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The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) is now accepting applications for the Advanced Industries Collaborative Infrastructure Grants for fiscal year 2020. Applications are due April 1, 2020 by 5:00 PM. Collaborative Infrastructure Grants are part of the Accelerator Grant Programs at OEDIT. These grants are for large scale, collaborative projects that have broad, industry-wide impact. These grants are for projects that include multiple stakeholders and partnerships rather than company specific funding. Grants up to $500,000 will be awarded. See more details.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is aggressively responding to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and preparing for the potential of community spread in the United States. Read the latest updates on this page. Information includes: Preparing first responders, healthcare providers, and health systems Establishing visibility across healthcare systems to understand healthcare use, particularly surges in demand for medical care and associated resources. Conducting extensive outreach to clinical and hospital professional organizations to ensure health system preparedness. Producing more than 23 guidance documents on infection control, hospital preparedness assessments, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply planning, and clinical evaluation and management (as of February 22, 2020). Working closely with healthcare facilities and providers to reinforce infection control principles that recognize PPE is one component of a larger set of practices that help to limit the spread of disease. Developing a range of respirator conservation strategies, including strategies to make supplies last longer (such as using alternative products like reusable respirators) and extending the use of disposable respirators.Leveraging existing telehealth tools to direct people to the right level of healthcare for their medical needs. Working with supply chain partners to understand supply usage, what products are available, and when more aggressive measures may need to be taken to ensure that healthcare workers at highest risk have access to PPE. Sharing information with stakeholders to help them recognize when to shift the strategies they are using.

As the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) releases the first data from the newly launched COSMIC-2 satellite system, meteorologists are finding evidence that the detailed observations of the atmosphere will significantly improve short-term weather forecasts. "The data are looking very good," said Bill Schreiner, director of the UCAR COSMIC program. "The mission is absolutely a success so far." The six small satellites that form the second generation of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (better known as COSMIC-2) blasted into orbit last June. The satellites are equipped with an array of innovative sensors to probe large areas of the atmosphere with the goal of improving forecasts of hurricanes and other major storms. The system also provides critical information about upper atmospheric disturbances that can affect global communication and navigation systems and electrical power grids. The data release is in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In the past few months, scientists and engineers have begun to maneuver the satellites into their operational orbits and validate instrument performance. The system is already meeting the mission minimum requirement of 4,000 daily soundings, or profiles of the atmosphere that include information on temperature, humidity, and pressure as a function of altitude. Once operational, it is expected to produce close to 5,000 daily soundings. The quality of the observations is exceeding expectations, with an average signal-to-noise ratio that is approximately twice that of the original COSMIC satellites, which were launched in 2006. UCAR last month started to release COSMIC-2 observations of the lower atmosphere every two weeks, after performing checks on the data for any quality control issues. Meteorological centers that have analyzed the data are reporting that the observations will provide a major boost to short-term weather forecasts.

The Global Monitoring Division (GMD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts research that addresses three major challenges; greenhouse gas and carbon cycle feedbacks, changes in clouds, aerosols, and surface radiation, and recovery of stratospheric ozone. Members RSVP Here GMD’s five research groups – Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases (CCGG), Halocarbons and other Atmospheric Trace Species (HATS), Ozone and Water Vapor (OZWV), Aerosols (AERO), and Global Radiation (G-RAD) – make and analyze observations, applying their expertise to address these themes. The unique observing systems operated by each research group come together at GMD’s four baseline observatories, which serve as the backbone of the GMD observing system. However, most of the measurements from each group are made at other locations, including collaborator sites, sites in other networks, and on ships and aircraft. GMD’s research groups work together in developing and maintaining their observing networks and, especially, in understanding, interpreting, and publishing results.

The Women in Science Network at Colorado State University will host its fourth annual symposium on Tuesday, March 3, at Canvas Stadium. The event will commemorate Women’s History Month and will also mark CSU’s sesquicentennial celebration. Dr. Yvonne Cagle, NASA astronaut, family physician and a retired colonel in the United States Air Force, will provide the keynote address, which starts at 2:15 p.m. Candace Mathiason, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology and a co-founder of the Women in Science Network, said the day’s speakers and events will explore the theme, “Building Bridges to the Future.” “It’s always about communication, community building, and the mentoring process,” she said. “Putting those pieces together is very important for the next generation.” Mathiason said that Dr. Cagle exemplifies this theme with her thoughts on inclusiveness and bringing more people into the conversation on women in science.“As an astronaut, she explains in a TEDx Talk that the first time she was above the Earth, she didn’t see borders or boundaries, she saw a bigger picture,” Mathiason said. “We live at a time where we have a lot of divisiveness and we’re looking for ways to be more inclusive.” Later in the day, the symposium will feature career issues breakout sessions, with speakers who will discuss a variety of topics under the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) umbrella, including first-generation students, mentoring, gender equity and LBGTQ+ issues in the workplace. The event is free and open to the public, and will start at 11:45 a.m. with a poster session, international art exhibit, and works from the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame portrait gallery. Since its launch in 2013, the Women in Science Network has grown from a dozen members to more than 700, with six Career Issues groups on campus. Organizers strongly suggest attendees register by March 1.

