Latest news with #CUBoulder
Axios
7 days ago
- Axios
Megan Trussell's family question investigation
The parents of Megan Trussell, the University of Colorado student found dead in February in Boulder Canyon, believe investigators were too quick to rule their daughter's death a suicide and have launched an independent investigation in the hope of getting the case reexamined. Catch up quick: Trussell, 18, was last seen leaving the CU Boulder campus on the night of Feb. 9. She was found dead near the 40-mile marker on Boulder Canyon Drive on Feb. 15. The Boulder County Coroner's Office ruled in May that Trussell, who was prescribed Adderall in 2019, died from "toxic effects of amphetamine, and exposure to a cold environment." The death was ruled a suicide based on "toxicology results and the presence of undigested prescription medication" among other factors, the coroner's office stated. Yes, but: Independent coroners told the Boulder Reporting Lab that the sheer number of pills did support the suicide finding. Driving the news: Trussell's parents requested further testing of the undigested medication in her stomach, and they said last week the coroner's office agreed. The family also gave out care packages in Central Park last Friday to see if anyone in the unhoused community had information that could be relevant to the case. Friction point: Trussell's father, Joe, told Axios Boulder he felt investigators were quick to rule the case a suicide "because that was the easiest conclusion for them to come to." He added: "I was expecting a narrative of some sort, a story … We got none of that. They basically just said, 'Suicide, any questions?'" "They had no sense of urgency, and I felt they had no curiosity," Trussell's mother Vanessa Diaz told us. The other side: Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson released a statement saying that "detectives and deputies conducted a thorough investigation of Megan's death based on the available evidence." "This was a tragic situation," Johnson stated, adding officials with both the sheriff's and coroner's offices met several times with the family attorney to discuss the case. Trussell's parents described their daughter, a film major and bass player, as a laid-back, unique, upbeat and friendly person who "packed a lot into 18 years." "She was cool; she was my little soulmate," Joe Trussell said. Between the lines: Joe Trussell said his daughter had no history of self-harm nor history of suicidal thoughts they knew of. No suicide note was found. Trussell's parents said even if their daughter was suicidal, the location and method "didn't make sense." The sheriff's office called the area where Trussell was found " hard-to-reach terrain," and her parents said Trussell was neither a hiker nor a cyclist and would have had no reason to know about the area. Joe Trussell said a friend who lives in Boulder and rides his bike in the canyon regularly went to the site and told them, "I had no idea this culvert existed. … Nothing will ever convince me that your daughter walked up here." The parents told Axios Boulder that other evidence pointed to foul play. Diaz said the pathologist was too quick to attribute facial and head injuries to the terrain and not a possible assault. Trussell was found with only one shoe, but damage on the exposed sock was to the heel, not the sole, which Diaz felt indicated Trussell had been dragged. Trussell's purse was found by a community member near the 39.6-mile marker of U.S. 36 along the bike path, several miles from her body. Her phone was sold at a Boulder grocery store on March 2 by a man experiencing homelessness who said he'd received it from another unhoused person. What they're saying: Trussell's parents said community members have shared their outrage at the ruling and the perceived lack of investigation. Joe Trussell said searching for the answer "doesn't bring Megan back," but it's a matter of community safety. "Grief is going to be with me the rest of my life," he said. "But as long as it takes, we're going to keep doing this." What's next: Though the case is closed, the sheriff's office told Axios Boulder it would reopen the investigation if new evidence warrants doing so. The Trussell family said they are looking at hiring a private investigator and getting an autopsy review as they continue their "grassroots" effort to reopen the case. Diaz has taken leave as an elementary school teacher to investigate, poring over a binder full of reports and getting billed $700 for requesting video evidence.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How slashing university research grants impacts Colorado's economy and national innovation – a CU Boulder administrator explains
The Trump administration has been freezing or reducing federal grants to universities across the country. Over the past several months, universities have lost more than US$11 billion in funding, according to NPR. More than two dozen universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Denver, have been affected. Research into cancer, farming solutions and climate resiliency are just a few of the many projects nationally that have seen cuts. The Conversation asked Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation at the University of Colorado Boulder, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university he works for and Colorado's local economy. Federal funding pays for approximately 70% of CU Boulder's research each year. That's about $495 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The other 30% of research funding comes from a variety of sources. The second-largest is international partnerships at $127 million. Last year, CU Boulder also received $27 million in philanthropic gifts to support research and approximately $29 million from collaborations with industry. CU Boulder uses this money to fund research that advances fields like artificial intelligence, space exploration and planetary sciences, quantum technologies, biosciences and climate and energy. At CU Boulder, federal funding also supports research projects like the Dust Accelerator Laboratory that helps us understand the composition and structure of cosmic dust. This research allows scientists to reconstruct the processes that formed planets, moons and organic molecules. So far in 2025, CU