Boulder Valley School District opens online forum
Oct 10th
www.BVSDlistens.com
October 3, 2012
Boulder, CO – The Boulder Valley School District has launched BVSD Listens, a new comprehensive community engagement website developed by MindMixer. It’s a place parents can engage, communicate and collaborate with the superintendent and school board – along with other residents – on where they see the district heading.
The goal is communication – involvement. Parents and community members who sign up with BVSD Listens will be part of the planning process on issues like the school year calendar and the role schools can play in Boulder’s future as a city.
BVSD Listens allows contributors a chance to share new ideas, second others’ ideas, expand upon existing ideas, give feedback on initiatives, and work with school leaders on a variety of topics online anytime, anywhere. The Boulder Valley Board of Education, Superintendent Bruce Messinger, and other key administrators at BVSD will be tuned in to the site.
The discussion has begun with the following topics and will branch off from there based on contributor input:
- Which calendar guiding principles are most important to you?
- What is the best way for the district to communicate with you?
- What is your favorite thing about Boulder Valley Schools?
- How do you see the public schools and the students they produce contributing to your vision of our community’s future?
BVSD Listens also measures and tracks participation, identifying the most interested citizens and most compelling topics. The tools make it easy for administrations to communicate back with parents, and they deliver measurable results and invaluable insight as plans move forward.
Nick Bowden, CEO of MindMixer, says,“ Our tools go beyond just technology. Our mission is to build community contributors. Ideas, voices, and perspectives are shared to facilitate deeper and better conversations that yield actionable insights and a stronger community.”
As part of its service, MindMixer consults and collaborates with clients to identify issues that are critical to stakeholders in order to update topics and content for their websites.
Nobel Prize-winner David Wineland praised as mentor to CU-Boulder graduate students
Oct 9th
David J. Wineland, a lecturer in the University of Colorado Boulder physics department who today won the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics, was described as both “brilliant and humble” by one of his former graduate students.
Wineland is a physicist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder and internationally recognized for developing the technique of using lasers to cool ions to near absolute zero. His experiments have been used to test theories in quantum physics and may lead to the development of quantum computers. He shared the prize with Serge Haroche of France.
Wineland joined the CU-Boulder physics faculty as a lecturer in 2000 and currently works with four CU-Boulder graduate students pursuing doctorates, said physics department chair Paul Beale.
“It would be difficult to find a more brilliant and humble scientist,” said John Jost, who worked in Wineland’s group for about 10 years as a CU-Boulder doctoral student and postdoctoral researcher. “I feel lucky to have worked in his lab for my Ph.D. regardless of whether or not he won the Nobel Prize. He was always available when we had questions and problems in the lab and usually had some great idea about what to try next. At the same time, he gave us the freedom to figure things out on our own.”
In August, Jost began a Marie Curie fellowship as a postdoctoral researcher in the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Wineland’s first demonstration of laser cooling in 1978 led many other scientists to pursue the laser cooling and trapping of atoms. His research helped make possible the creation of the world’s first Bose-Einstein condensate, for which Carl Wieman of CU and JILA and Eric Cornell of NIST and JILA and CU were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2001. JILA is a joint institute of CU-Boulder and NIST.
Five CU-Boulder faculty members have now won individual Nobel Prizes. The other two winners are Tom Cech in chemistry and John “Jan” Hall in physics.
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Boulder County Resource Conservation offers funding for Zero Waste programs
Oct 9th
County will allocate $50,000 for reuse, recycling and composting programs
Boulder County, Colo. – If your organization has been looking for money to fund a project that focuses on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and/or composting, then look no further.
The Boulder County Resource Conservation Division is allocating $50,000 for its 2013 Zero Waste Funding Program, and applications are now being accepted. The deadline for applications is 12 Noon, Monday, Nov. 19.
Zero Waste Funding initiatives provide an opportunity for businesses, organizations and individuals within our community to contribute to Boulder County’s long-term vision of moving towards Zero Waste. This vision is outlined in Boulder County’s Zero Waste Action Plan.
In addition to the programs supported in prior years, Boulder County is encouraging programs with an emphasis on demonstrated resource diversion (new tons diverted from disposal) for businesses, residents and governmental buildings. We will continue to accept and consider applications for programs that fall outside of this limited focus.
A pre-proposal workshop will be offered from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct.17, at the Education Room, Boulder County Recycling Center, 1901 63rd St., Boulder. Attendance is required for all applicants. The workshop will provide answers to questions about the program and the application process, as well as other details.
The minimum funding amount available for a project is $1,000 with a maximum of $10,000. Local governments, non-profit organizations, school districts, schools, private companies and individuals may apply as long as the scope of work is in Boulder County or the City and County of Broomfield and insurance requirements are met.
Proposals must be received at the Boulder County Resource Conservation Division office by 12 Noon, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 to be considered.Project funding will commence in January 2013. To obtain an application, email jljohnson@bouldercounty.org or call 720-564-2226.
