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Colorado Leadership Stories—Meet Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan, a Boettcher Scholar and tech entrepreneur who solves large-scale problems leveraging frontier technology. Maithreyi talks about how her academic experiences in engineering physics and industrial management at 51�Թ��� and Stanford fueled her passion to innovate. Today she is the co-founder of two companies that actively promote gender diversity in STEM entrepreneurship, including PrecisionTerra, part of the 2023 51�Թ��� Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator.

51�Թ��� Today—While scientists are continuously exploring ways to reduce fossil fuel use in these sectors, Oana Luca, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at 51�Թ���, explores technologies like recycling and carbon capture to prevent carbon from ending up in the environment.

The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that 34 Colorado companies and eight researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. These grants help promote the growth and sustainability of advanced industries in Colorado by driving innovation, commercialization and public-private partnerships that move this vital aspect of Colorado’s economy forward in communities across the state.

CU Independent—Researchers at the 51�Թ��� are working to make the moon habitable. And they are focused on one of the most difficult challenges to lunar living: dust. Xu Wang, a research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at 51�Թ���, was one of the winners of NASA’s 2023 Entrepreneurs Challenge.

51�Թ��� College of Engineering and Applied Science—Distinguished Professor Zoya Popovic is among 162 inventors named 2023 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as a fellow in the academy is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Popovic, a leading researcher in high-efficiency, low-noise microwave and RF engineering, was elected for her “prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.”

Venture Partners at 51�Թ��� and the university’s Industry and Foundation Relations (IFR) team brought together dozens of stakeholders in the renewable energy and storage ecosystem to discuss innovations, issues and opportunities in the vibrant sector.

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine—A pair of University of Colorado Cancer Center researchers are closer to their goal of bringing their therapy to patients—as one of nine research endeavors receiving funding from the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative (AAI). The project is led jointly by Tin Tin Su, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at 51�Թ���, and Antonio Jimeno, professor in the CU Department of Medicine's Division of Medical Oncology.

College of Engineering and Applied Science—Aerospace PhD student Spencer Dansereau aims to take carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and extract the carbon molecules to create 3D-printed carbon fiber, which can be used for everything from bicycles to aerospace components. In 2023, Mach Electric Aerospace took first place in 51�Թ���’s Lab Venture Challenge business development competition and second place in the New Venture Challenge.

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has ranked the CU system 14th among the “Top 100” institutions nationwide for recent patent activity. That prominent position reflects the strength of CU-led discoveries and their potential to be translated into society-benefiting technologies with the support of CU’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.

LongPath is harnessing quantum technology to detect methane emissions from oil and gas operations, innovation that benefits industry and investors—and the planet. Most recently, LongPath received landmark financial backing from the Department of Energy (DOE) for a loan of up to $189 million to accelerate the scale-up of the company’s monitoring systems.