Posts tagged trees
Wild Bird Center of Boulder
Nov 15th
Videos:
The Wild Bird Center in Boulder is your ultimate backyard bird feeding shop! They specialize in attracting wild birds and nature to your backyard while fostering a healthy and attractive habitat that enhances any home. Birdseed and exclusive seed blends are field-tested and proven to attract the widest variety of birds. Also they offer a selection of feeders, birdbaths, nest boxes, books, media, binoculars, gifts and other bird feeding products second to none.
1641 28th St.
Boulder, CO 80301
303-442-1322
Mon-Fri: 10 to 6
Sat: 9 to 6
Sun: 11 to 5
Email: WBCBoulderCO@aol.com
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Saturday Morning: Bird walks leave Wild Bird Center 1641 28th St. Boulder, at 7:30 A.M. rain snow or shine. more info call: 303-442-1322 Map
CU seeks more female computer geeks
Oct 24th
TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE WITH MORE
WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
The University of Colorado Boulder today announced that it has implemented several new programs over the past three years designed to make computer science more female-friendly, with the larger goal of increasing the number of women employed in technology roles nationwide.
The programs are starting to pay off with the number of women enrolled in CU-Boulder’s Bachelor of Science in computer science degree more than doubling from 18 students in 2007 (8 percent of majors at that time) to 47 students (17 percent of current majors) in 2011, said Professor James Martin, chair of the Department of Computer Science.
The Department of Computer Science at CU-Boulder is working to increase its female student enrollment through enhanced outreach to high schools, new content in its introductory computing courses designed to appeal to non-computing majors, better community support for female computer science majors and work on a new computer science degree program for students in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The new content in the introductory computing courses moves away from traditional, abstract examples of linked lists and binary trees to adopt a media-based focus in which students develop programs to manipulate sounds and process images, Martin said.
The new degree program, which is currently under review, is a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science that would allow students in the College of Arts and Sciences to major in computer science while also providing space in their curriculum to earn a major or minor in another field of study. It is hoped that this new degree will lead to further increases in the number of women taking computer science due to the more balanced gender demographics of the College of Arts and Sciences, Martin said.
Taken together, the initiatives are designed to attract women to the field who might otherwise have dismissed computer science as being too focused on programming without realizing the positive impact computer science can have on society and people’s quality of life.
The efforts are part of the Department of Computer Science’s participation in NCWIT Pacesetters, a fast-track program from the National Center for Women & Information Technology in which universities and corporations commit to increasing their numbers of women in technical fields. Pacesetters organizations work to recruit previously untapped talent pools and retain women who are at risk of leaving, resulting in “net new” women for the computing and IT workforce.
“We’re excited to see a growing number of women take interest in our computer science degree programs,” Martin said. “It’s great for the discipline of computer science as a whole to have participation by a broader range of backgrounds and perspectives. We also see room for growth. Women currently make up 17 percent of our undergraduate program; we would like to see that percentage increase to support the national goal of NCWIT to achieve gender parity in information technology over the next 20 years.”
Ken Anderson, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Computer Science, agrees. “Our work as part of Pacesetters has spurred improvements across our entire undergraduate program. These improvements, while designed to attract more participation in computer science by women, result in a higher quality experience for all of our students.”
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that more than 1.4 million computing-related jobs will be available in the U.S. workforce by 2018, yet by current trends American colleges and universities will produce less than one-third of the trained graduates needed to fill these jobs. Increasing the participation of women, who currently represent half the professional workforce but hold only 25 percent of technology jobs, holds the potential to increase both the quantity and quality of U.S. technical talent.
The current cohort of NCWIT Pacesetters organizations includes Apple Inc.; AT&T Corp.; ATLAS Institute; Bank of America; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Carnegie Mellon University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Google Inc.; IBM Corp.; Indiana University; Intel Corp.; Microsoft Corp.; Pfizer Inc.; Qualcomm Inc.; Santa Clara University; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Colorado Boulder; University of Texas at Austin; University of Virginia; University of Washington; Villanova; and Virginia Tech.
-CU-
Feed bears and they will eat
Sep 23rd
The City of Boulder reminds residents that this is the time of year when bears are foraging for food, in preparation for their winter hibernation. It is important that residents take measures to deter bears by securing any potential food sources on their properties.
Bear-proofing food items and trash is the best way for residents to minimize the chances that bears will show interest in their property. Common bear attractants include garbage, compost, bird feeders, food from outdoor grills, pet food left outside and fruit from trees. The city recommends that residents store garbage and compost bins in a garage or shed until the morning of collection, or keep their waste in a bear-resistant trash container. Residents within the city limits of Boulder can contact Western Disposal at 303-444-2037 to purchase bear-resistant trash containers.
Bears that learn that people are a source of food are sometimes killed to keep the public safe. Over the past six years, five bears have been killed in the city because of nuisance behavior or a threat to public safety. Please do your part to ensure that bears are not unnecessarily attracted to your property.
If there is a bear in your backyard, the following tips are recommended:
Keep your distance. Back away slowly from the bear, ensuring it has a clear escape path;
Never run. Running may cause a bear to chase you;
Never approach a bear, or get in between a cub and its mother;
Never provide food to a bear. This teaches it to approach people for food;
Do not let the bear become comfortable around your home; and
Once you are safely inside, do your best to scare the bear away. Yell, clap your hands and make other loud noises to encourgage the bear to leave.
If the bear is threatening human safety, pets or destroying property, call the police at 911. Report past bear sightings and encounters at 303-441-3004.
The city is in the final stages of developing the Black Bear and Mountain Lion component of the Urban Wildlife Management Plan (UWMP) and has prepared a draft version for public input. To view the draft plan and submit feedback, visit www.boulderwildlifeplan.net. Feedback provided prior to Sept. 28 will be incorporated into the Oct. 18 memo for City Council’s consideration.