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Colorado Discoveries – Global Impact! We're excited to announce the date for the premier scientific recognition event in Colorado! The Annual 2024 Governor’s Awards for High Impact Research event will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 5:00 – 9:00pm at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We’ll be announcing the winners soon and launching the event website – thank you to our Presenting Sponsor the Alliance for Sustainable Energy and our hosts at DMNS! This is our 14th Annual event that gathers 200+ scientists, technology professionals, civic leaders, academics and supporters of science from around the state for an evening of inspiring celebration of the profound and crucial research funded by our tax dollars. You can see the 2023 Awards event winners , videos and more at www.2023GovAwards.gov . About the Governor’s Awards for High Impact Research: Started in 2009, the annual Governor's Awards for High-Impact Research celebrates the brilliant ground-breaking discoveries and innovative research from Colorado’s ecosystem of federally-funded laboratories and institutions. That year, following the creation of CO-LABS in 2007, Governor Bill Ritter suggested hosting a celebratory and spotlighting event; the various labs were invited to submit nominations and a Selection Committee was convened of professional researchers, technologists, academics and economic development experts to identify remarkable research having “high impact” on society. Each year at this event, CO-LABS spotlights the men and women creating our future through brilliant technological and engineering discoveries in aerospace, energy, agriculture, public health, weather prediction, wildlife ecology, communication, earth science and dozens of other fields of research right here in our Colorado communities. Over the years, Colorado governors Bill Ritter, John Hickenlooper and Jared Polis have presented and/or spoken in support of the winners with these awards, recognizing their impact on our country's leadership in science. The 2024 Awards website will be launched soon, further announcements to come.

The CO-WY Engine is receiving significant funding from the National Science Foundation aimed at improving the resilience of communities in our two-state region. The Engine will support the development of unique environmental data and measurements in our region through research and development and translation of technologies using grant programs and other means. There are two types of grants: Use-Inspired R&D grants and Translation grants. ‍‍ Use-Inspired R&D Grants: These grants aim to foster research and development of innovative data, technology, or practice solutions for advancing climate technologies and community resiliency. ‍Eligible universities include: ‍• Colorado State University • University of Wyoming University of Colorado (Boulder, Denver) • University of Northern Colorado • Colorado School of Mines • Metro State University ‍Translation Grants: These grants aim to accelerate the commercialization of innovations into tangible products, services, or solutions that address climate resiliency. Proposals should demonstrate a solid product-market fit, collaboration with industry partners, and a roadmap for securing additional translational funding. See full details and application forms here>>>

Lynker Space has announced a new capability for predicting and mitigating space weather threats to numerous industries and critical services - the technology has been developed through more than a decade of rigorous research and validation using solar data going back more than 200 years. Leading the effort is Scott McIntosh, a solar and astrophysical researcher of more than 25 years, who has joined Lynker as Vice President of Space Operations. McIntosh served as Deputy Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research since 2019. He has authored or co-authored more than 160 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and currently leads the research arm of the White House Space Weather Advisory Group. McIntosh was lead author on a study that accurately predicted the ongoing Solar Cycle 25 to be much more active than consensus estimates. “While space weather forecasting has come a long way, previously existing forecasts don’t provide the accuracy, lead time, or industry-specific insights necessary to implement proper mitigating actions,” said Joe Linza, Lynker’s Founder and CEO. “We’ve developed this new service by really focusing on delivering actionable forecasts of space weather and its impacts on a particular industry or asset. Scott McIntosh is one of the world’s renowned space weather experts and the ideal person to spearhead this effort.” Read more>>> Lynker Space is now a global leader in space weather forecasting, is transforming space weather forecasting with new technology underpinned by a unique understanding of the physics of the sun, its underlying magnetic activity, and the intertwined solar and near-Earth environments.

