Grantee Stories

Centers help K-12 educators understand and implement Colorado’s inclusive curriculum laws

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:25:15 +0000

Centers help K-12 educators understand and implement Colorado’s inclusive curriculum laws Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 03/31/2026 - 16:25

Elle Moscinski

At a time when teachers and students across the country feel their classrooms are increasingly surveilled and politicized, as indicated in this 2024 survey from the Pew 91��Ҹ� Center, two 91��Ҹ� centers are coming together to choose collaboration over competition, coalition over silos and hope for educators and students alike.

This summer, the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education (BUENO) and A Queer Endeavor (AQE), both based in the CU 91��Ҹ� School of Education, will co-host the Chords of Esperanza: Queering Biliteracy, Centering Justicia conference, designed to support K-12 educators with understanding Colorado’s inclusive curriculum laws and how to support their students within the scope of these laws.

Bethy Leonardi, a professor in the School of Education and co-leader of AQE, described the current climate as one of fear and uncertainty. Through their work with schools, representatives from both centers are hearing from educators who feel increasing pressure about how they support students.

Tania Hogan, executive director of BUENO, said that book bans and restrictions on bilingual education and inclusive curriculum have intensified debates about what teachers can teach and how they can support students. In some cases, Hogan said, educators have been discouraged from affirming students’ identities and teaching inclusive material – even though inclusive curriculum aligns with Colorado law.

Hogan also mentioned how underrepresented communities are feeling increasingly targeted and that educators have also shared concerns about declining student attendance and families feeling hesitant to attend school meetings.

“It’s the best time to stand in solidarity together and have our two centers collaborate that haven’t before,” said Hogan.

For both centers, the conclusion was clear: collaboration would combine their strengths, providing educators with deeper support and enhanced professional development and community-building opportunities.

Both organizations are nationally recognized research and community engagement hubs. A Queer Endeavor focuses on gender and sexual diversity in education to create safe spaces for students, families and staff.

“A Queer Endeavor’s main goal is to create partnerships with school districts, schools and teachers to support schools being places of possibility for all students with a particular emphasis on students whose gender and sexual identities disrupt what counts as “normal,” said Leonardi.

BUENO works with culturally and linguistically diverse students and teachers to create equitable educational opportunities. The two centers share commitments to justice in queer and multicultural communities and, more broadly, to equity in education.

“We’re overdue in truly coming together in solidarity ... and of merging our commitments, resources and expertise to support people who might not ordinarily go to a conference focused on queer topics or a conference focused on language or immigration status,” said Leonardi.

The Chords of Esperanza will be a conference designed by educators, for educators. It is meant to be a supportive rally or refuge that offers resources, community and inspiration.

“People from a multitude of backgrounds and communities feel as though they are being silenced, so the conference is an opportunity to bring together art, music and to create a space of collective resistance and care,” said Hogan. She also said she hopes people will be challenged to get messy, be uncomfortable and to work in situations they are unfamiliar with.

The word chords in the title references the conference’s musical theme, which the organizers use as a metaphor for collaboration. Just as different tunes come together to form a melody, participants are encouraged to learn from one another as they create something new. Esperanza means hope.

“Inclusive practice allows us to center hope, to center joy, and celebrate each other and all the ways we show up, in any policy context,” said a graduate student collaborating on the project and who has chosen to remain anonymous.

The conference will focus on policy awareness and education. The organizers want to help teachers understand what laws and policies exist in Colorado and within different school districts, and that the policies support inclusive curriculum and teaching rather than hinder it. Specifically, they want to support participating teachers with navigating policies that affect students in vulnerable and legally complex circumstances. There will also be resources related to curriculum, supporting families and engaging school boards. Educators will leave with new and expanded networks of other educators who are also dedicated to justice work.

“We don’t want them to feel alone. I think a lot of educators feel like they’re doing this all by themselves, and it’s weighing heavily on them,” said Hogan.

Leonardi hopes to inspire participants to think about how they can be in solidarity to challenge and shift oppressive structures that impact specific communities with regard to gender, sexuality, language, documentation, dis/ability and intersections of these. Many organizations collaborate with each other on justice work, but truly bringing communities together is difficult and requires time and commitment. It is especially important to navigate justice work slowly and intentionally so that potential pushback and impact on students’ lives is considered.