Boulder has received 56 grant cancellations or stop-work orders. Those amount to approximately $30 million in lost funding. This number is not inclusive of awards that are on hold and awaiting action by the sponsor. This number also does not include the funds that have not been accessible due the considerable lag in funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Nationwide, National Science Foundation funding has dropped by more than 50% through the end of May of this year compared to the average of the past 10 years. The university anticipates that our funding received from these agencies will drop a similar amount, but the numbers are still being collected for this year. A wide variety. To take just one example, CU Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research investigate how to monitor, predict, respond to and recover from extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. This research directly impacts the safety, well-being and prosperity of Colorado residents facing wildfires, droughts and floods. Past research from these groups includes recovery efforts following the 2021 Marshall Fire in the Boulder area. Researchers collaborated with local governments and watershed groups to monitor environmental impacts and develop dashboards that detailed their findings. Colorado has more aerospace jobs per capita than any other state. The sector employs more than 55,000 people and contributes significantly to both Colorado's economy and the national economy. This ecosystem encompasses research universities such as CU Boulder and Colorado-based startups like Blue Canyon Technologies and Ursa Major Technologies. It also includes established global companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. At CU Boulder, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics is one of the world's premier space science research institutions. Researchers at the lab design, build and operate spacecraft and other instruments that contribute critical data. That data helps us understand Earth's atmosphere, the Sun, planetary systems and deep space phenomena. If the projects the lab supports are cut, then it's likely the lab will be cut as well. The Presidential Budget Request proposes up to 24% cuts to NASA's annual budget. These include reductions of 47% for the Science Mission Directorate. The directorate supports more than a dozen space missions at CU Boulder. That cut could have an immediate impact on university programs of approximately $50 million. One of the largest space missions CU Boulder is involved in is the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter. MAVEN, as it's known, provides telecommunications and space weather monitoring capabilities. These are necessary to support future human and robotic missions to Mars over the next decade and beyond, a stated priority for the White House. If MAVEN were to be canceled, experts estimate that it would cost almost $1 billion to restart it. While the federal government has identified quantum technology as a national priority, the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal only maintains existing funding levels. It does not introduce new investments or initiatives. I'm concerned that this stagnation, amid broader cuts to science agencies, could undermine progress in this field and undercut the training of its critical workforce. The result could be the U.S. ceding its leadership in quantum innovation to global competitors. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Massimo Ruzzene, University of Colorado Boulder Read more: Trump administration aims to slash funds that preserve the nation's rich architectural and cultural history Federal funding for higher ed comes with strings attached, but is still worth it When the federal budget funds scientific research, it's the economy that benefits Massimo Ruzzene receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Axios
07-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Colorado weed labels may be overselling the high, study finds
A lot of the pot that people purchase may not be as potent as labels claim, according to a new, first-of-its-kind study. Why it matters: Consumers — especially medical patients and new users — rely on potency labels to dose safely. But the numbers on the package often don't match what's inside, eroding trust in the industry. The big picture: A University of Colorado Boulder study published this month in Scientific Reports found that nearly half of cannabis flower products, like loose buds and pre-rolls, overstated their THC content. Some gaps were significant. One strain labeled 24% THC actually clocked in at just 16%. On average, however, the discrepancy between the advertised and actual THC content was about 2%. Labels on concentrates, like oils and waxes, were mostly accurate, with 96% matching their stated claims. How it works: All cannabis products sold in Colorado must be lab-tested for potency by state-accredited facilities before hitting shelves. Flower is trickier to test than concentrates, the researchers noted, because the plant material is naturally variable. Concentrates, made from uniform oils, are more straightforward to analyze. Yes, but: Research in other states has found that some labs inflate THC levels, possibly to boost sales from consumers seeking stronger products, which tend to be pricier. By the numbers: Researchers at CU Boulder and MedPharm Research tested 277 cannabis products from 52 dispensaries across 19 Colorado counties. About 44% of the flower products tested missed Colorado's accuracy threshold. Concentrates had an average of 71% THC, while flower hovered around 21%. Context: In the 1980s, average THC content was just 8%. Between the lines: The study also looked at other cannabinoids — like CBG and CBGA, which have been shown to have potential anti-anxiety or anti-inflammatory benefits — and found they showed up more often than CBD. But 84% of products didn't mention them on the label at all. What they're saying: "Focusing on THC on the label can actually do a disservice for consumers," the study's senior author, Cinnamon Bidwell, co-director of CU Boulder's Center for Health and Neuroscience, Genes and Environment, said in a statement. "Our data suggests that multiple other cannabinoids should also be reported."
