Through pioneering microcomb research, the team of Drs. Jennifer Black, Travis Briles, David Carlson, Daniel Hickstein, Zachary Newman, and Scott Papp has invented methods to shrink laser frequency combs from large-scale laboratory systems to portable microfabricated devices and has led the use of these microcombs in numerous innovative applications. They have also pioneered the adoption of new materials with enhanced nonlinearity and improved fabrication capabilities. The team’s advances to the field are being adopted for applications in laser science, precision frequency measurement for optical atomic clocks, quantum sensing, and optical signal processing. On November 20, 2024 CO-LABS played this video spotlight as the teams from the National Institute of Satndards and Technology in Boulder, CO and Octave Photonics in Louisville CO were recognized as the winners of the Technology Transfer Award at the 2024 Governor's Awards for High Impact Research event at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with over 200 guests from academia, research laboratories, economic development agenices and civic and technological leadership across Colorado. This Award is for research that resulted in a technological solution with widespread and/or significantly measurable societal utilization, with related impact on a global challenge or issue. See more at https://www.2024govawards.com/ Use cases continue to grow as the devices become smaller, less expensive, and more capable. The team’s work has also advanced the much broader and rapidly growing field of nonlinear nanophotonics, which is poised to revolutionize laser science and applications. Integrated photonic circuits can provide precise control of a laser’s optical spectrum in a nanofabricated package, allowing highly specialized laser systems to be constructed with unprecedented compactness and robustness for applications. The team is recognized for their work at the forefront of the competitive fields of microcombs and integrated photonics and the transfer of this highly applied work to industry. See more at: https://www.octavephotonics.com/ https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/quantum-nonlinear-nanophotonics

The Wildfire Research (WiRē) works side-by-side with local wildfire education practitioners to develop evidence-based community wildfire education programs. The WiRē process pairs social data from residents living in the wildland urban interface with parcel level wildfire risk data. Project are driven by a need and invitation that comes from the community partners and builds on over 30 years of world-class fire science at CO-LABS partner the Rocky Mountain Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service in Ft. Collins, Colorado. In addition to the longstanding experience with the physical risks of fire, the program is using cutting edge social science and community engagement to provide tailored information to suit the needs of different audiences. See more at https://wildfireresearchcenter.org/ On November 20, 2024 CO-LABS played this video spotlight as the WiRe team was recognized as the winner of the Pathfinding Partnerships Award at the 2024 Governor's Awards for High Impact Research event at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with over 200 guests from academia, research laboratories, economic development agenices and civic and technological leadership across Colorado. The Pathfinding Partnership Award is for research that engaged four or more distinct research entities in Colorado (with at least two being federally-funded labs) whose results leveraged the resources and strengths among partnering organizations – and demonstrate the power of collaboration. See more about the awards at https://www.2024govawards.com/ The Award specifically recognized: Patricia A. Champ, Research Economist, Human Dimension Program, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, Colorado James R. Meldrum, Research Economist, Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Research Associate Professor, Environment & Society Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Christopher M. Barth, Emergency Management Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, Fire and Aviation Management Colleen Donovan, Project Manager, Wildfire Research Center (WiRē), Niwot, Colorado Carolyn Wagner, Data Manager, The Wildfire Research (WiRē) Center, Niwot, Colorado Adam Moore, Supervisory Forestor, Alamosa Field Office, Colorado State Forest Service, Alamosa, CO Josh Hankes, Program Manager Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council, Steamboat, CO Dorie Dalton, Wildland Fire Specialist Genesee Fire Protection District, Genesee, CO Jamie Gomez Executive Director West Region Wildfire Council, Ridgway, CO To date, the WiRe team has worked with 9 primary partners (22 affiliated partners) in 40 communities in Colorado. The WiRē Approach guides each project and aims to empower wildfire practitioners who work at the frontlines of wildfire risk reduction with local, relevant data. Project partners participate in project scoping, data collection, and identification of results relevant to the communities they serve. The WiRē Approach uses biophysical and social data collected at the parcel-level to