“It’s a true, almost daily navigation of what this work needs to look like right now . . . it’s often context-specific, person-specific. So, it’s really taking the time to figure out what’s going to be the softest way forward that will make the greatest impact,” said Leonardi.

Above all, Leonardi hopes the conference will facilitate conversations about how to put the humanity of others first. “I hope that we have conversations with people that we never dreamed we’d have and that we are changed from them,” she said.

“I think there aren’t a ton of 91��Ҹ� that show us how to do coalition building in service of education justice, so the partnership is a really cool opportunity for us to model what it looks like and to resist binaries, transcend boundaries and come together in thick, complex and humanizing ways,” said a participating graduate student who chose to remain anonymous.

For now, planning is bringing together two centers with shared commitments to justice in education, but organizers say they plan to keep working together on future projects and see this partnership as a foundation for additional collaborators to join as the work grows. Chords of Esperanza may serve as a model for other organizations that hope to tackle educational equity and coalition building. Just as a symphony is composed of multiple sections of instruments playing together in harmony, social justice work requires collaboration across communities, working in tandem to create progress, unity and more hopeful futures.

To learn more about Chords of Esperanza, including how to attend and apply to present, click here.

At a time when teachers and students across the country feel their classrooms are increasingly surveilled and politicized, two 91��Ҹ� centers are coming together to choose collaboration over competition, coalition over silos and hope for educators and students alike.

Off

Traditional

Bethy Leonardi, Tania Hogan and Sara Staley at the Queer Endeavor and BUENO Center booths at Community Engagement Week

White

Bethy Leonardi, Tania Hogan and Nicole Sager at the A Queer Endeavor and BUENO Center booth during Community Engagement Week

Announcing Spring 2026 Tier 1 and 2 Grant Recipients

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 21:11:58 +0000

Announcing Spring 2026 Tier 1 and 2 Grant Recipients Arielle Wiedenbeck Thu, 03/26/2026 - 15:11

From investigating the health impacts of pollution emissions on residents in Gloster, Mississippi, to a week-long coding bootcamp for Denver-area community college students, 14 projects received over $49,000 in funding.

Spring 2026 Tier 2 Grant Recipients

Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Recreational/Municipal Water Quality Indicators
Analiese Terrell, M.S. Student
Department of Environmental Studies

Community-Engaged Investigation of Biomass Energy Pollution Impacts
Grace Berg, PhD Student
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

Indigenous Sovereignty and Sacred Lands Convening
Christina Stanton, Associate Professor of Law
Clinical Education Program

Measuring the Impact of School Gardens
Alice Reznickova, Teaching Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Studies

Partnership with Local Shelter: Houseless Community Writing Program
Josalyn Monahan, M.A. Student
Department of English

Providing Science Support to Regional Water Planning
Nels Bjarke, 91��Ҹ� Scientist
Cooperative Institute for 91��Ҹ� in Environmental Science (CIRES) Western Water Assessment

Python Bootcamp for Earth Science
Vikas Hanasoge Nataraja, PhD Candidate
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Resilient Futures Teacher Workshop 2026
Katya Schloesser, CEEE Associate and Curriculum Developer
Cooperative Institute for 91��Ҹ� in Environmental Science (CIRES) Center for Education, Evaluation and Engagement

Spring 2026 Tier 1 Grant Recipients

Antarctica Unearthed Film Screening and Q&A
Gabe Allen, Senior Communications Specialist
Institute of Arctic and Alpine 91��Ҹ� (INSTAAR)

Art and Social Change in Local Indigenous Communities
Michela Ardizzoni, Associate Professor
Department of French and Italian

Comparative Studies on Communicative Praxis of Deliberative Democracy
Xiaodong Yan, PhD Student
Communication

Design as Protest Chapbook Launch: Mobilizing Design Justice
Sophie Chien, Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow for Faculty Diversity
Program in Environmental Design

Disconnected—Life In a Digital Reality
Ben Forman, Undergraduate Student
Engineering

Emergence: Exploring Quantum Technology Through Music and Dance
Stacey Forsyth, Director
CU Science Discovery

Off

Traditional

White

Teaching East Asia Through Picture Books receives excellence in civic and community engagement award

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:30:15 +0000

Teaching East Asia Through Picture Books receives excellence in civic and community engagement award Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 03/03/2026 - 12:30

Mentored by staff from the Program for Teaching East Asia, 91��Ҹ� 91��Ҹ� students develop picture books that focus on a specific region of East Asia. These books are then used as teaching tools in K-12 classrooms across Colorado.