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists sound alarm over dangerous long-term impacts of wildfires on humans
Wildfires can pollute rivers and streams for nearly a decade after they burn, a new study has found, raising fresh concerns about long-term impacts on drinking water and ecosystem health. Researchers analysed more than 100,000 water samples from both burned and unburned river basins in the US, revealing that contaminants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and organic carbon remained elevated for years after a fire, far longer than previously assumed. 'It can take two years, up to eight years, for the effect to be fully felt,' said Ben Livneh, associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and a co-author of the study. 'Sometimes it can be a delayed effect, meaning it's not all happening right away, or sometimes you need a big enough storm that will mobilise enough of the leftover contaminants.' The findings, detailed in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, are based on the first large-scale analysis of post-wildfire water quality in western US, a region increasingly vulnerable to intense and frequent wildfires due to climate change. Study lead author Carli Brucker, formerly a PhD candidate at CU Boulder and Western Water Assessment, said the research aimed to spot broad patterns that could guide future resilience planning. 'We were attempting to look at notable trends in post-wildfire water quality across the entire US West, to help inform water management strategies in preparing for wildfire effects,' she said. The team found that while some pollutants peaked in the first one to five years, others lingered for much longer. Nitrogen and sediment remained significantly elevated up to eight years after a blaze, especially in forested regions. Researchers also discovered substantial variation in how watersheds responded. Some experienced negligible change but others saw up to 2,000 times more sediment than normal. 'There's a huge amount of variability in sedimentation rates,' Ms Brucker said. 'Some streams are completely clear of sediment after wildfires, and some have 2000 times the amount of sediment.' This variation was closely tied to fire location, soil type, vegetation, and rainfall patterns. Fires closer to rivers, for instance, had more dramatic effects. 'There's been a lot of work, for example, in the National Climate Assessment and the International Panel on Climate Change talking about changes in global water supply,' Prof Livneh said. 'But those assessments point to this gap in water quality assessments in a continental scale context, whereas people like me in physical hydrology have been thinking about the continental scale challenges for a while.' The researchers hope their findings can help water managers better plan for future fire seasons. 'You can't fund resilience improvements on general concerns alone,' Ms Brucker said. 'Water managers need real numbers for planning, and that's what we're providing.' Global wildfire activity has surged in recent years, driven by prolonged droughts and shrinking snowpacks caused by the climate crisis. In the US, nearly 65,000 wildfires burned 8.9 million acres in 2024 alone while England has already seen an almost 717 per cent spike in wildfires this year compared to the same period in 2024. Satellite data shows extreme fires have more than doubled worldwide over the past two decades, with longer fire seasons and more frequent heatwaves pushing fire conditions beyond historical norms. Scientists warn that without urgent emissions cuts and resilience planning, the scale and intensity of fires will only worsen.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's Chief Operating Officer leaves after less than two years
Janel Forde, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's Chief Operating Officer, has left the Mayor's office and taken a job with the University of Colorado. Forde's hiring as the city's COO was announced in August 2023. She left the Mayor's office on June 13 and has been hired by CU- Boulder to serve as the Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations. She will assume that role on June 23. City of Denver The Mayor's Office released a statement Thursday to CBS News Colorado saying, "Janel Forde was a key part of this administration from Day One. We are thrilled that she was part of our Denver team and excited that she is staying in Colorado. CU is lucky to have her talents on their team." CBS News Colorado left a phone message and emails seeking comment from Forde on the move. The mayor's office said it does not intend to fill Forde's COO job due to the city's current hiring freeze.