Does your organization have plastic waste or manage plastics materials? CO-LABS invites you to a tour at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO with a focus on the technologies of the BOTTLE Consortium. The  Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE™)  consortium is led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office.  Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2024 Time: 8:30 am - 10:00 pm Location: Golden, CO Cost: free for CO-LABS members and guests RSVP HERE This tour is limited to 14 people, RSVP today! Registered guests will get a separate calendate invite with further details.  There is a critical need for new technology on plastics recycling and upcycling. The BOTTLE consortium was formed to spur innovation in early-stage R&D to incentivize waste plastics reclamation and "close the loop" on plastics recycling. The consortium seeks to work with companies and other research organizations to combine talents and capabilities from the public and private sectors. BOTTLE efforts include the development of improved catalytic and biocatalytic recycling strategies to break down today's plastics into chemical building blocks for manufacturing circular polymers and designing tomorrow's plastics to be recyclable-by-design. The BOTTLE R&D portfolio is guided by techno-economic analysis and supply chain-based life cycle assessment. The consortium's integrated science framework has three research tasks—Deconstruction, Building Blocks, and Redesign—bolstered by three crosscutting tasks—Analysis, Characterization, and Modeling. BOTTLE is led by experts from multiple partner national laboratories and universities with demonstrated experience in process development and integration, chemical catalysis, biocatalysis, material science, separations, modeling, economic analysis, and sustainability assessment. More info:  https://www.bottle.org/about  &  https://www.nrel.gov/manufacturing/bottle.html Who should attend:  Manufacturers with plastics components and waste management responsibilities  Chemists, molecular biologists and physicists with interests in plastics recycling Energy and Environmental Policy leaders focused on upcycling and waste diversion technologies Researchers from academic, NGO and private sector organizations with plastic waste reduction goals Attendees will learn how BOTTLE partners leverage academic and laboratory technologies and engage in collaborative projects with a high probability of producing IP, which is exclusively available to the partner supporting that project.  We'll hear about NREL's strategic programs from  Peter F. Green , Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology and Chief Research Officer for NREL. and  Katrina Knauer , Chief Technology Officer of the BOTTLE Consortium.  You will also learn about the benefits of being a consortium partner:  Direct your funding to guide and design the research projects you choose, to solve the problems you care most about, with no membership fees Receive first option to an exclusive license for subject inventions developed during your projects Access world-class national laboratory and university researchers and facilities through streamlined and transparent contracting mechanisms Showcase your organization’s commitment to sustainability issues to your stakeholders Leverage substantial DOE funding to identify and advance core scientific research and support robust intellectual property (IP) and subject invention development.

Every year, tens of thousands of wildfires burn millions of acres in the United States, blanketing one community after another in smoke. The fire experts at the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and CU Boulder have compiled a list of go-to resources that provide up-to-date information on how the wildfires are progressing, the smoke transport in the atmosphere, and impacts on air quality. These efforts draw on many different sources of information — from local air quality monitoring stations to satellites in space. They represent how big data, and the hundreds of scientists behind those data, are helping us understand fire. For Example: See real-time info on active fires in the United States, learn about specific fires and what they are doing, and through the NOAA Global System Laboratory's Experimental Hourly Wildfire Potential (HWP) index, see the potential for fire in the United States. Check if the air good enough to go for a walk in your neighborhood, check out air pollution look like around the planet or see air quality issues in the Western United States from the The Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), a voluntary partnership between states, tribes, federal land managers, local air agencies, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. See much more about smoke, wind, fire, air quality and the best part: a contact list of fire experts to answer questions! Always check with your local emergency department for specific information on evacuations and immediate threats to lives and property. About CIRES: The Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences includes more than 900 people working to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. An institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, CIRES has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1967. CIRES' areas of expertise include weather and climate, wildfire and water, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. CIRES mission: Conduct innovative research that advances our understanding of the global, regional, and local environments and the human relationship with those environments, for the benefit of society.

The National Science Foundation Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine is seeking nominations for our R&D Advisory Board. This board will play a critical role in shaping the strategic and tactical directions of the Engine's use-inspired R&D and translational activities. Role of the R&D Advisory Board Provide Input: Offer insights and guidance on our strategic and tactical use-inspired R&D and translational activities. Peer Review: Evaluate submissions to our R&D and translational proposal solicitations, aiding in the allocation of project and program resources. Expertise: Comprised of regional and national experts in scientific, technical, translational, and commercialization fields related to climate resilience. Board Composition The Engine aims to establish a board that reflects diverse sector and discipline interests as well as community inputs. We encourage Engine partners to submit nominations to help us create a balanced and representative board. Nomination Details Period of Service: One year Deadline: August 1 First Meeting: To be scheduled soon for the review of the first CO-WY Use Inspired Research and Translational grant programs. Please send your nominations by August 1 to: Betty Cozzolino Chief Marketing Officer CO-WY Engine betty@Co-wyengine.org Include your: Name Title Email Resume

