Category: "Events"

Be ‘A’ part of tradition

September 17, 2014

Bill Woods first helped paint the A on the hillside below Horsetooth Reservoir in 1954 when he was a freshman at Colorado A&M -- now CSU. That's when he first grasped the feeling associated with participating in a cherished tradition. "This is one of our really great traditions because it represents where we started as a university and where we have come," said Woods, 77. "These are traditions that need to keep going, and I think all students should participate at least once during their time at CSU." The A was first built in 1923, although the original was smaller than the current version. It now stands 410 feet high and 250 feet wide, and is thought to be the largest collegiate symbol in the country. It's even used for aerial navigation by pilots flying overhead. Woods graduated in 1958 and remains a passionate CSU supporter. He's been volunteering his services to oversee the annual painting project since 1981. This year, the A will be painted Saturday, Sept. 20. Three shifts of three hours each are scheduled. Expect to help with using spray hoses hooked up to generators and buckets of paint to do the actual painting, as well as re-filling supplies and clean-up. It takes a lot to get the A ready for the year, but being a part of the tradition is well worth it! Event schedule Shift 1: Check-in at 8 a.m.; deadline to check-in is 8:15 a.m. Departure from Moby: 8:30 a.m. Painting the A: 9 - 11 a.m. Return to Moby: 11:30 a.m. Shift 2: Check-in at 10 a.m.; deadline to check-in is 10:15 a.m. Departure from Moby: 10:30 a.m. Painting the A: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Return to Moby: 1:30 p.m. Shift 3: Check-in at 12 p.m.; deadline to check-in is 12:15 p.m. Departure from Moby: 12:30 p.m. Painting the A: 1 - 3 p.m. Return to Moby: 3:30 p.m.

Check-in Check-in will be located in the Moby Arena parking lot. If you do not check-in by the time your shift is scheduled to start, you risk losing your spot to someone on the waiting list. All participants must use the provided bus transportation. There is no parking available at the A. Apparel Plan on getting dirty and getting clothes covered in paint. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes are required. Jeans or long pants are also recommended. We also recommend bringing a water bottle.

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Seats still available for Community Lecture Series on Tuesday

September 17, 2014

[caption id="attachment_2562" align="alignright" width="300"]Lori_Peek_426 CSU's Lori Peek has worked with high school students in the Gulf Coast region, empowering them to help others following disasters.[/caption] Can children and youth lead the way to recovery following catastrophic disasters? Programs put in place with the help of Colorado State University sociologist Lori Peek suggest that not only are youth more than willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work following disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the BP/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill, they can make a substantial impact in the recovery process. Peek, an associate professor in CSU’s Department of Sociology, will discuss her findings during the third installment of the President’s Community Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Lory Student Center Theater. Peek’s lecture is titled “Katrina to Colorado: How Children of Disaster Change Lives.” Series is gift to Fort Collins “Lori Peek is a highly respected sociologist, and this is an opportunity for the Fort Collins community to hear about her research and insights into the science of disaster recovery,” said CSU President Tony Frank. “This lecture series is an intimate opportunity for people here in CSU’s hometown to learn about some of the most important issues of our day directly from our researchers doing life-altering work both here and around the world.” The public is invited to the lecture series, which began earlier this year as a gift from the university to Fort Collins to celebrate the city’s 150th birthday. Previous speakers were University Distinguished Professors Dr. Stephen Withrow, veterinarian and founder of the Flint Animal Cancer Center, and Dr. Diana Wall, a renowned soil ecologist and director of the School for Global Environmental Sustainability. Children adapt, respond “The children and youth of the Gulf Coast region have been exposed to more disasters over the past decade than any other group of young people in the United States,” said Peek. “In many ways, they have become experts at absorbing and adapting to the consequences of these extreme events.” While the number of disasters they have endured has created many difficulties in their lives, Peek is quick to note that young people in disaster-affected communities “are not helpless. They are eager to assist other children and youth who have experienced disaster losses in other communities.” Extensive post-disaster research In addition to her work in the Gulf Coast region, Peek did significant research in post-9/11 New York and in Joplin, Mo., following a 2011 tornado. She recently led up the first-ever statewide assessment of child care centers in Colorado and their plans for disaster preparedness. She has published widely on vulnerable populations in disaster and is author of Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11, co-author of Children of Katrina, and co-editor of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora. Peek helped initiate the SHOREline Project, a partnership between CSU’s Center for Disaster and Risk Analysis, Columbia’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, and the Children’s Health Fund, at six high schools in the Gulf Coast region. Students developed projects and performed community service in areas ravaged in recent years by the BP spill and Katrina. The “SHORE” in “SHOREline” stands for Skills, Hope, Opportunity, Recovery and Engagement. Peek is also the co-founder of another recovery and empowerment project called “Youth Creating Disaster Recovery.” Lecture free; tickets required Peek’s lecture will focus on some of her findings from various studies of children and youth in communities affected by disaster. She also will describe the SHOREline Project and her hopes to establish similar programs in Colorado high schools. The lecture and reception following are free and open to the public, but attendees must reserve tickets.

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Bike to Work breakfasts on campus

September 17, 2014

Do you ride a bike to campus and enjoy free food? You’re in luck! Bike to breakfast is back at CSU and offers the first 300 cyclists free Chick-fil-A breakfast biscuits, Mugs coffee and a check from a bicycle mechanic. This event is a great way to use alternative means of transportation all while enjoying a free breakfast on your way to campus. From 7:30-10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, located at the corner of Meridian and Plum at a table in the trees by the lagoon, and Thursday, Sept. 25, located at Newton’s sculpture on campus, north of the Yates Chemistry Building. Brought to you by the CSU Bicycle Advisory Committee and ASCSU.  

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What scientists need to know about science communication

September 12, 2014

Liz Neeley, assistant director of science outreach at COMPASS, a science-based communications firm based in Seattle, will present “A Theory of Change: The Latest in Science Communication Research and Practice,” Wednesday, Sept. 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in the Lory Student Center Grey Rock Room. Liz Neeley, assistant director of science outreach, COMPASS.The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will discuss advances in building better science communication efforts. It will focus on blending academic communication with case studies and hard-won lessons from researchers and science communicators on the front lines. Before joining COMPASS, Neeley studied the evolution and visual systems of tropical reef fishes at Boston University. After grad school, she helped communities and researchers in Fiji and Papua New Guinea connect their knowledge of local coral reefs ecosystems to the media. She also dabbled in international science policy while working on trade in deep-sea corals. Neeley is currently based at the University of Washington. SoGES Fellows This presentation is sponsored by the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. The 2014-15 SoGES Global Sustainability Leadership Fellows will also be on hand for the lecture. These 20 early career academics have been chosen from the various colleges that make up CSU to learn how to effectively communicate not only with peers but also with the public and the media. Following this lecture, the Fellows will receive additional intensive training in communicating their research to reporters later in the week in a two-day workshop with working journalists from National Public Radio, Scientific American, National Geographic and other national outlets. A number of CSU Leopold Leadership Fellows will join the workshop to share their insights and experience reaching scientific and non-scientific audiences alike.  

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