Off

Traditional

White

Community Engagement Week Re-cap: Celebrating 150 years of Service and Engagement

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 20:42:57 +0000

Community Engagement Week Re-cap: Celebrating 150 years of Service and Engagement Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 02/25/2026 - 13:42

Madeline Brant , Gretchen Minekime

The first month of CU 91��Ҹ�’s sesquicentennial year was the perfect time to host the campus’s inaugural Community Engagement Week. Produced by the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES),the late-January event brought together a cross-section of faculty, staff and students passionate about partnering with communities beyond campus.

Through panels, workshops and a poster showcase, attendees shared experiences, networked and built their knowledge and skills for conducting community engagement. They also learned about the university’s history and a long-standing charge “to render to the state at large such public service as may lie within its power.”

According to David Meens, assistant vice chancellor for public and community-engaged scholarship, “Events like this give us a chance to see that bigger picture of service and engagement, to see our role within it. It’s great for morale and for making new connections. A lot of folks I spoke with said they learned of activities they weren’t aware of and made connections that might lead to new collaborations.”

Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Ann Schmiesing set the week’s tone by detailing the historical, current and future priorities for community engagement at CU 91��Ҹ�. Schmiesing described the newly instated“hub and spoke” model the campus will follow and emphasized the importance of forming collaborative partnerships across Colorado and within the university. She also celebrated CU 91��Ҹ�’s first-time application and attainment of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement.

Marisol Morales, executive director of Carnegie Elective Classifications, attended to celebrate CU 91��Ҹ�’s accomplishment and to speak on a panel alongside Colorado State Senator Iman Jodeh and Diane Doberneck, director for faculty and professional development at the Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship at Michigan State University. Moderated by David Humphrey, associate vice chancellor for leadership support and programming, the panel addressed the civic role of universities and what it means to step out and lead.

Attendees reported being deeply inspired by presentations from Max Boykoff, Jota Samper, Valeria Henao, Beth Osnes-Stoedefalke and Karla Trujillo, as well as by the 42 showcase presenters whose work spans from engineering education for rural K-12 students to music research. Workshops were hosted on days two and three, with sessions led by Doberneck and Patti Clayton, senior scholar at the Institute for Community and Economic Engagement at University of North Carolina Greensboro.

The workshops provided a forum for individuals with diverse experiences in community-engaged scholarship specifically to share their work and to reflect on how context shapes approaches to engaged-research, teachingand creative work. Both Doberneck and Clayton emphasized the importance of honoring community partners, co-designing engagement activities and fostering trust and mutual respect. CU 91��Ҹ�’s own Michelle Renée Valladares led a workshop about funding community-engaged scholarship and will build on that content with additional offerings on March 10 and April 14.

Community Engagement Week’s closing event punctuated the importance of reflecting on the university's past as we move forward. Meens was joined by Richard B. Williams, president of People of the Sacred Land; Patty Limerick, professor of history; and Gregor McGregor, professor of environmental studies, for a presentation and panel titled Land Grants, Extension Service and Institutional Amnesia: The 91��Ҹ�’s Forgotten Origins and Possible Futures.

“Most of us know that the land the 91��Ҹ� campus sits upon was made available through the dispossession of Indigenous Peoples. What many do not know is that, through the 1875 Enabling Act that authorized Colorado statehood, "the State University” (CU) also received 72 sections of land that were taken from tribal nations and likely scattered throughout the West. The leasing or sale of these sections provided critical financial support in the early decades of the university. This forgotten aspect of our origins underscores our obligation not just to the residents of Colorado but also the Native Americans whose mistreatment is intertwined with our legacies of transformative research, education and service.”

Community Engagement Week was made possible with support from various partners and sponsors, including Chancellor Justin Schwartz; Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Ann Schmiesing; Outreach and Community Engagement; Division of Continuing Education; Office of Faculty Affairs; 91��Ҹ� and Innovation Office; Center for Teaching and Learning; and Service Learning and Impact in Community Engagement.

PACES is part of Outreach and Community Engagement in the Chancellor’s Office. Visit colorado.edu/paces for more information about resources available for engaged scholars at CU 91��Ҹ�.