A 70-plus-member coalition of companies, higher education institutions and other organizations in Colorado and New Mexico- called Elevate Quantum has been designated as one of 12 ‘tech hub’ grant recipients by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The award will unlock up to $127 million to spur development of the region’s quantum industry. The EDA’s investment will supercharge Elevate Quantum’s mission , creating 10,000+ new quantum jobs, raising $2bn in capital for the ecosystem, and generating nearly $20m in income to build a self-sustaining engine of the quantum economy — all by 2030. “The quantum sector is one of the key industries of tomorrow, and I’m thrilled the Biden administration is awarding Colorado a TechHub designation for quantum technology. We will take full advantage of this decision to help create jobs, and support businesses and entrepreneurs because Colorado is the best place for tech and innovation,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis. Read more from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)>>> The Colorado Legislature designated $44 million for refundable tax credits that will help fund a shared quantum research facility. The other $30 million will go toward a “loan loss reserve” to improve access to funding for small and medium quantum companies. On May 30, Governor Polis made a historic visit to JILA , a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder, to sign the recently passed Quantum Tax Credit Bill . This legislation aims to incentivize the adoption and development of quantum technology within Colorado, solidifying the state's position as a leader in this cutting-edge field. The $41 million from the federal government comes from the CHIPS and Science Act. The Biden administration announced a total of $504 million going to 12 Tech Hubs to support technology production across various industries. According to the news release from CU Boulder , the Mountain West is at the vanguard of quantum discovery; the region is home to four Nobel laureates affiliated with CU Boulder in quantum physics, three national labs and more than 40 federally funded research labs. This Regional leadership in fundamental research has translated to commercial success: today, about 3,000 Colorado workers power dozens of leading-edge quantum companies—making Colorado the largest cluster of quantum businesses in the nation. Local quantum companies have already attracted over $1 billion in venture capital investment, with five of the top 20 VC-backed quantum companies located in Colorado—more than any other state. That number is projected to skyrocket over the next decade, adding tens of thousands of quantum careers across the region. Quantum jobs have a median wage of more than $125,000 and the majority do not require advanced degrees. “Colorado is the Silicon Valley of the quantum era, and Elevate Quantum is going to lead us there,” said Senator John Hickenlooper. “Quantum is going to revolutionize medical drug discovery, supercharge artificial intelligence, strengthen U.S. cybersecurity, and support our transition to clean energy. This is Colorado’s next great success story.” Read more>>> The quantum revolution isn’t confined to labs and research centers. It’s creating thousands of high-paying jobs for welders, fabricators and technicians. The EDA’s investment in Elevate Quantum is an investment in widespread economic prosperity, ensuring that as America leads in quantum technology, it is also building a robust, inclusive economy for the Mountain West and beyond, Elevate Quantum leaders say. Elevate Quantum Tech Hub will leverage this award to support projects that are: Constructing open-access quantum labs and fabs to enable rapid prototyping and low-volume manufacturing of critical quantum technologies; Providing inclusive workforce development programming across colleges, universities, and companies to ensure a skilled and diverse talent pool in the region; and Coordinating the consortium’s overall strategy, stakeholder and investor engagement, and executive management to execute the Tech Hub’s vision. The Elevate Quantum Tech Hub seeks to solidify the region’s global leadership in quantum information technology (QIT) to enable progress in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate tech, and healthcare. Tapping into regional expertise and assets, including leading national laboratories, this Tech Hub will build on existing relationships between the regional research community and private sector to unlock transformative technologies needed to move quantum-based products to market. This designation is part of the first phase of the novel Tech Hubs program, authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act, that will invest directly in high-potential U.S. regions and aim to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers. Designation is an endorsement of the region’s strategy to supercharge their respective technological industry to create jobs and strengthen U.S. economic and national security. Designated Tech Hubs are now eligible to apply for the next phase of the Tech Hubs Program that will invest between $50-$75 million in each of 5-10 Designated Hubs. Read more from the the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA)>>>

