News

Older woman looks out the window in her apartment.

Daniel Simon, Ryan Masters new study shows institutional failures increased suicide rates

February 19, 2024

A new CU Boulder study sheds light on the national upward trend of suicide rates. Authors Daniel Simon, doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and IBS research affiliate, and Ryan Masters, associate sociology professor and director of the Population Program, examined suicide data from 1997 to 2017. They found two institutional bodies contributing to suicide

Participants from the workshop. Left - Right, first row: Jane Menken, Christina Misunas, Julie Skeldon, Amanda Stevenson, Zoe Bergman, Abby Humphreys, Sara Yeatman, Lindsay Cannon Left - Right, second row: Austin Fitzgerald, Katie Massey Combs, Hoeyun Kwon, Paige Schoonover, Raeven Chandler, Leslie Root, Asha Hassan, Selena Anjur-Dietrich, Leah Koenig, Anna Crawford, Brooke Whitfield On screen: Zoom participants

Success of abortion research methods workshop reflects shift in demography, fertility research

February 15, 2024

Abortion research grapples with more questions than answers. And that’s no surprise. Fertility research as a whole inhabits only a small niche in demography and population studies and received limited attention after the “population bomb” panic in the mid-20th century. However, after the 2022 Dobbs decision, interest in abortion has grown significantly. Assistant Research Professor at

Loving Black family bonding with their son while playing fun games on the sofa at home.

Pamela Buckley and Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development Cited as Top Clearinghouse Research

February 13, 2024

Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development was cited in a Lund Report article as one of the top clearinghouses in prevention research. The article features Principal Investigator of Blueprints, Pamela Buckley. Buckley shares how complicated it can be in determining which prevention programs work, but that clearinghouses like Blueprints help translate the evidence to support users in

Group of four adults meeting and discussing at a table.

Karl Hill consulted on drug prevention solutions for Roaring Fork School District

February 8, 2024

Roaring Fork School District parents, staff and community members are working together to address growing incidences of youth overdose deaths. A variety of drug prevention strategies have been proposed, including the use of more science-backed, community-based methods like Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. Karl G. Hill, director of the Prevention Science Program at the Institute of Behavioral

Native American woman in traditional dress dancing.

Twelfth CONVERGE training module released, Natural Hazards Center hosting demonstration webinar

February 2, 2024

The Natural Hazards Center has released the twelfth training module in the CONVERGE series: Indigenous Sovereignty in Disasters. This free online course is part of a series of foundational and advanced training modules sponsored by the National Science Foundation and designed to enhance valuable knowledge and skills among students and other emerging researchers and practitioners. The Natural

Takeaways from annual political climate survey of Colorado

February 1, 2024

Researchers at The American Politics Research Lab (APRL) at CU Boulder and the polling company YouGov have released their annual political climate survey. Anand Sokhey, director of the APRL and an Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) fellow, co-authored the new survey and expands on its findings in CU Boulder Today with science writer Daniel Strain. Read

Participants listen to a lecture at the Open Data and Reuse in Social Science Weather Research workshop.

Natural Hazards, NOAA report provides direction for open data mandate

January 29, 2024

Researchers who receive federal funds are now asked to make their research publicly available as soon as possible, according to a mandate from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The Natural Hazards Center at the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Program Office convened

Amanda Stevenson receives first IUSSP award

January 25, 2024

Amanda Stevenson, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder, has received the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) Early Career Award. This prestigious award recognizes Stevenson as a national leader in reproductive health and family planning policy research. “I love demography, I think it’s a powerful, transformative way of understanding

Daughter and mother sitting together looking at a phone.

Call for community input on Colorado emergency alerts

December 11, 2023

The Natural Hazards Center at the Institute of Behavioral Science was asked by the Colorado State Legislature to evaluate the inclusivity of the state’s emergency alert system. The ensuing report provides actionable ways the state can improve emergency alert accessibility for marginalized groups. Lead editor and science writer, Jolie Breeden, shares more about the report

Dianne Criswell (left) talks with Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center (right).

Natural Hazards Center welcomes FEMA administrator to strengthen academic partnerships

December 7, 2023

The Natural Hazards Center recently hosted Dianne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Criswell met with CU Boulder researchers, faculty and staff to discuss improving the pipeline between new research and the public. Jolie Breeden, lead editor and science writer for the Natural Hazards Center, recounts the significance of this visit in her article