CU News
News from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
CU-BOULDER PROFESSOR WALEED ABDALATI NAMED CHIEF SCIENTIST AT NASA
Dec 13th
NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden has selected University of Colorado at Boulder faculty member Waleed Abdalati to serve as the agency’s chief scientist effective Jan. 3 for a two-year appointment.
Abdalati, 46, is an associate professor in CU-Boulder’s geography department and a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Abdalati, who directs the Earth Science Observation Center at CIRES, will oversee and advocate for NASA science.
Abdalati’s research focuses on understanding changes in Earth’s ice cover and what they mean for life on our planet. Abdalati and his CIRES colleagues use satellite and airborne remote sensing techniques along with field observations and modeling to learn about ice sheets and high-latitude glaciers, their vulnerability to climate change and their contributions to sea-level rise.
“It is an honor for a research institution such as CIRES to have one of our own chosen as an elite in a national science agency,” said CIRES Director Konrad Steffen. “It’s especially helpful now given that the White House has strengthened NASA’s focus on Earth science research.”
“I’m very happy here and I hope to return from Washington, D.C., in a position to serve my CU-Boulder colleagues and students even more effectively,” said Abdalati, who will retain his faculty appointment at CU-Boulder. “But this is an opportunity I want to take advantage of because I so strongly believe in the importance of what NASA does for the nation, society and the world.”
In his new position, Abdalati will serve as chief adviser to Bolden on matters relating to agency science programs, strategic planning and the evaluation of NASA’s current science investments. Abdalati also will work with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget.
The new position marks his return to NASA. During his first tenure at the space agency Abdalati served as the head of the Cryospheric Sciences Branch of NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md. He also managed the Cryospheric Sciences Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He returned to CU-Boulder from NASA more than two years ago.
“We are excited to have Waleed return to the agency during such a critical transition period,” Bolden said. “His experience, wide range of scientific knowledge and familiarity with NASA will greatly benefit the agency. He will be a true advocate for our many and diverse science research and exploration programs.”
Abdalati will continue advising his graduate students, returning a few days a month to Boulder from the Washington, D.C., area, where he will move with his family. “The administrator has told me that my university ties are very important to him, and he has been very supportive of my desire to actively maintain them throughout the assignment,” he said
Abdalati received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University in 1986, a Master of Science in aerospace engineering sciences from CU-Boulder in 1991 and a doctorate in CU-Boulder’s geography department in 1996. During this period he spent four years in Steffen’s laboratory.
Abdalati has received numerous awards for his research and service to NASA, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and two NASA Group Achievement Awards.
“I will be representing all of the science in the agency, ensuring that it is aligned with and fulfills the administration’s science objectives, and advocating for NASA science in the context of those broader government science agendas,” he said.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR FORMER CU STUDENTS TRYING TO FINISH DEGREES
Dec 13th
In the next few days, over 500 students who were close to completing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder but left for one reason or another will receive letters from the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies encouraging them to return to classes.
The effort is part of CU Complete — a clearinghouse to help former CU students earn degrees — and a partnership with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, or WICHE, and the Lumina Foundation. CU Complete is just one portion of WICHE’s five-state “Non-traditional No More” project.
CU Complete scholarships of either $500 (for students enrolled in one to eight credits) or $1,000 (for students enrolled in nine or more credits) are available from a $50,000 fund. CU Complete also offers free academic, financial aid and career advising for adult students who are interested in returning to college to complete their degrees.
“We are excited to be in a partnership that will help us build on our recent successes,” said Anne Heinz, dean of the CU-Boulder division of continuing education. “In the past 18 months, the CU Complete program has contacted over 375 students, re-enrolled 23, awarded over $20,000 in scholarship money and helped seven students obtain degrees.”
Such assistance is vital, Heinz said, as federal statistics show that the unemployment rate for individuals who have some college but no degree is 8.6 percent, nearly double the 4.6 percent rate of unemployment for individuals who have a bachelor’s degree or better. In turn, state projections show that by the year 2018, 67 percent of all jobs in Colorado will require a postsecondary education, ranking Colorado fifth in the nation in postsecondary educational needs.
To be eligible for the scholarships, students must meet several points of eligibility, including:
–Students may be degree-seeking or non-degree seeking students.
–Scholarships may be applied to CU-Boulder credit courses only.
–Students must be enrolled in a course or courses in order to receive an award.
–Students are eligible for the scholarship only once.
–Scholarships are dedicated to students completing their first bachelor’s degree.
–Students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA.
–Highest consideration will be given to students who meet the “ready adult” criteria established by WICHE: students at least 25 years of age who have completed a least 60 credit hours.
–Recipients must verify they are legally present in the United States (HB 1023).
“We are helping to fulfill an important need, and doing so in a great strategic partnership with WICHE and the Lumina Foundation,” said Heinz. “By coming together in this way, these three key organizations are helping the state’s higher education infrastructure serve both individuals and Colorado’s economy.”
For more information on CU Complete, visit http://conted.colorado.edu/programs/cu-complete/cu-complete-service/. For more information about the Non-traditional No More project visit http://www.wiche.edu/ntnm. For information about the Lumina Foundation for Education, visit http://www.luminafoundation.org.
CU-BOULDER STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE INNOVATIONS AND INVENTIONS AT DEC. 4 ENGINEERING DESIGN EXPO
Dec 1st
More than 80 student projects will be demonstrated at the end-of-semester event. The Expo is free and open to the public from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, located on the corner of Regent Drive and Colorado Avenue.
The semiannual demonstration of engineering projects will showcase the work of about 400 undergraduate students. Most of the students are enrolled in the popular First-Year Engineering Projects course, which allows students to practice real-world engineering design from the start of their college experience.
Working in teams throughout the fall semester to design solutions to an array of challenges, engineering students have developed various interactive video games that promote exercise, interactive 3-D puzzles for children with lights and sounds, water disinfection systems, assistive technology for people with disabilities, and much more.
Volunteers from industry, government and the community will serve as judges, rating each project on its originality, craftsmanship, as well as the students’ understanding of engineering principles, presentation and effectiveness. An awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Members of the community can vote for their favorite project to win the coveted “People’s Choice” award.
Free parking is available across the street from the ITL Laboratory in lot 436. For more information, call 303-492-7222.
SOURCE: CU PRESS RELEASE