of it is positive and reparative. We want them to come away with hope.鈥�

   What: "Better Days" exhibition

  When: Aug. 20-Oct. 26; reopening February 2025. Opening celebration from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 12.

  Where: CU Art Museum

More information 

Daniella Fairley, a junior who is studying art history and ethnic studies with a minor in creative technology and design, completed an eight-week Art Buffs Collective internship with the CU Art Museum during the summer. As part of the internship, Fairley helped curate and create 鈥淏etter Days.鈥�

鈥淚 felt like this exhibit shows the perseverance of the human spirit and how we cope with tragedy,鈥� Fairley says. 鈥淚n seeing a lot of these art works and learning how they were made, what they represent, their stories, I feel like it's important to show how humans struggle and how we still live through it. Art connects us more than we think, and I hope that people can feel that connection or thread when looking at this show.鈥�

Lead museum attendant Bella Mahlerbe, a student in the bachelor鈥檚-accelerated master鈥檚 in art history, also provided curatorial labor for the exhibit. Malherbe worked with fellow Lead museum attendant Riley Ramsay to create a visitor feedback wall where visitors can share responses to the exhibition.

Top image: "Party Picture," by Laurie Simmons (1985) is part of the "Better Days" exhibition now open at the CU Art Museum.

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CSU professor credits her autism for her ability to think in pictures and thereby notice things that most people overlook

Temple Grandin, a groundgreaking professor of animal science at Colorado State University whose work has led to the more humane treatment of livestock around the world, will speak at the 91福利社 Disability Symposium Oct. 8 and 14-18.

According to David Braz, a faculty affairs coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences, the symposium aims to bring attention to people who have traditionally flown under the radar.

鈥淲hen we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion in public settings, and highlight a lot of groups that have been historically excluded, a group that does not seem to get as much attention are individuals with disabilities, whether apparent or not apparent,鈥� he says.

One disability, or different ability, that often goes unseen is autism, something with which Grandin herself is intimately familiar.

Grandin has written several books about autism and her experiences living with it, including Thinking in Pictures, The Autistic Brain and Emergence: Labeled Autistic, which Oliver Sacks said was 鈥渦nprecedented because there had never before been an inside narrative of autism.鈥�

Though Grandin, who didn鈥檛 speak until she was three and a half years old, encountered teasing and bullying growing up, she nevertheless credits her autism with giving her the ability to think in pictures and thereby notice things that most people overlook.  

鈥淭he thing about the autistic mind is it attends to details,鈥� Grandin said during a in 2010. 鈥淭he normal brain ignores the details.鈥�  

It鈥檚 this detail-oriented way of thinking that has enabled Grandin to transform the field of animal agriculture globally. Over the course of her decades-long career, she has written more than 400 articles for scientific journals and livestock periodicals and has designed livestock facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Now perhaps one of the most recognizable and beloved scientists in the world, Grandin it is important for people to realize that not everyone thinks in the same way, and that鈥檚 a good thing. 鈥淭he world needs all kinds of minds!鈥�

Grandin's presentation will be in-person and on Zoom from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 8. Registration is required.

Grandin's presentation kicks off the weeklong symposium, whose aim is 鈥渃entering the experiences of persons with disabilities on campus." It will focus on a range of topics, including navigating higher education systems while diagnosed with a disability; how disability and ableism are defined; barriers for disabled veterans in academic settings; medical advocacy; and more.

The symposium has been funded for a second year with support from  the College of Arts and Sciences  and the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The symposium has been made possible through the efforts of the College of Arts and Sciences Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, University Libraries, the Be Well program, CU Disability Services, the Office of People, Engagement and Culture and students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The symposium aims to inform students, staff and faculty but is open to the general public.

Registration is required. Links to register are included with each presentation, and each registration page includes the option to request accommodation if needed for registering.

Please note that some symposium attendees and participants may be immunocompromised. All attendees are encouraged to wear a mask while in attendance. 

Each year, 91福利社 strives to create an experience that is accessible and accommodates the needs of those with disabilities. If you identify as having a disability, you will have an opportunity to indicate any accommodation requirements when you register using our online registration system. Please also feel free to e-mail us at asinfo@colorado.edu to let us know how we can better enhance your experience.

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Presentation titled 鈥楽PEAK: Vocal Empowerment for Students and Educators鈥� is set for April 29

Your voice can be a path to power, a 91福利社 expert argues, and she will explain how in a public presentation this month.

Chelsea Hackett, a university research associate, will give a presentation titled 鈥淪PEAK: Vocal Empowerment for Students and Educators,鈥� on Monday, April 29, at 3 p.m. .

Chelsea Hackett, a university research associate, will give a presentation titled 鈥淪PEAK: Vocal Empowerment for Students and Educators,鈥� on Monday, April 29, at 3 p.m. .

