Explore the incredible depth and breadth of groundbreaking work happening within the Ƶ, Colorado Springs and Denver (Physical Sciences) campuses. These stories provide a glimpse into the transformative potential of cutting-edge research, highlighting the exceptional people behind these innovations.

Helmet of sensors worn by a child

Physicist-turned-engineer earns international recognition for quantum contributions

July 13, 2023

College of Engineering and Applied Science—Svenja Knappe and her colleagues have developed a helmet that contains 128 sensors and is customizable for different sizes of the human head. Knappe founded the Ƶ-based company FieldLine and has begun to bring these sensors to market. In the not-so-distant future, they could aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of neurological conditions like epilepsy, autism and traumatic brain injuries.

A pile of plastic containers

The future of recycling could one day mean dissolving plastic with electricity

July 5, 2023

CU Ƶ Today—Chemists at CU Ƶ have developed a new way to recycle a common type of plastic found in soda bottles and other packaging and are working with Venture Partners at CU Ƶ to bring it to real-world applications. The team’s method relies on electricity and some nifty chemical reactions, and it’s simple enough that you can watch the plastic break apart in front of your eyes.

Headshot of Sabrina Spencer

When it comes to treating resistant breast cancer, 2 drugs may be better than 1

June 15, 2023

CU Ƶ Today—In 2016, Pfizer began collaborating with Sabrina Spencer, a global leader in time-lapse cell imaging and member of the CU Cancer Center, to study how cancer cells respond to their potent new drugs called CDK2 inhibitors.

Aerial photo of Ƶ Flatirons

Advanced Industries grants accelerate University of Colorado startups and researchers

June 8, 2023

CU Ƶ researcher Linda Watkins and CU startups Beryl Therapeutics Inc., Modendo Inc. and TissueForm Inc. are among 37 companies and researchers awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital Retention grants through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

Illustration of a red virus

Remnants of ancient virus may fuel ALS in people

June 6, 2023

CU Ƶ researchers have identified a surprising new player in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)—an ancient, virus-like protein. With funding from the ALS Association, the National Institutes of Health, and Venture Partners at CU Ƶ, Alexandra Whiteley's lab is now working to understand the molecular pathways involved and to find a way of inhibiting the rogue protein.

Illustration of nanopillars used in a new design to efficiently convert heat energy into electricity

NIST team demonstrates novel way to convert heat to electricity

May 19, 2023

NIST—Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and CU Ƶ have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat into electricity. If perfected, the technology could help recoup some of the recoverable heat energy that is wasted in the U.S. at a rate...

HASEL actuators

Grad student helps design ‘artificial muscles’ you can toss in the compost bin

April 21, 2023

Say “hello” to the robots of the future: They’re soft and flexible enough to bounce off walls or squeeze into tight spaces. And when you’re done with them, you can toss these machines into a compost bin to decompose.

Johnny Hergert and Camila Uzcategui on the CU Ƶ campus

Key investment is the latest milestone for CU Ƶ startup Vitro3D and founders Camila Uzcategui and Johnny Hergert

Nov. 2, 2022

Vitro3D, a CU Ƶ startup pioneering volumetric 3D printing for life sciences, just closed its first investment round of $1.3 million. The hard-won vote of confidence from the investment community will allow the promising new venture to pursue ambitious technical advances while continuing to build critical business capacity.

How this celebrity tattoo artist created a tattoo you can turn on and off at will

How this celebrity tattoo artist created a tattoo you can turn on and off at will

Sept. 8, 2022

Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy is taking HYPRSKN—the microscopic skin implants with adaptive, color-changing in-skin pigments developed by Carson Bruns and Jesse Butterfield of CU Ƶ's ATLAS Institute—to the next level with real tattoo ink that you can “turn on” or off using different wavelengths of UV and white light.

Lim Profile

Chern Hooi-Lim, founder of CU Ƶ startup New Iridium, named a C&EN Talented Twelve

Nov. 22, 2021

Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) identified young scientists who are trying to solve formidable global problems. Lim was recognized for developing organic molecules that spur on light-powered reactions.

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