Fire the coach? Not so fast, says new study by University of Colorado, Loyola professors

Nov. 14, 2012

Fire the coach? Not so fast says a new study of elite college football teams. Professors from the University of Colorado and Loyola University Chicago studied what happened to the records of college football teams that replaced a head coach for performance reasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1-A) between 1997 and 2010. Over this period, an average of 10 percent of FBS teams fired their coach each year because of the team’s poor performance on the field.

CIRES study shows summer climate change, mostly warming

Nov. 13, 2012

Analysis of 90 years of observational data has revealed that summer climates in regions across the globe are changing -- mostly, but not always, warming --according to a new study led by a scientist from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences headquartered at the University of Colorado Boulder. “It is the first time that we show on a local scale that there are significant changes in summer temperatures,” said lead author CIRES scientist Irina Mahlstein. “This result shows us that we are experiencing a new summer climate regime in some regions.”

Veteran goes from combat to campus

Nov. 9, 2012

Matthew Reed didn’t feel ready for college right out of high school. But after five years of military service, he felt more prepared to pursue a college degree. “Being in the military made me disciplined,” said Reed. “I’m much better prepared and in a much better situation to be in college now.” Reed, from Broken Arrow, Okla., is a sophomore majoring in geology and anthropology. Because he is an Iraq veteran, his tuition is covered by the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.

2001-02 drought helped to shift Rocky Mountain pine beetle outbreak into epidemic

Nov. 5, 2012

A new University of Colorado Boulder study shows for the first time that episodes of reduced precipitation in the southern Rocky Mountains, especially during the 2001-02 drought, greatly accelerated development of the mountain pine beetle epidemic.

Bad knees drive CU student to pursue both MD and PhD

Nov. 1, 2012

Balaji Sridhar has always liked science, but it was his father’s bad knees that were the impetus for him to study both chemical engineering and medicine. His father once was a good squash player, but had to give up playing when the cartilage in his knees wore out. With the dual graduate degrees, Sridhar hopes to someday be able to help people like his father who struggle with debilitating joint pain and reduced mobility due to damaged cartilage.

Social factors trump genetic forces in forging friendship

Oct. 31, 2012

In humans, nature may be less than half of the story, a team led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers has found. In the first study of its kind, the team found that genetic similarities may help to explain why human birds of a feather flock together, but the full story of why people become friends “is contingent upon the social environment in which individuals interact with one another,” the researchers write.

Social factors trump genetic forces in forging friendships, CU-Boulder-led study finds

Oct. 31, 2012

“Nature teaches beasts to know their friends,” wrote Shakespeare. In humans, nature may be less than half of the story, a team led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers has found. In the first study of its kind, the team found that genetic similarities may help to explain why human birds of a feather flock together, but the full story of why people become friends “is contingent upon the social environment in which individuals interact with one another,” the researchers write.

Veronica Vaida inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Oct. 26, 2012

Veronica Vaida, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this month. She was elected to the academy in recognition of her exceptional achievements in scientific research. Among the other 218 new members elected this year were U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor and director Clint Eastwood, journalist Judy Woodruff and Amazon.com founder and chairman Jeff Bezos.

CU-Boulder professor inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Oct. 26, 2012

Veronica Vaida, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this month. She was elected to the academy in recognition of her exceptional achievements in scientific research. Among the other 218 new members elected this year were U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor and director Clint Eastwood, journalist Judy Woodruff and Amazon.com founder and chairman Jeff Bezos.

Racial ‘hierarchy of bias’ drives decision to shoot armed, unarmed suspects, CU study finds

Oct. 24, 2012

Police officers and students exhibit an apparent “hierarchy of bias” in making a split-second decision whether to shoot suspects who appear to be wielding a gun or, alternatively, a benign object like a cell phone, research conducted by the CU-Boulder and San Diego State University has found. Both the police and student subjects were most likely to shoot at blacks, then Hispanics, then whites and finally, in a case of what might be called a positive bias, Asians, researchers found.

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