NEON is currently recruiting the next cohort of Ambassadors! This is an opportunity for early-career scientists interested in using NEON in their work to network, learn more about NEON, and gain leadership experience. Applications are open until July 15, 2024. Who are the NEON Ambassadors? NEON Ambassadors are: Linked by a passion to understand the environment and to address challenges that affect our society with actionable responses. Excited about NEON data and resources and their potential to advance discovery and education. Eager to grow the open science NEON user community. Open-minded and creative, with a drive to collaborate with and foster the NEON community to help realize its full potential for generations of scientists to come. What does being an “Ambassador” involve? NEON Ambassadors will receive training in group facilitation and creative problem-solving as well as in best practices for NEON data use. The 2024 NEON Ambassador program runs from October 2024 to September 2026. Ambassadors will support the 2025 NEON Convergence Summit, and will lead an event of their own at the end of the program. In the first year, Ambassadors will participate in asynchronous training sessions and planning for the NEON Convergence Summit, in addition to a virtual Ambassador meet-up on the third Wednesday of every month. We anticipate that participants would spend approximately 2-4 hours a month on program activities. Topics to be covered include:  Fundamentals of Creative Problem Solving. What is the creative problem-solving process and how do you apply it to your work life? Facilitation 101: Break Glass and Facilitate. Facilitation basics include how to build an interactive agenda, icebreakers, facilitation tips and tricks, and more. This course will set the ambassadors up to create the agendas for their capstone event.  NEON data : tools, best practices, and open science support  Preparation for the NEON Convergence Summit, to be held in October 2025  In year two (2025-26), Ambassadors will each develop and lead a capstone event, with advice and support from a NEON mentor in their field of study. Events can be workshops, hackathons, short courses, or other activities agreed on with NEON staff. Events can be hosted at the Ambassador’s home institution, at another organization, at a conference, or other venue agreed on with NEON staff. Who should apply? The Ambassador program is geared toward postdoctoral researchers, senior graduate students, and other early career researchers. Scientists at other career stages and on alternate career paths are encouraged to apply if interested, and to describe in the application how this program aligns with their skills and goals. Applicants must be at a US-based institution. Experience with NEON resources is preferred but not required. Why be a Champion for NEON? The National Ecological Observatory Network… Is strategically poised to address the issues of our time including climate change; you will be a champion for planetary and societal health and wellbeing now and for future generations. Is a platform upon which educational resources can be developed and shared to foster data science in the classroom. Touches national resources vital to food, water and energy production systems that are impacted by human activity and climate change. Is of interest to all sectors, private, public, and governmental that increasingly need empirical and actionable data to manage and react to extremes in the moment of change. Provides data that are freely accessible to all and strives to reduce barriers and hurdles to data access. Benefits for Ambassadors NEON Ambassadors can benefit from... A trusted network of like-minded peers: meet, interact with, and learn from people across a multitude of disciplines and expertise, promoting science, education, outreach, and policy implementation. Direct access to NEON: forge direct working relationships and points of contact with NEON staff and resources. Dedicated community platform: A slack channel dedicated to the program offering direct access to fellow Ambassadors and NEON staff and support. Dedicated community GDrive and toolkit: a one-stop-shop to navigate all Ambassador resources and toolkits that will evolve with the needs of the cohort. Exposure to “Big Science:” Experience big science operations and resulting data streams in a way that is not typically accessible. This illuminates the challenges and opportunities of the evolving NEON program at a continental scale - Ambassadors are part of this effort. Access resources for catalyzing wider community engagement: Take part in and lead organizing activities that expose NEON to wider communities and partners; catalyze new ideas aimed at empowering more people to use NEON data (e.g., development of new tools) using NEON resources. Amplifying professional profiles: build recognition within the Ambassador community and beyond through NEON seminars, partnerships, web pages, and social media. See more details and apply>>>

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a nearly $20 million award that will support the construction of a nanoscale fabrication facility at the University of Colorado Boulder to accelerate the co-design and development of atomic-photonic quantum devices, positioning the U.S. as a global leader in quantum science and engineering. This means researchers at CU Boulder will soon begin work on what they’re calling the “quantum machine shop” of the 21st century. In this facility, Colorado researchers and quantum specialists from around the country will be able to design and build incredibly small devices that tap into the world of atoms and photons—the tiny packets of energy that make up light. (Read more from CU Boulder.) The new NSF National Quantum Nanofab (NQN) will enable quantum device fabrication, characterization, and packaging capabilities that are essential to advancing applications ranging from quantum computers and networks to atomic clocks, and advanced quantum sensors. Funded as part of NSF's Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure 1 (Mid-scale RI-1) program, NQN will be an open-access national facility for academic, government and industrial users. "U.S. researchers need cutting-edge tools to stay at the forefront of science and technology," NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said. "By strategically investing in infrastructure like NSF's National Quantum Nanofab, we are strengthening opportunities for all Americans and positioning the U.S. as a global leader in quantum science and technology." Principal Investigator Scott Diddams, professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, alongside a team of physicists and engineers, will lead the realization of this maker space. Diddams said it will help transform discoveries from the quantum world into technologies and devices that can have greater impact on society, and shore up a rapidly growing sector of Colorado’s economy. The NQN facility will feature cutting-edge instrumentation that will advance the design, fabrication, process development, and heterogeneous integration challenges encountered with quantum devices constructed from neutral atoms and ions that are interfaced and addressed with optical photons, in environments that may include high vacuum and cryogenic temperatures. Currently, quantum systems rely on bulk optics that require complex controls, and the new technologies enabled by this facility will allow integrated quantum systems that are accessible to more researchers and accelerate translation to wider use. In addition, the NQN will serve as an inclusive educational hub for diverse student populations and workforce development initiatives. Training a diverse workforce engaged in the design and implementation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics research infrastructure is a key component of the Mid-scale RI-1 program. The Mid-scale RI program provides an agile, agency wide process to fund experimental research capabilities in the mid-scale range between Major Research Instrumentation programs and Major Multi-user Facilities. This level of funding — between $4 million and up to but not including $20 million for Mid-scale RI-1 and between $20 million and $100 million for the Mid-scale Research Infrastructure 2 program — can support any combination of facilities, equipment, instrumentation, or computational hardware or software, and the necessary human capital in support of the same. Read more from the National Science Foundation.