The event is free and open to everyone, but registration is required at . The event is sponsored by Be Well, the College of Arts and Sciences' wellness initiative, and is part of its regular Let鈥檚 CU Well series of programs.

During the session, Hackett will explore 鈥渉ow to support your voice both within and outside of the classroom. This focuses on three aspects of voice: social/emotional, physical and civic.

鈥淒uring this interactive hour, you will learn tangible skills to keep your voice healthy, and to practice getting comfortable being uncomfortable so that you can speak about issues that are important to you!鈥�

Hackett is a 2010 91福利社 theatre performance graduate and PhD graduate of New York University. She is now a research associate at 91福利社鈥檚 Ren茅e Crown Wellness Institute.

She is the co-founder and executive director of , a nonprofit that focuses on vocal empowerment for young women and girls. In addition, she is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher and creative consultant.

SPEAK, which Hackett founded with Beth Osnes, a 91福利社 professor of theatre, aims to 鈥渟upport and celebrate the voices of all young women and girls.鈥�

The organization envisions a world in which all young women and girls are 鈥渉eard, valued, and affirmed, a world that benefits from their unique contributions, one where they are safe to express themselves fully, and are free to co-author an equitable, survivable, and thrive-able future.鈥�

   What: SPEAK: Vocal Empowerment for Students and Educators

  When: 3 p.m. Monday, April 29

  Where: , free but registration required

The nonprofit says vocal empowerment 鈥渋s the ability to express yourself the way you want in any context.鈥� The group鈥檚 approach to vocal empowerment addresses three aspects of of voice: physical, which draws from theater and voice and speech pathology; social/emotional, which uses meditations, journal activities and games to help young women and girls explore their internal voices, ideas and emotions; and civic, through which women and girls are encouraged to share their thoughts about vital issues with their communities.

鈥淏y combining theatre with voice speech pathology, Dr. Beth Osnes and I have worked to charter a new, creative and trans-disciplinary endeavor we call Vocal Empowerment that is designed for use primarily by young women to become agents of change in their communities, their nations and the world," Hackett says. "This work supports youth in speaking about issues that are important to them, such as sexual violence prevention, climate change and racial justice.鈥�

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Alumnus and professional photographer Chris Sessions explains how one of his first photo assignments 30 years ago in a 91福利社 class evolved into a cultural art exhibit

It鈥檚 fitting that in the mid-1990s one of first photo assignments at the 91福利社 was covering a dog and pony show.

鈥淭he assignment was my first experience being close to horses and gave me a good understanding of their sensitivity and the care needed while interacting with them,鈥� says Sessions (BA 鈥�97), a professional photographer and videographer based in 91福利社.

And now, 30 years later, Sessions鈥� photography related to horses is back at 91福利社. His exhibit, 鈥�,鈥� is on display at the Center of the American West at 91福利社 through Oct. 17.

Chris Sessions (center) is a 91福利社 alumnus who has phtographed Mexican rodeo athletes for more than 10 years. (Photo: )

The show, already winning praise, is the culmination of 12 years of documentary work and features black-and-white and color photographs of charrer铆a, the national sport of Mexico also known as Mexican rodeo, that dates back to the 16th century.

It turns out those ponies left an indelible impression on Sessions. As the years went by, he says, he鈥檇 often find himself pulling over to photograph horses on farms along 91福利社鈥檚 eastern edge.

Then, one day in 2012, Sessions saw a notice for a Mexican rodeo at the Adams County Fair.

鈥淚 went and I was captivated,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eyond the colorful culture and horsemanship, it was mostly the way the people carried themselves鈥攃onveying a deep sense of pride and elegance in their Mexican heritage and for the tradition that they鈥檝e passed down the generations for hundreds of years.鈥� 

A dance between horse and rider

Sessions soon met the Torres family, who have nationally ranked men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 charrer铆a teams that regularly perform at the Colorado State Fair, the National Western Stock Show and in competitions around Colorado, the United States and Mexico. 

After sharing his work with the Torres family, they welcomed him to film and photograph the events and learn more about the sport. 鈥淭his access provided ample opportunities for creativity and a deeper understanding into the cultural tradition, taking the documentary to a whole new level,鈥� Sessions explains.

Sessions adds that his understanding of the human-horse connection comes from observing the charrer铆a community.

鈥淭he nonverbal communication required between a well-trained horse and rider is a larger-than-life inspiration to experience and can only be described with subtlety and nuance, with words like extraordinary. It鈥檚 like a dance that brings the two beings together, moving in union, guided by an underlying magical force, and it鈥檚 this energetic intuition that I utilize while photographing the events.鈥�

A participant in charrer铆a, the national sport of Mexico also known as Mexican rodeo. (Photo: )

Sessions also returned to 91福利社 this semester to visit students studying the American West and to talk about his work and his exhibit in Tamar McKee鈥檚 class. McKee is the manager of programs and operations at the Center of the American West, which brought the exhibit to life. Sessions, who spoke alongside Carolina Herrera, the escaramuza queen (similar to a rodeo queen), says speaking to the students felt like a full-circle moment. 