Through panels, workshops and a poster showcase, attendees of CU 91��Ҹ�'s first ever Community Engagement Week shared experiences, networked and built their knowledge and skills for conducting community engagement.

Off

Traditional

White

Bridging 91��Ҹ� and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:23:42 +0000

Bridging 91��Ҹ� and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 02/24/2026 - 09:23

Madeline Brant

Wildfire risk in Colorado and the U.S. is growing at an alarming rate, putting more homes and lives in danger than ever before. The growing threat prompts more education about wildfire risk and mitigation, and every community faces different challenges.

Effective strategies for advancing resistance and resilience are increased when researchers and community practitioners work together. Practitioners in this field work at the interface of wildfire and communities, meaning they are responsible for connecting disciplines such as ecology, firefighting, forest management or emergency management and relating them to wildfire risks.

Collaborative efforts for wildfire education have been long-standing, with online forums, discussions and workshops playing an important role with linking practitioners and researchers, particularly when practitioner organizations face funding and staffing challenges that can limit opportunities for in-person meetings.

The WiRē (Wildfire 91��Ҹ�) Center, a nonprofit formed by researchers and practitioners involved with wildfire prevention, resilience and research, works to support the efforts of both groups through collaborative projects. Recognizing that researchers and practitioners typically work separately, the WiRē Center launched a Community of Practice (CoP) in 2021. Meeting quarterly, the CoP enhances opportunities for reciprocal learning. The first in-person CoP was hosted in Denver, Colorado in 2023. In 2025, funding from CU 91��Ҹ�’s Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) supported a second in-person workshop, which brought a more geographically and professionally diverse group of practitioners together.

Hannah Brenkert-Smith, research associate professor at the Institute of Behavioral Science and board member for the WiRē Center, described how the workshop is essential to the development of wildfire mitigation and preparedness across, not only communities in Colorado, but the whole nation.

“The funding from the PACES grant brought everybody together to have a workshop where we presented research, and they presented what they’re doing with their programs. Participating practitioners highlighted where they were using those data to really grow their programs in new and successful ways,” said Brenkert-Smith.

Passionate about bridging the gap between action and research, WiRē Center works to develop data and convey findings to communities across Colorado. Each project includes parcel-level wildfire risk assessments for every residential property in the study area. The assessment data collection includes building materials (e.g., roof and siding), the distance from the home to nearby vegetation, background conditions such as the density of nearby vegetation, slope and topography, and the accessibility of the residence for firefighters. Each homeowner is also mailed a household survey to collect data on a range of topics including wildfire risk perceptions and mitigation and preparedness actions. When paired together, the data enable the creation of tailored outreach approaches for different communities.

“[Participants] are using [the data] to tailor their programs and to foster conversations with land management agencies adjacent to the communities they serve, so that the management process goes more smoothly and is more successful,” said Brenkert-Smith. These conversations lead to strengthened strategies within local fire departments, leading to better preparation and mitigation practices across communities.

During the workshop, conversations with practitioners allow the researchers to witness the impact of their research, instead of merely summarizing it and sending it along. “[Older methods] are more extractive, and this is more collaborative. This is a co-production,” said Brenkert-Smith. “Collaborative, co-productive research gives back to the practitioner, and values practitioner insights, work and time as co-equals. I think that is the future of the best type of research.”

Organizers plan to continue quarterly CoP meetings to foster the connections made and propel necessary conversations. With projects across the West, the efforts made by each researcher and practitioner transcend Coloradoto other parts of the U.S. For example, a collaborative project currently underway in North Carolina brings practitioners serving fire-prone communities in the Southeast, where wildfire risks look different from Colorado.

Brenkert-Smith and her colleagues at the WiRē Center help develop wildfire prevention and mitigation and further necessary engagement with the public. Their unique model accounts for not only those with boots on the ground, but for community members and researchers resulting in more resilient communities.

In fire-prone communities, wildfire practitioners are often the sole advocates for making adaptations and are isolated from professional peers and researchers. A community of practice—representing 82 practitioners from eight states—convened for its second workshop to learn from one another and researchers.

