CU Boulder’s Orit Peleg, Ph.D., always has been attracted to the intersection of computing and nature. One particular element of nature, the firefly, is illuminating research and outreach that recently earned Peleg funding via the Timmerhaus Ambassadors Fund, which supports endeavors promoting the public understanding of higher education’s value in Colorado and beyond. “My fascination stems from observing how organisms, like fireflies, navigate complex group communications — mirroring challenges faced by computational systems,” said Peleg, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Applied Science, and based at the BioFrontiers Institute.