In the bustling state of Colorado, where the Rockies paint a stunning backdrop to the cities of Boulder and Denver, a story of entrepreneurial passion unfolds. It involves two exceptional initiatives, the High School New Venture Challenge (HSNVC) at CU Boulder and Business Bound at CU Denver. While distinct in their strategies, both programs have the same goal. They are connecting high school students with their communities and cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets that span beyond basic business finance to creative problem-solving. Each initiative plays a pivotal role in fostering young innovators across Colorado.
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.