Education & Outreach

Celebrating 25 years of the Program for Teaching East Asia

Megan M Rogers — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:22:41 +0000

Celebrating 25 years of the Program for Teaching East Asia Megan M Rogers Thu, 01/22/2026 - 11:22

Lynn Kalinauskas

When Johanna Lohr, a ��ý�� Valley high school teacher, first visited the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) offices on the CU ��ý�� campus in 2001, she was looking for some guidance for teaching the Asia unit of her world history course. Twenty-five years later, Lohr is one of more than 10,000 TEA program alumni who have studied in China, Japan or Taiwan on summer study tours, completed multiple TEA summer institutes or online courses, and developed her own elective courses on East Asia for her school.

Today, a visitor to TEA offices on the second floor of the Center for Asian Studies in the Denison Building is greeted by a visual archive of photos of TEA alumni in East Asia and here on the ��ý�� campus—showcasing the community and collaboration of educators and academics that are the hallmark of this program, which marks its 25th year on campus.

TEA conducts national, regional and state programs for teachers and students to fulfill its mission of bridging the gap between cutting-edge scholarship in East Asian studies and best practices in education to enhance K-12 curriculum and instruction about East Asia. TEA offers programs that help teachers in all K-12 disciplines integrate Asian content, from literature and the arts to history and STEM.

One factor in its continuing success with educators over 25 years is that TEA has reinvented its programming to meet the changing educational environment and educator needs. As examples, in 2007, TEA developed and implemented its first online course offerings. In 2008, it added Korea as an area of focus.

2001 study tour to China

Early days

On that hallway wall, the first of these photos is from 2001, but TEA predates its time at CU. TEA was founded in 1985 as the Rocky Mountain Japan Project under the umbrella of the ��ý��-based nonprofit called Social Science Education Consortium. It became the Program for Teaching East Asia in 1997, with generous funding from the Freeman Foundation to undertake programs focusing on China as well as Japan.

In 2001, founding director Lynn Parisi collaborated with CU East Asian Studies faculty to relocate TEA to CU ��ý��. Asked about the decision to move, Parisi, who retired in 2023, explains, “With TEA's expanded funding to provide national programs on China and Japan, moving to a university offered opportunities and advantages.” She adds, “CU faculty had been presenting at our workshops and summer institutes for many years. By formally affiliating with CU, TEA could benefit from stronger ties and partnerships with faculty. The expertise of CU's Asian studies faculty has been one of TEA's strengths throughout its history on campus. In 2000, faculty at CU were working on re-establishing the Center for Asian Studies, so the timing for a move for TEA was opportune.”

‘You've gotta have teachers’

In 1997, Freeman Foundation President Houghton Freeman brought together leading national Asian education programs from around the country, many at university National Resource Centers, but also those at private nonprofits. He challenged them to conceptualize a national effort to improve teaching and learning about East Asia at the K-12 level. In his words, “If you’re going to teach the nation something about another country, or teach them anything, you’ve gotta have teachers.”

Parisi and four colleagues pitched an idea for a national campaign that would reach 100 teachers in 17 states in its initial year through seminars about East Asian history and culture and then expand annually to reach all 50 states within 10 years. It took vision to see teachers as the main actors in a project that is now in its 28th year of funding.

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia was thus established. It is now based in seven universities—including TEA at CU ��ý��—and six partner sites, which the Freeman Foundation has funded since its inception. NCTA’s “feet on the ground” approach demanded coordinated, behind-the-scenes work.

TEA staff trained classroom teachers and academic specialists as seminar coordinators, who managed evening and weekend programs primarily in 13 states, including Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. When TEA created hybrid and fully online courses that teachers could access from anywhere in the country, its reach increased. In its first year, TEA recruited 93 teachers from 21 school districts. Last year, in 2025, TEA reached 967 teachers from across the nation.

While the Freeman Foundation-funded NCTA is TEA’s biggest program, grants from other sources have enabled TEA to offer diverse programs and new initiatives, including a robust curriculum development program and several Fulbright Hays group projects abroad for K-12 teachers.