Register today for the August 6 & 7, 2024 National Renewable Energy Laboratory Partner Forum. Industry experts, researchers, valued partners, and NREL leaders will discuss how decarbonizing a diverse portfolio of buildings, campuses, or larger communities results in enhanced energy efficiency and improved energy resilience and ensures the continuity of operations in the face of disruption. See more>>> NREL's 2024 Partner Forum will address challenges and barriers to prioritizing affordability, resilience, reliability, and mission assurance as we decarbonize buildings. The program will include keynotes, panel sessions, and lightning talks from experts and relevant industry leaders, and a demonstration of NREL's forecasting capabilities that typically take place in the Energy Systems Integration Facility's visualization lab. Participants will discuss: How do we navigate the transitions and new technologies required to evolve how we build, equip, and maintain building infrastructure? How do we prioritize affordability, resilience, reliability, environmental justice, and mission assurance as we decarbonize buildings? What areas of opportunity do we foresee for developing the workforce involved in decarbonizing buildings and communities? By electrifying buildings, how will we accommodate the increased electrical demand? What are business models and procurement pathways for decarbonization? How do we assess the energy and economic impacts of various technologies and prioritize those that offer the greatest return on investment to enhance mission assurance? Visit the Partner Forum page for more details>>>

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) has designated the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder a COSPAR Center of Excellence for Capacity Building in CubeSat Technologies. The partnership was announced by COSPAR President Pascale Ehrenfreund at a ceremony at LASP, which was attended by University of Colorado Boulder administrators, LASP senior leadership and scientists, and representatives from industry and NASA. “For decades, the work of the Committee on Space Research has been a critical part of the international collaborations that are necessary to advance science and develop new space disciplines,” said University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Phillip DiStefano in opening remarks at the LASP Space Technology Building. “It is exciting to have the opportunity to advance global collaboration through our work specifically with small satellites, and CU Boulder is thrilled to be recognized as COSPAR’s first Center of Excellence for Capacity Building in CubeSat Technologies.” In announcing the partnership, Ehrenfreund cited LASP’s record of pioneering CubeSat missions and its leadership in the International Satellite Program in Research and Education (INSPIRE), a consortium of universities around the world formed to advance space science and engineering and further space science education in developing countries, which is spearheaded by CU Boulder and led by Amal Chandran, LASP CubeSat Program lead. “It is an honor and a privilege for LASP to be named the first COSPAR Center of Excellence for Capacity Building in CubeSat Technologies,” said LASP Director Dan Baker. “With science returned on all our small satellite missions to date, and a proven record of successfully miniaturizing a range of scientific instruments, LASP has become an established leader in the SmallSat revolution. We’re dedicated to using this expertise to build small satellite capacity to further scientific discovery and train the next generation of space scientists.” Read more>>>

First results have been published from 2022’s California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE), a NOAA- and CIRES-led campaign to capture coordinated wildfire observations in real time. The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) was established in 1967 to facilitate collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The new study shows it’s possible to collect measurements of fire and smoke chemistry, weather conditions, and smoke plume dynamics in real time around an active wildfire. The preliminary results are also shedding light on how pollutants like ozone are made and dispersed in a wildfire plume. CalFiDE results could ultimately provide better forecasts for first responders on the ground who need to make quick decisions about firefighting strategy and evacuations, according to the researchers. “We're able to learn a lot from this campaign because a lot of these observations have never been made,” said Brian Carroll, a CIRES scientist working in NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory who led the new study detailing CalFiDE’s first results. “Especially the structure of an updraft of a fire, how that's coupling to the intensity at the surface, and then linking that to some of the chemistry and air quality downwind.” READ MORE>>>