Construction started this month on a major National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) facility, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), that will support aircraft flown on scientific field projects worldwide, leading to new advances in weather, climate, and air quality research. Officials with NCAR, NSF, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) today broke ground on the $22 million construction project at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield. The new building — which replaces a dated, half-century-old structure at NCAR’s Research Aviation Facility — is expected to open its doors by the end of the year. "This state-of-the-art building will enable us to better support vital field campaigns here in Colorado and around the globe, leading to improved forecasts to protect life and property," said UCAR President Antonio Busalacchi. "We are very appreciative of the National Science Foundation and Congress for their investment in this critical scientific infrastructure.

Augmented reality (AR) has been around for decades, but recent technological advances render it invaluable to improving public safety operations. In this National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division's upcoming webinar, UI/UX lead Scott Ledgerwood dives into AR's potential role in supporting first responder's operations. Join us on Thursday, February 27, 2020, from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (MT) for a deep dive into PSCR's UI/UX research to date and the future of AR in the public safety field. During this webinar, Patrick Hagan and Scott Ledgerwood discuss the opportunity to leverage this technology in public safety operations. There will be time for Q&A. REGISTER HERE.

The fiscal year 2021 budget request that President Trump released on 10 February seeks broad reductions in nondefense spending, including major cuts to R&D programs that echo cuts in his three previous budget proposals. According to summary R&D figures included in the budget, federal support for basic research would drop by 6% to $41 billion, and funding for applied research would drop by 12% to $39 billion. As before, cuts are aimed disproportionately at energy R&D and environmental research programs. To date, lawmakers in Congress have repeatedly rejected Trump’s proposed cuts and instead increased R&D budgets at many agencies, in some cases to historically high levels. There are, moreover, several bills pending in Congress or in the works that suggest there is a significant bipartisan appetite for even larger boosts to R&D in the years ahead. Read more from Physics Today.

Paula Mabee, the Nolop Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of South Dakota, has been selected as the Chief Scientist and Observatory Director of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). “I’m thrilled to be joining NEON,” Mabee said. “It’s an exciting time for the program with new and more ecological data being generated every day now that the observatory is fully operational. The complex environmental challenges of our time require exactly the type of data that NEON is producing and the convergent scientific approaches that the broader science and engineering community brings.” During her distinguished career Mabee has authored more than 60 research publications, received 12 NSF and NIH research grant awards totaling close to $7 million, and held numerous editorial and advisory board positions. She was named an AAAS Fellow in 2004 for her fundamental studies in evolutionary and developmental biology. She is a frequent reviewer of proposals and manuscripts and a sought-after speaker for national and international conferences and events. Mabee begins her new position on February 3, 2020 after completing her current responsibilities at the University of South Dakota.

The Franklin Institute announced today that Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane would receive this year’s medal in physics by the center named after scientist and founding father Benjamin Franklin. Kapteyn and Murnane are fellows in JILA, a joint research institute between CU Boulder and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). With their talented research group, they have pioneered new advancements in X-ray lasers, devices that shoot out incredibly fast pulses of X-ray radiation. Read Details. The researchers, also professors in the Department of Physics, are only the third married couple to receive a Benjamin Franklin Medal. The first couple was Marie and Pierre Curie, who took home the prize for chemistry in 1909. “We are quite excited and humbled to be so recognized by the Franklin Institute,” Kapteyn said. “Margaret and I have been exploring science together for many years now, so it is especially delightful to be following the path of the Curies—a personal inspiration for us—in being recognized by such a longstanding, prestigious organization.” Henry and Margaret were also winners of CO-LABS' Governor's Award for High Impact Research in 2018.

The secretary of the Interior issued an order January 29, 2020 grounding all non-emergency #drones so that the department can assess potential cybersecurity concerns before operating the devices any further. The temporary move “is intended to better ensure the cybersecurity and supply of American technology of unmanned aircraft systems,” according to the order. Part of the DOI’s concern is that information on American energy, transportation, and defense infrastructure collected by the department's drones “has the potential to be valuable to foreign entities, organizations, and governments,” the order says. While Interior grounded a fleet of approximately 800 Chinese-made drones last October, this order is intended to formalize and expand that grounding, a senior Interior official said.

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) is the research arm of the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services program. Scientists and support staff are dedicated to finding solutions to challenging wildlife damage management problems related to agriculture, natural resources, property, and human health and safety. Members: RSVP HERE