Most recently, with funding from the CU Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, TEA’s current director Lynn Kalinauskas and TEA staff have developed programming focused on Teaching East Asia through Picture Books. This includes an in-person workshop for teachers, online courses and a community service program bringing CU undergraduate interns into elementary classrooms on the Front Range. In March 2026, TEA staff will bring their in-person workshop, Teaching Biography through East Asian Picture Books, to teachers in Tucson, through a collaboration with the University of Arizona.

TEA is one of the few institutional forces in the Rocky Mountain region (and really the nation) that systematically strengthens what students know before they arrive at CU. TEA helps K–12 educators transcend overly simplified or stereotypical narratives and equips them to teach East Asia(s) with nuance, depth, and integrity.

“In doing so, TEA shapes the intellectual ecosystem from which CU ��ý�� draws its students. TEA’s engagement with hundreds of educators over decades enriches the learning conditions of the very communities whose graduates become our undergraduates. Ultimately, TEA exemplifies what it means for a university to take responsibility for the broader educational landscape it inhabits. In a moment when global understanding is both urgently needed and increasingly contested, TEA’s work is indispensable.”

–Lauren Collins, program director and teaching assistant professor, Asian Studies

Faculty research goes beyond the campus

During its time at CU, TEA has worked closely with its faculty members, drawing on their expertise to deliver cutting-edge scholarship to program participants. They have given countless presentations in person and online, accompanied TEA staff on study tours to China, Japan and Taiwan, and have been crucial components of on-campus summer institutes and local workshops.

In 2002, Tim Oakes, professor of geography, brought TEA teachers to Guizhou, China, to share his fieldwork. Reflecting on his experience, he noted, “It always felt like a really unique opportunity to see if I could translate or distill the kind of work that I do in a way that could be useful for teachers and ultimately young learners.” He adds, “A large part of what TEA workshops can inculcate in young learners is a curiosity about the world that they can then carry forward to the university. To me, that’s a central thing that universities need to be doing for their communities.”

As faculty worked with TEA, they were also thinking of the long-term impact of their efforts. Helping K-12 teachers with the latest scholarship or specific research, Oakes says, is one of the most important things scholars can do at a university. One scholar, Tim Weston, was influenced by such a teacher when he was a high school student in Iowa City. This teacher later became a consultant for TEA, coordinating seminars in Iowa. Weston is now a professor of history here at CU ��ý��.

Faculty interviewed for this article also noted the importance TEA has had on their careers. Lauren Collins, now Asian studies program director and teaching assistant professor at CU, worked for TEA early in her career. She explains: “I first began working with TEA in 2008 after completing my MA in China studies from the University of Washington in Seattle.” At Collins’ very first TEA summer institute, one of the keynote speakers was the legendary historian John Dower. She says, “Learning from Dower, along with several other experts on Japanese history and digital humanities, and being exposed to this incredible resource, completely reshaped how I thought about teaching and studying Asia.”

Sungyun Lim, associate professor of history, says, “I consider myself very fortunate to have met TEA as I began my career…because I learned to think about the pedagogical impact of my research and teaching from early on. From engaging with the teachers in the program, I came to better understand where my students were coming from—what they learn about Korea and East Asia, as well as where Korea and East Asian contents fit into the secondary education curriculum in the U.S.”

She continues to note a synergy created between faculty: “Being part of the TEA program also gave me the valuable opportunity to meet other scholars in the field and learn from them about how they approach teaching in general and teaching about Korea in particular. As they were coming from different disciplines and different kinds of institutions with varying length of teaching experiences, it gave me exposure to a diverse array of teaching approaches, perspectives and content focus, which all enriched my own teaching. I think the program really puts CU on the map for scholars who are interested in pedagogy and gives our faculty an invaluable opportunity to engage with many scholars in the field in a meaningful and unique way.”