investigate whether communities within a contiguous geographic area are distinct in dimensions relevant to tailoring wildfire preparedness and mitigation education efforts. While we use a standard approach that replicates two core data collection efforts, the iterative, collaborative nature of the work ensures that the work is responsive to our partners’ organization priorities, the local context, and the evolving science. The research team summarizes local data and collaborates with project partners to share results to build a common foundation for constructive approaches to wildfire adaptation. Data from our projects are used in a number of ways, including helping our project partners complete their work, telling the stories of their work, motivating and populating grant proposals, showing change over time, and facilitating new understandings. See more information at https://wildfireresearchcenter.org/ https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/centers/wire WiRē – Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council (http://routtwildfire.org/) https://bewildfireready.org/resources/wildfire-research-team (Grand County Wildfire Council)  https://geneseefpd.colorado.gov/wire

Dr. Manuel “Matt” Mendoza, is a geophysicist who completed his postdoc as a CIRES Fellow with Anne Sheehan’s geophysics group at CU Boulder and is currently posted at the US Bureau of Reclamation Denver​​. His specialty with CIRES was using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a cutting-edge technique that probes both natural and human-triggered seismic activity. DAS, a new form of technology developed in the last decade, allows for continuous measurement of ground motion across large distances, utilizing fiber optic cables typically used for telecommunications. On November 20, 2024 CO-LABS played this video spotlight as Dr. Mendoza was recognized with the Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award at the 2024 Governor's Awards for High Impact Research event at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with over 200 guests from academia, research laboratories, economic development agenices and civic and technological leadership across Colorado. This Award spotlights the discoveries and remarkable work of someone having more recently started on their path of scientific discovery. We look for significant demonstration of initiative, Inspiration, collaboration skills, and other skills and attributes, including the ability to inform and inspire others. See more about the awards at https://www.2024govawards.com/ Dr. Mendoza's research focuses on two primary areas: tectonic plate boundaries like the Cascadia Subduction Zone and geothermal facilities where fluid injection can induce small earthquakes. During his time in Utah, Dr. Mendoza deployed DAS at the FORGE geothermal site, sponsored by the Department of Energy, to monitor microseismicity induced by facility operations. His work involved burying a 2 km fiber optic cable, demonstrating that DAS can effectively detect small earthquakes generated at reservoir depths. In another project near Seattle, Dr. Mendoza leased 7 km of "dark fiber" from a telecommunications company to study slow earthquakes in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This was the first use of dark cables for DAS in this region, proving that existing infrastructure can be repurposed for seismic monitoring. Dr. Mendoza's persistence in securing the necessary permits highlights his dedication to advancing the field. DAS technology offers several advantages over traditional seismometers, including lower costs, resilience to harsh conditions, and the ability to integrate with existing systems like ocean-floor telecommunications networks. This makes it a promising tool for enhancing seismic networks, with potential applications ranging from monitoring glacial movements to future planetary missions. In addition to his research, Dr. Mendoza is contributing to the development of DASCore, a Python software library designed to process and visualize DAS data. He is co-authoring a paper on the software with 15 other researchers, and he has mentored students, including Halina Dingo, a RESESS intern who worked on DAS data analysis for the FORGE project. Dr. Mendoza's commitment to education and diversity in the geosciences is evident in his efforts to guide and support the next generation of scientists. His work has been published in top journals, and he has collaborated with experts from institutions like the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Washington. Anne Sheehan, a CIRES Fellow, praised him for his ability to bring together experts in DAS and apply this technology to emerging problems in geophysics. Dr. Mendoza's contributions to DAS research are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in seismic monitoring. His innovative approach, combined with his dedication to mentoring and diversity, makes him a standout in the field of geophysics. Whether in the field, the lab, or the classroom, he is committed to advancing our understanding of earthquakes and their impacts, ultimately helping to protect communities from these natural hazards. See more about his work at https://www.2024govawards.com/outstanding-early-career-scientist