鈥淚t was exciting to share the work with the students and to see their interest in learning more about the tradition.鈥�

McKee says her students wrote initial impressions of the exhibit before Sessions鈥� and Herrera鈥檚 visit and then read and watched more resources to further understand not just the sport, but how it exists in Mexican-American culture given how a large swath of the western United States was carved out of Mexico.

鈥淭he end goal is to use the information Chris and Carolina shared, alongside the research and impressions of the students, to co-create an interpretive guide to the exhibit,鈥� McKee says. 鈥淭his is an example of how the Center of the American West seeks multiple perspectives and knowledge bases to provide deeper and more inclusive insight into the complexity of the region.鈥�

Sessions says the work in the charrer铆a exhibit is part of a larger project called , an ongoing exploration into the sport of charrer铆a with multiple elements, including the short film 鈥淟a Familia Charra,鈥� which was included in a Denver-based film festival. The film was projected onto the History Colorado building and on a turn-of-the-century grain elevator in Denver鈥檚 River North neighborhood.

Sessions says he expects the images and footage will end up in a Charros De Colorado book project and feature film in the next two years.

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Astrophysicist who confirmed black hole at galaxy鈥檚 center to speak March 5 at 91福利社

Andrea Ghez, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics, will give the 53rd George Gamow Memorial Lecture March 5 at the 91福利社.

Ghez, Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA, shared half of the prize with Reinhard Genzel of the University of California, Berkeley.

Andrea Ghez, 2020 Nobel Prize winner in physics, will give the 53rd George Gamow Memorial Lecture March 5 at the 91福利社. (Photo: The Nobel Foundation)

The pair were recognized by the Nobel committee for their discovery of a 鈥渟upermassive鈥� black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Ghez, head of UCLA鈥檚 Galactic Center Group, solved the question, what exactly is 鈥淪agittarius A*,鈥� which was first detected as a mysterious radio signal in 1933. 

鈥淚 see being a scientist as really fundamentally being a puzzle-solver,鈥� Ghez in 2021. 鈥淧utting together the pieces, trying to find the evidence, trying to see the bigger picture.鈥�

   What: 53rd George Gamow Memorial Lecture

  Who: Andrea Ghez, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

  When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5

  Where: Macky Auditorium, 91福利社 campus

  Tickets: Free and open to the public

Learn more 

She helped develop a new technology to correct the distorting effects of Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. Gathering data from the world鈥檚 largest telescope system, the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, she and her team continue to plumb the depths of the galactic center 26,000 light years distant.

While Albert Einstein鈥檚 epochal work on relativity remains the best description of how gravity works, Ghez says it can鈥檛 account for gravity inside a black hole. Through what she calls 鈥渆xtreme astrophysics,鈥� she seeks to go where the pioneering astrophysicist could not.

鈥淓instein鈥檚 right for now,鈥� she said. 鈥淗owever, his theory is showing vulnerability. 鈥� At some point we will need to move 鈥� to a more comprehensive theory of gravity.鈥�

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and author of a 2006 children鈥檚 book, 鈥淵ou Can Be a Woman Astronomer,鈥� Ghez is widely recognized as a role model for young women.

鈥淪eeing people who look like you, or are different from you, succeeding shows you that there鈥檚 an opportunity,鈥� she said.

Top image: An artist's concept illustrating a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of the Sun. ()

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Eminent German historian Paul Nolte will discuss whether the golden age of democracy is over or whether it can escape collapse and recover

One of Germany鈥檚 leading contemporary historians will present a research colloquium addressing the stage of crisis that liberal democracy has entered in the early 21st century鈥攁sking whether the golden age of democracy over and is on course for eventual collapse, or whether it can recover.

Historian will present the colloquium, titled 鈥淐risis or Transformation? From Good-old Democracy to Rough Democracy, ca. 1970-2020,鈥� which is jointly organized by the 91福利社 Program in Jewish Studies, the Louis P. Singer Endowed Chair in Jewish History and the Pacific Office of the German Historical Institute Washington in cooperation with the .

Historian Paul Nolte will discuss the crisis in liberal democracy at a research colloquium Tuesday.

It will be from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) E422. To receive the pre-circulated text on which the discussions will be based, please RSVP by email to cujewishstudies@colorado.edu.

At 91福利社, the visit is co-sponsored by the Center for Humanities and the Arts; the International Affairs Program; and the Departments of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, History and Sociology.