Tom Zeiler, professor of history, echoes these sentiments on his work as lead faculty on a summer institute: “I remember teaming up with Marcia Yonemoto, with Lynn Parisi supervising, on lectures on the Pacific War. The high school teachers were just wonderful, and every time we did it, there was somebody with a “hook”—a teacher, for example, who was writing a book based on the memoirs of her great uncle who fought in that conflict on some island now long memorialized but being forgotten. Honestly, I learned more from the students, and from my colleagues like Marcia and Lynn, than I likely taught others!”

Marcia Yonemoto, professor of history, says, “I came to CU in 1995 as an assistant professor of Japanese history and began participating in TEA programs almost immediately. I have continued to work with TEA almost every year since. Over the course of these decades, I have learned so much from the TEA staff and from the participating teachers from all over the country. Being a faculty consultant and instructor for TEA means I am always trying to figure out what is essential for high school students to know about Japan and East Asia, and how to convey that content clearly and concisely to teachers who will turn the information into lesson plans and activities. I have consistently been impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of the teachers who participate in TEA programs, and I have learned so much from their responses to the readings and lectures I and other instructors provide.”

2025 study tour to Taiwan

Engaging CU students

Moving to CU in 2001 offered TEA the opportunity to work closely with students—as graduate assistants but also as undergraduate interns on several school outreach programs—who continue to contribute energy and fresh ideas to the program.

“TEA initiated its first service-learning project building on an idea suggested by one of our undergraduate assistants in 2001,” says Parisi. In 2004, TEA organized an exhibit, “Facing East, Facing West: Visualizing Early Encounters between Japan and the United States,” at the ��ý�� Library. Student interns learned about the historical period and art of the exhibit and trained to work as docents for public school field trips, CU course assignments and general public tours.

Christy Go, TEA’s current graduate assistant, has been central to the Teaching East Asia through Picture Books project. “Having the opportunity to work with TEA has been life-changing and made a tremendous impact on my career as a music educator. TEA has given me the opportunity to truly bridge the fields of music education and ethnomusicology in my work and research as a PhD student. I have learned so much not only about the history and culture of East Asia and how to apply that to my music teaching but also how to engage teachers and students in professional development and learning that has made me a better teacher and teacher educator. I know my time at TEA will extend to my future teaching and research both in academia and K-12 education. Truly grateful for such a fantastic and impactful program!”

A lasting impact on teachers

Through hand-written letters, cards and emails, teachers have expressed their gratitude for TEA’s professional development opportunities.

Catherine Ishida, TEA assistant director for Japan and Korea projects, who has been with the program since 2005, emphasizes that, “The lasting impact of TEA’s work in K-16 exchange is the enhancement and enrichment of the study of Chinese, Japanese and Korean culture and history in secondary and elementary classroom instruction and the university’s expanded reach of international education opportunities to communities of teachers and students beyond campus boundaries.”

Ishida also notes TEA’s role in informing the movement to shift secondary western civilization courses to world history by providing current scholarship and resources for teachers. Parisi expands on this, noting, “TEA has had an impact on how area studies ‘outreach’ was conceptualized and programmed. Our program began working at a time in the mid-1980s when there was a focus on global education and an effort to move professional development for teachers beyond basic introductions to other countries and cultures. I think our work in the early years of TEA, along with our colleagues at other Asia-focused programs, changed ‘outreach’ into in-depth professional development for teachers, bringing them into conversation with scholars and specialists about new scholarship that went beyond textbooks to enrich and complicate their own teaching and student learning.

“TEA's biggest contribution,” she says, “has been as a co-founder and as a national site of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. As collaborating members of a national program, TEA and our colleagues at the six other national NCTA sites have offered hundreds of seminars, workshops, study tours and other programming for teachers. NCTA has developed curriculum and curriculum resources. It has established a national book award for children and young adult literature about Asia. NCTA has raised awareness of education about East Asia. At the same time, it has established a program that recognizes teachers’ accomplishments for in-depth study of East Asia and in so doing, has motivated teachers across the country to study and teach about East Asia and to become involved in a professional community of educators.”

