CU News
News from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
CU ROLE IN DREAM CHASER SPACECRAFT TO CONTINUE UNDER NEW NASA GRANT TO SIERRA NEVADA CORP.
Apr 22nd
The Louisville, Colo.-based aerospace company was one of four companies to receive grants this week from NASA’s Commercial Crew Development program. The grant is a follow-on to Sierra Nevada’s NASA grant of $20 million for the Dream Chaser last year.
Roughly the size of a business jet, the 30-foot-long Dream Chaser is slated to launch vertically on an Atlas V rocket and land horizontally on conventional runways, similar to the much larger space shuttle. The spacecraft is based on NASA’s earlier HL-20 lifting body design.
As part of its continuing development of the Dream Chaser, Sierra Nevada will fund “human rating” research led by CU-Boulder Professor David Klaus of the aerospace engineering sciences department, according to Jim Voss, a CU faculty member and vice president of Sierra Nevada. Human rating research is aimed at developing a methodology for evaluating safety and operational aspects of spacecraft intended to transport crew.
“This is a great industry-academia collaboration that combines providing design input for the Dream Chaser to Sierra Nevada with four related thesis topics being pursued by Ph.D. students in our program,” Klaus said.
Sierra Nevada also will sponsor and fund a continuation of the CU-Boulder graduate student project involving Dream Chaser displays and controls, Voss said. The graduate project is focused on cockpit design and ergonomics evaluation to determine the best placement and type of controls to be used by the crew. The students are being advised by Voss and his colleague Joe Tanner, both of whom joined the CU-Boulder faculty after retiring as NASA astronauts.
Klaus, who heads the aerospace department’s bioastronautics focus area, has set up a laboratory in CU-Boulder’s Engineering Center housing three mock-ups of the spacecraft. One is a full-scale model of the Dream Chaser based on the earlier HL-20 design that is on loan from NASA to Sierra Nevada; another is a 15 percent scale model unit that was used for flight testing last December, and the third is the cockpit section being used to evaluate the layout for instrument displays and controls. A “public day” is being planned so that the community will have a chance to view the project.
“The University of Colorado and Sierra Nevada Corporation have formed a partnership that allows use of the tremendous intellectual resources of students and professors to help develop a commercial human spacecraft, the Dream Chaser,” said Voss. “I’m really pleased to continue the work that was started last year and look forward to more student involvement with this exciting project.”
-CU-
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast announces next great band competition Get your applications in early
Apr 8th
Bands can compete to entertain thousands of fans at the region’s best fireworks show. The contest is open to any band that performs an original song with a Boulder connection. The contest is open to all genres: rock, country, pop, hip-hop, rap or something new – just make sure it’s family friendly.
“Ralphie’s Independence Day is an iconic event in Boulder, and people love coming here to celebrate the 4th of July,” said Lew Kingdom of Wright Kingdom Real Estate, premier sponsor of the event. “This year we want to combine the biggest event of the summer with the ‘I Love Boulder’ campaign by inviting bands to join us in celebrating the cultural, traditional and happily unconventional characteristics of Boulder life. It’s an ideal theme for something we all love to attend.”
The winning band, or bands, will open the fireworks celebration to an estimated crowd of up to 40,000 people when the gates open. Runners up will see their music videos displayed on the Jumbo Tron at Folsom Field.
To enter, contestants must submit a YouTube video of the band performing its song. Tribute bands playing another artist’s song will not be considered. Bands will be evaluated for musical ability and style; bonus points may be given for creativity.
Video submissions will be judged based on quality, a “Boulder connection”, and the number of YouTube views by June 6, 2011. Obviously, self promotion to generate YouTube views is allowed. Multiple music video entries by the same artist are permitted. The Ralphie’s Independence Day committee will make the final selection of band(s).
Submissions are due no later than noon on June 1, 2011. Bands must grant written permission to play the video at Folsom Field, on Boulder municipal television stations, and event/sponsor websites as a requirement for submission.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Great Band Competition guidelines:
To be considered for the YouTube music video contest and a chance to play at Folsom Field on July 4, submissions must be received by noon on June 1 and must include:
1) Band’s name, address and phone number
2) Band’s permission (copyright release) to air the music video at Folsom Field, on event/sponsor websites and City of Boulder communication platforms, including municipal channels 8 and 22
3) Songs must include the word “Boulder”.
4) YouTube tags must include: “Boulder Colorado”, “I Love Boulder”, “Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast”
5) Videos may not contain nudity, profanity, or depict illegal activity
6) Email a YouTube link for your music video along with band contact information to Cindy Schlager at Wright Kingdom Real Estate bands@wkre.com.
Finalists will be notified by June 10 and may be asked to perform a live audition.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast, at Folsom Field, will be held July 4. Gates open at 8 p.m.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast is hosted by the associates of Wright Kingdom Real Estate, the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and the City of Boulder. Media Sponsors include the Daily Camera, and Boulder Channel 8.
For more information on this year’s event, go to www.boulder4thofjuly.com.
CU-BOULDER STUDENT NATHAN ROBERSON CHOSEN FOR PBS’S STUDENT FREEDOM RIDE
Apr 7th
The ride will present an experiential learning opportunity for the participating college students in conjunction with the broadcast of “Freedom Riders” and the 50th anniversary of the original May 1961 Freedom Rides.
Roberson (pronounced RAH-ber-son) is an international affairs major with interests in ethics and voter enfranchisement.
The 40 Student Freedom Riders were chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants and represent a diverse cross-section of America. Participating students hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia, along with others who grew up in China, Tajikistan and Haiti.
Students from a broad range of schools are represented — from state universities to community and junior colleges, from religiously affiliated schools to the Ivy League. Students were selected on the basis of their essays on their reasons for wanting to participate, their thoughts on the role of social media and technology in civic engagement today, and their extracurricular activities.
Over a 10-day journey from May 6 through May 16, the ride will be a moving classroom in which the students will retrace the route of the original Freedom Rides. Accompanied by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, original Freedom Riders and others, the ride will engage students in this important era in our country’s history, as they learn about the extraordinary commitment and courage of the individuals who took part in the Freedom Rides.
Roberson will miss his May 6 commencement ceremony to participate in the PBS event.
“At ‘American Experience,’ we think history is fascinating, but more importantly, we know it informs almost every social and political decision made today,” said “American Experience’’ executive producer Mark Samels. “We saw that in Egypt, where protesters looked to the American civil rights movement for instruction and inspiration.
“Fifty years after the original Freedom Rides, young people all over the world are once again having their voices heard. They’re using new and very different tools to do that, but drawing on lessons from history to inform how they use those tools. It’s those lessons from 1961 and how they are informing civic engagement today that we look forward to exploring on this ride.”
“Freedom Riders” will be broadcast on PBS on Monday, May 16, at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
A website, twitter stream and Facebook page will be chronicling the riders experiences, as well as cataloging in-depth information about the original Freedom Riders.