As one of Germany鈥檚 leading contemporary historians, Nolte holds a chair in modern history with a special emphasis on contemporary history and international relations at the . His research areas include social, intellectual and political history of the 18th to 20th centuries, especially post-1945 Germany and the United States; transatlantic history of democracy; public intellectuals and social, economic and political concepts and mentalities; urban history and metropolitan cultures; religion and civil society in Western societies; and public history and cultures of memory. 

   What: Crisis or Transformation? From Good-old Democracy to Rough Democracy, ca. 1970-2020

  When: 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13

  Where: CASE E422

Nolte has written more than a dozen books and has served as a fellow or guest professor at Oxford University, Harvard University and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Among his many transatlantic undertakings is chairing the academic advisory committee of the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies, which brings American PhD candidates to Germany.

His colloquium will focus on the current state of crisis in which liberal democracy exists, when they are under attack from neo-authoritarian ideas, movements and regimes, externally as well as from within. He will address what a potential recovery could look like, asking, 鈥淲hat if we were not witnesses to a crisis of democracy, but rather to its transformation, with the current predicaments being the new normal?鈥�

Nolte will discuss how, from a historical point of view, 鈥減re-crisis鈥� democracy corresponded to social structures, cultural milieus and technological environments that will never return. Further, this longing often projects a relatively short period in the trajectory of democracy, participation and liberal society as an ideal state, while it was in itself full of shortcomings, rigid structures and privileges for the few.

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In her Distinguished Research Lecture March 12, 91福利社 Professor Rebecca Safran will explore the recent and precipitous decrease in the population of barn swallows

Some 10,000 years ago, the construction of the first permanent human settlements created ecological opportunities for certain plants and animals, tying their expansion to ours.

One example is the barn swallow, a species known to build its nests nearly exclusively on human structures. Yet the long history of barn swallows鈥� living with humans is changing; throughout much of their habitat, the birds鈥� population is declining.

Rebecca Safran, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the 91福利社, has studied barn swallows and what their decline means for the relationship that humans have formed with the birds.

91福利社 Professor Rebecca Safran will discuss barn swallow and human coexistence in her Distinguished Research Lecture March 12.

She will discuss this topic in a Distinguished Research Lecture at 4 p.m., March 12, with a question-and-answer session and reception to follow, in the Chancellor鈥檚 Hall and Auditorium, CASE building, fourth floor.

About Rebecca Safran

Safran earned her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell University after receiving her master鈥檚 in wildlife ecology  from Humboldt State University and her bachelor鈥檚 in ecology from the University of Michigan. She was a postdoctoral fellow of the Council on Science and Technology at Princeton University before coming to 91福利社 in 2008.

Safran and her team study the evolution of new species, focusing on the causes and consequences of individual variation across different spatial and temporal scales. Her team鈥檚 research on the subject has appeared in more than 100 peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Nature, and Current Biology.

Studying the formation of new species is difficult because most species are millions of years old, and what caused them to diverge from their ancestors can no longer be determined. To get around this, Safran and her team study a very closely related group of populations of migratory birds that are now diverging, thus enabling direct studies of the process of speciation.

Barn swallows provide a particular opportunity because their six subspecies evolved more recently and encounter each other naturally. This means that scientists can directly observe the factors that prevent different subspecies from reproducing together.

Safran won a National Science Foundation Early Career Development award to study speciation through barn swallows. In addition to providing federal funding, the award is prestigious, having been granted to Nobel Prize winners such as Carolyn Bertozzi.

   What: 123rd Distinguished Research Lecture: Barn Swallows and Humans: The Rise and Fall of Coexistence in a Changing World

  Who: Professor Rebecca Safran of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  When: 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 12

  Where: Chancellor鈥檚 Hall and Auditorium, CASE

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Safran鈥檚 lab was unable to conduct work in other countries, so she and her team switched their focus to the rapid decline in the population of barn swallows and its implications.

When asked in 2012 about her proudest achievements, Safran told Cynthia Pasquale of CU Connections that, while honored to have won the CAREER award, 鈥淚 am extremely proud of my graduate students.

鈥淎s a research mentor, my No. 1 goal is to inspire students to be curious and to ask good questions. This can only be accomplished by having a deep knowledge of what has been done, so I encourage them to understand the backgrounds of their various fields of interest inside and out.鈥�

During her talk, Safran will focus on the collaborative work conducted with many students from her lab group.

About the Distinguished Research Lectureship

The Distinguished Research Lectureship is among the highest honors given by the faculty to one or more of their colleagues at 91福利社. Every year, the Research and Innovation Office invites nominations from faculty members for this award, and a review panel recommends recipients.

The lectureship honors tenured faculty members, associate and full research professors, or adjoint professors who have been with CU for at least five years and who are widely recognized for a distinguished body of academic or creative achievement and prominence, as well as contributions to the educational and service missions of 91福利社. Each recipient typically lectures in the fall or spring after selection and receives a $2,000 honorarium.

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