Off

Traditional

WiRe Center Group photo

White

CU 91��Ҹ� celebrates its public outreach efforts, community action

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:02:14 +0000

CU 91��Ҹ� celebrates its public outreach efforts, community action Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 02/04/2026 - 12:02

CU 91��Ҹ� held its first Community Engagement Week, exploring ways to deepen, extend public outreach moving forward

Off

Traditional

White

Taking the Bard "Down Under"

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 18:01:15 +0000

Taking the Bard "Down Under" Arielle Wiedenbeck Tue, 12/09/2025 - 11:01

Gretchen Minekime

Amanda Giguere, Colorado Shakespeare Festival Director of Outreach, recently traveled to Australia as a featured guest of the Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative at the University of Melbourne. Giguere was invited to share research about the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program (a collaboration between the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF), the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, and the Department of Theatre and Dance), and to discuss her new book: Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators (University Press of Colorado, 2025).

During her week in Australia, Giguere delivered an interactive keynote, featuring professional actors from Melbourne, participated in a documentary video series, On Humanities, and conducted training sessions at the University of Melbourne and at Bell Shakespeare (Australia’s leading Shakespeare theatre). While in Sydney, Giguere met with Bell Shakespeare leadership about CSF’s innovative project, and hopes that the work which originated at CU 91��Ҹ� can impact people in Australia.

“I wrote the book about Shakespeare & Violence Prevention so other educators could learn from what we’ve done here in Colorado,” said Giguere. “It’s so inspiring to hear, when I share this work with people outside of Colorado, that it resonates with others in meaningful ways.”

For more information about Giguere’s new book: https://upcolorado.com/university-of-wyoming-press/item/6749-shakespeare-violence-prevention

For more information about the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program, currently touring Colorado’s K-12 schools: https://cupresents.org/performance/10050/shakespeare/csf-schools/

Amanda Giguere, Colorado Shakespeare Festival Director of Outreach, recently traveled to Australia as a featured guest of the University of Melbourne to share research about the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program.

Off

Traditional

White

We are Water: How a Colorado Community is Reimagining its Relationship with Water

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:15:47 +0000

We are Water: How a Colorado Community is Reimagining its Relationship with Water Arielle Wiedenbeck Mon, 12/08/2025 - 15:15

Elle Moscinski

For so many of us, when we turn on the faucet to our sink or shower, fresh, potable water comes out. We might take it for granted, and we rely on it deeply for drinking, cooking, washing, and sustaining our daily routines. Maybe we don’t question whether it will run out or, often, where it comes from. Water is one of the most critical resources for life, but for many in the Four Corners – the region where NM, CO, AZ, and UT meet – it is not a guaranteed resource. Access varies widely, and the realities of drought, agriculture and infrastructure shape how communities live.

A new exhibit devoted to water issues recently opened at the Alamosa Public Library in Southwestern Colorado. Tory Nau, program manager of We are Water, facilitated the co-creation of the exhibit with Alamosa community members. We are Water is a National Science Foundation funded education project within the Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation (CEEE) at the Cooperative Institute for 91��Ҹ� in Environmental Science (CIRES) and a grant recipient of CU 91��Ҹ�’s Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship. The project focuses on place-based education and storytelling to bring together multi-generational audiences to learn and share about water in their community. It encourages people to explore the past, present and future of their water and to bring their own experiences and cultural perspectives to the conversation.

Previously, We are Water used a traveling exhibit to visit rural libraries in the Four Corners Region. Now, the project focuses on co-creating community exhibits that will be permanently installed in communities, like the one in Alamosa. This bilingual exhibit is comprised of two parts, an interactive 3D printed topographic model of the Rio Grande Watershed that features various water locations and an interactive informational wall display. CU 91��Ҹ� students built the exhibit, which showcases the work of local artists Jocelyn Catterson and Ryan Michelle Scavo.

With Alamosa’s permanent exhibit, residents will be able to return and keep learning about water in the San Luis Valley. The We are Water team hopes to raise awareness of water as a more critical, complex subject and to get people thinking about their water sources. For example, aquifers are often depicted online as underground lakes. However, they are actually made up from many pockets of water covered in rocks, sand and gravel and are not constantly accessible bodies of water.

The installation is the result of a collaborative effort between We are Water and local libraries, researchers, artists and Alamosa community members. Creating the exhibit started with a large listening session, supported by the library with hopes of reaching a variety of voices in the community. Participants discussed their questions, concerns and hopes for water in their community.