Teachers write to TEA staff and the Freeman Foundation every year to express their thanks.

A dedicated staff

The TEA office on Broadway is modest but the staff work tirelessly to deliver quality programs that make that lasting impact. Parisi notes, “East Asia is our content focus, but if TEA and NCTA were just teaching teachers about a geographic area, it would be doing a lot, but not enough. Through the years, the TEA has benefitted from professional staff who have been outstanding cross-cultural educators as well as content specialists, and this has been reflected in TEA programming. TEA makes a difference because its programs teach the attitudes, skills and habits of mind of cross-cultural understanding and global citizenship.”

Looking ahead

The state of area studies is currently uncertain as funding for programs that supported education about the world is critically cut or eliminated. AI brings with it new educational challenges. TEA is looking to continue its work and establish new partnerships to sustain the gains that have been made through its outreach efforts. The commitment to its mission has never been stronger and is certainly needed today as much as it was 25 years ago. Onward!

The TEA program has reached thousands of educators through 25 years of successful programming at CU ��ý��. Learn more about its history and impact.

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We are water: How a Colorado community is reimagining its relationship with water

Megan M Rogers — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 19:12:13 +0000

We are water: How a Colorado community is reimagining its relationship with water Megan M Rogers Wed, 01/07/2026 - 12:12

A new exhibit devoted to water issues recently opened at the Alamosa Public Library and focuses on place-based education and storytelling to bring together multi-generational audiences.

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Physics conference brings 120 undergraduates to ��ý��

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:20:57 +0000

Physics conference brings 120 undergraduates to ��ý�� Megan M Rogers Tue, 11/11/2025 - 09:20

Undergraduate researchers from eight regional universities put their research on display at the first Colorado Undergraduate Physics Conference, organized by CU ��ý�� physics students.

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CU ��ý��'s International English Center turns 50

Megan M Rogers — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:49:07 +0000

CU ��ý��'s International English Center turns 50 Megan M Rogers Wed, 11/05/2025 - 13:49

Since 1975, the International English Center (IEC) has brought the world to CU—educating students from more than 50 different countries through innovative, high-quality English language instruction and cultural enrichment. The center is thrilled to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with international partners, CU ��ý�� and the wider ��ý�� community.

Creating an international bridge at CU

Fulbright Scholars at graduation

In the summer of 1974, Larry Fisher, a Peace Corps volunteer freshly back from teaching English in Turkey, taught in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program for international students at CU ��ý��. He and some fellow returning Peace Corps volunteer teachers discussed the need for a formal Intensive English Program (IEP) at CU ��ý��.

Fisher created a proposal and pitched it to George Goulette at Continuing Education and Ruth Purkable from what was then called the Office of International Education. Sold on the idea, Goulette and Purkable applied to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education for permission to establish an IEP at CU ��ý��.

With approval granted, the IEC was born, and Jean Engler served as its first director. Fisher was among the first IEC faculty members hired and worked at the center for another 43 years, retiring in 2018.

CU ��ý��’s International English Center opened its doors with 44 students, mostly from the Arabian Gulf countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia and a few students from South America and Japan. During its first year, the IEC welcomed 357 students from 22 countries.

Over the years, it has served a diverse local and international population: college-bound students, ��ý�� community members, pre-service teachers, refugees, international professionals and others.

As the center’s primary purpose was to prepare international students for university-level work, securing a formal pathway to the university was key. In 2013, the Dean’s Council approved a Conditional Admissions Program for international undergraduate students, and the IEC’s new Academic Bridge Program (now known as Pathway to CU) was born.

Along with intensive English language instruction, the program includes assignments designed to help students adapt to U.S. academic culture. The program has since expanded to allow higher-level students the option of taking credit-bearing classes while continuing to refine their English skills at the IEC.

International partners and programs

IEC students collaborate on one of the experiential learning projects that form the foundation of the center's curriculum

IEC is proud to have created programs for the U.S. State Department, such as the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program, which prepares international grantees for graduate studies at U.S. universities, and the EducationUSA Academy, which helps international high school students through the process of applying to college in the U.S.

