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CU Promise Program Expansion

This spring, CU Boulder announced an expansion of its CU Promise program, which covers tuition and fees for Colorado resident students with significant financial need. The expansion doubles the number of students eligible for the program, increasing funding for incoming, transfer and continuing students. The move was made possible in part by the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 96, which increases the university's ability to support institutionally funded merit scholarships and need-based grants for resident students. 

Everest Germs Can Last Decades 

CU Boulder-led research determined that human microbes found in the soil of Mount Everest — left by sneezes, coughs, nose-blowing and more — were resilient enough to survive in a dormant state for decades (or even centuries) in harsh conditions at high elevations. The study was the first to use next-generation gene sequencing technology to analyze soil from above 26,000 feet on Everest. The findings suggest ways to better understand environmental limitations to life on Earth and where life could exist on other planets or cold moons. 

Eggshells Reveal New Elephant Bird Lineage

Eggshell remnants from eggs larger than footballs reveal information about a now-extinct new lineage of elephant bird that roamed northeastern Madagascar more than 1,200 years ago. This study, published in , marks the first time a new elephant bird lineage has been found without any skeletal remains. The research will help scientists learn more about birds that once lived — and why so many have gone extinct. 

Heard Around Campus 

“It feels to me like the very early days of widespread adoption of the internet in terms of how impactful this could, eventually, be for everyday life.”

— Casey Fiesler, associate professor in CU Boulder’s Department of Information Science, on the swift rise of artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT. 

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