“Our approach with this project wasn’t to come in and educate people about water policy,” said Nau. “It was more about creating a space for people to come together to connect and share stories, perspectives, and experiences about water.”

The project merges art and science, Western and Indigenous worldviews, university researchers and local libraries and formal and informal education—an approach that creates accessible spaces where community member’s stories are shared and recorded, and people learn together in everyday settings.

“I think [informal learning] is very powerful,” said Nau. “Learning can happen anywhere, and some of the best learning happens outside of a classroom. And, I say that as a teacher.”

Issues of water are complex and critical. Water sustains every living thing, yet water policy is challenging when some communities face shrinking supplies, competing uses or changes caused by invasive species and drought. Some communities in the Four Corners Region do not have access to running water. Additionally, cultural perspectives on water vary. By using storytelling, We are Water’s approach encourages people to share personal experiences, listen to one another’s histories and understand how others see valuable natural resources.

Nau hopes that audiences take away curiosity and awareness about water. She hopes that people will begin to think critically about where their water comes from—the journey from source to tap. She hopes that people will make broader connections to climate change, the needs of their communities and all the ways in which we are connected by water.

A new exhibit from We Are Water at the Alamosa Public Library focuses on place-based education and storytelling to bring together multi-generational audiences to learn and share about water in their community.

Off

Traditional

White

Shakespeare & Violence Prevention Program in Southeast Colorado

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:55:21 +0000

Shakespeare & Violence Prevention Program in Southeast Colorado Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 11/19/2025 - 13:55

Amanda Giguere

The Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program (SVP), a collaboration with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF), CU Theatre & Dance, and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, pairs Shakespeare’s plays with violence-prevention research. Since 2011, SVP has reached more than 140,000 K-12 students. Its methods are outlined in a new book: Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators.

This year, the SVP troupe is performing The Tempest and Hamlet in schools across Colorado. The team recently completed a two-day residency in Southeast Colorado. SVP actors were accompanied by Professor Kevin Rich, director of the abridged Hamlet, and CSF Director of Outreach Amanda Giguere, author of Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators. The actors performed for 410 students, bused in from six schools across three counties (Bent, Las Animas, and Otero). Prior to the visit, the SVP team trained Otero College professors and students online in workshop facilitation. During the residency, SVP actors and Otero College facilitators led breakout sessions connecting the plays to contemporary violence.

Additionally, Rich trained local teachers in Applied Shakespeare, exploring how Shakespeare’s plays resonate with contemporary issues. A free public performance of Hamlet concluded with a discussion featuring a representative from Colorado’s Office of School Safety, alongside Rich, Giguere and the actors.

“This recent visit to La Junta was a powerful reminder of how learning can be engaging, lively and fun,” said Giguere. “Our professional actors worked alongside Otero students, CU faculty, and K-12 students and teachers to share the power of live theatre. It was inspiring to see people collaborate and use the arts to connect our communities.”

This visit was funded by CU’s President’s Fund for the Humanities. The 2025-26 SVP program is also funded in part by PACES, 91��Ҹ� Arts Commission, Kahn Family Teaming Fund, RIO Arts & Humanities Grant, school fees and individual donations to the CSF Education Endowment and the CSF Education Fund. To request the program in your community, visit here.

Off

Traditional

White

CU 91��Ҹ� professor develops more accessible way for families to experience planetarium shows

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 18:14:15 +0000

CU 91��Ҹ� professor develops more accessible way for families to experience planetarium shows Arielle Wiedenbeck Thu, 10/30/2025 - 12:14

Elle Moscinski

Fiske Planetarium at the 91��Ҹ� 91��Ҹ� has begun hosting special events catering to families with young children who have sensory needs. Dubbed Sensory-Friendly Sundays, those attending will find staff passing out blankets and headphones, kids clutching stuffed animals, interactive exhibits, and a relaxed, welcoming environment. The adapted show format provides an accessible space for kids to learn more about the universe and their place within it.

Professor Ann-Marie Madigan, associate professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the 91��Ҹ� 91��Ҹ�, is the program’s creator. Her expertise is with gravitational dynamics, including the motions of stars around supermassive black holes, and planets orbiting white dwarfs. Madigan first found inspiration for the program at the World of Wonder Museum in Lafayette, CO. She noticed how beneficial and comfortable their monthly sensory-friendly day was for her young daughter.

“I really appreciated those events, and my daughter really enjoyed them,” said Madigan. “I wondered how to bring something similar to the greater 91��Ҹ� community, and I thought it would be really nice to combine my day job as an astronomer with something I really appreciate in my outside life.”

Sensory-Friendly Sundays first started in fall of 2024 with a grant from the Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES). Two pilot events were hosted with overwhelming success—immediately exceeding the registration cap of 100 people. This semester, a second more substantial grant is enabling monthly events and a broader audience, reaching children ages 3 to 12.

Typical planetarium shows can sometimes be overwhelming or stressful. The planetarium dome can have loud, startling noises or explosive light displays. Some families may not feel comfortable bringing their kids for fear of the experience being too dysregulating and intense. Sensory-Friendly Sundays are designed to provide a safe space for kids where they can be especially supported and can calm down in a quiet environment.

Fiske’s house rules are more relaxed on Sensory-Friendly Sundays; the planetarium dome always has open doors so families and kids can come and go as needed if they become overwhelmed. Madigan also noted how stressful it can be for parents to worry about their children being disruptive. Often, if parents fear that they won’t be able to stay the entire time, they will not come at all, because they don’t wish to interrupt the show. Having open doors helps to alleviate those worries.

In addition, Sensory-Friendly Sundays offer support through staffing and equipment. The program provides trained onsite support from student volunteers from the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic, as well as professional therapists. Fiske staff members have been educated about neurodiversity and sensory overwhelm and coached how to engage appropriately with kids who may have special needs. Inside the dome, the lights are not completely dimmed, and the noise level is lowered. There are materials to help kids remain calm and engaged: tables with crafts, a gravity floor, and lots of textured materials meant to be touched, such as a large 3D model of the lunar surface. Noise-cancelling headphones, blankets and stuffed animals are available to check out.

As the program has evolved, so have the activities inside the dome. CU 91��Ҹ� undergraduate Hunter Pratt led a dome activity exploring how light interacts with color and how both animals and astronomers see the universe in different wavelengths.

To run this program effectively, Madigan reached out to the Fiske Planetarium staff, including the director, Professor John Keller. She worked with the Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic and sought feedback from members of the Autism Society of 91��Ҹ� County. It was tough logistically; for example, making sure all the therapists were properly compensated and that there were enough volunteers.

“It was a little scary to open the doors for the first time,” said Madigan. “But, after the first event, everything was more relaxed ... because all we’re doing here is making this space much more available and accessible, for free, for families with kids who have sensory processing disorders, and they really loved it.”

Madigan is delighted that this program will be an ongoing, supportive event for the broader 91��Ҹ� community. So far, her favorite part is getting to see kids run around as their authentic selves and be excited about space. Sensory-Friendly Sundays will hopefully continue to serve families and connect them with astronomy.

“Astronomy is special, because it is so fundamental and meaningful. It’s about what we are doing here and how it all came to be,” shared Madigan. "Kids are fascinated with space, planets and black holes. It feels right to make sure that all kids can actually engage with it.”

Learn more about Sensory Sundays on Fiske’s Planetarium’s website.

Designed in collaboration with the Autism Society of 91��Ҹ� County, Fiske Planetarium hosts a monthly series of free sensory-friendly experiences intended for children with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders.

Off

Traditional

White

Grantee Stories

Centers help K-12 educators understand and implement Colorado’s inclusive curriculum laws

Off

Announcing Spring 2026 Tier 1 and 2 Grant Recipients

Spring 2026 Tier 2 Grant Recipients

Spring 2026 Tier 1 Grant Recipients

Off

Teaching East Asia Through Picture Books receives excellence in civic and community engagement award

Off

Community Engagement Week Re-cap: Celebrating 150 years of Service and Engagement

Off

Bridging 91���Ҹ� and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response

Off

CU 91���Ҹ� celebrates its public outreach efforts, community action

Off

Taking the Bard "Down Under"

Off

We are Water: How a Colorado Community is Reimagining its Relationship with Water

Off

Shakespeare & Violence Prevention Program in Southeast Colorado

Off

CU 91���Ҹ� professor develops more accessible way for families to experience planetarium shows

Off

Bridging 91��Ҹ� and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response

CU 91��Ҹ� celebrates its public outreach efforts, community action

CU 91��Ҹ� professor develops more accessible way for families to experience planetarium shows