The center’s other custom programs have trained Brazilian educators to teach English; helped Mexican military personnel develop their professional communication skills; introduced undergraduates from the United Arab Emirates to space science; and prepared the Governor of Acré, Brazil, for meetings with leaders at CU and contacts at renewable energy laboratories.

The IEC has partnered with the Governors Climate and Forestry Fund; the ministries of Education in Bolivia, Brazil and Chile; the Kuwait Cultural Office; numerous Japanese universities, including Tokyo Denki, Juntendo and Tokyo Keizai; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in Indonesia; the Mexican ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education; Secretaries of the Mexican Military (SEMAR and SEDENA); the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission; the Royal Thai Air Force and Army; Royal Thai Scholars; and Yamagata (sister city to ��ý��) Prefecture in Japan.

Partnerships closer to home

Students in IEC elective Earth Matters at NCAR

Although “international” is in its name, the IEC also has served the state of Colorado, CU ��ý�� and the local community.

Along with the IEPs at the University of Denver and CU Denver, the IEC—led by Larry Fisher—helped found the Colorado affiliate of TESOL International, a professional organization that seeks to advance expertise in English language teaching. The Colorado branch, now known as CoTESOL, has grown exponentially, with IEC faculty playing a prominent role by holding many offices in the organization and arranging and presenting at its yearly conference.

Closer to home, the IEC is always developing valued partnerships with CU ��ý�� departments. The IEC has contracted with International Student and Scholar Services to provide free English language tutoring to undergraduates and graduate students, as well as workshops for students, staff and faculty.

The center collaborates with CU Human Resources on the Employees English Program (EEP), which offers free English language classes for frontline service employees of the university. The EEP also connects to the Department of Linguistics in an arrangement where Raichle Farrelly matches her students with IEC cooperating teachers to assist in the classroom.

The IEC has a second conditional admission agreement with Colorado Law for its Master of Laws candidates whose English does not yet meet its language proficiency requirements; these students are required to complete the IEC’s Legal English Program, a comprehensive course of study that helps smooth the transition to law school.

Finally, with the Leeds School of Business, the IEC recently launched a hybrid international student graduate school preparation workshop.

In these ways, the IEC delivers a wide range of English language and academic culture support services, positioning itself as the campus hub for international English language instruction.

Decades of change

International Fulbright grantees visit Golden West Senior Living as part of their service-learning project

Throughout its 50-year history, the IEC has weathered many physical and metaphorical upheavals. Initially a part of Continuing Education, the IEC was shifted to Academic Services during the 1980s and then returned to Continuing Education in 1990 with an academic link to the Linguistics Department.

The Academy Building, the center’s original physical home, suffered a devastating fire in 1980, necessitating a temporary relocation to University Hill’s Primary School; after several years in university-owned buildings on Grandview Avenue, the IEC settled in its current location on the Hill in 1999.

The center’s successive leaders have grown adept at adapting to global and domestic political changes and responding to international currency fluctuations and enrollment trends, in addition to pivoting when a global pandemic made overseas travel difficult or impossible.

In 2000, the center became one of the first IEPs to be accredited by the new Commission on English Language Program Accreditation. That new distinction requires the IEC to maintain the highest standards in its faculty, which means all must have a master's or doctorate in TESOL or applied linguistics. With this expertise, IEC faculty create meaningful and relevant experiential learning projects—the foundation of the center’s curriculum—so students engage in activities that mimic real-world tasks, preparing them for future academic and professional success.

From analog past to digital future

Indonesian IISMA scholarship recipients share their culture during their studies at CU

The IEC has come a long way from its founding in 1975, when faculty only had analog tools at their disposal. Fisher recalls, “I set up the first IEC computer lab with hand-me-down IBM PCs from engineering…green screens, no mouse, no network. That lab was one of the first on campus connected to the internet (or Arpanet) which could send only text, no pictures, no sound. We had one of the very early online CU webpages and online courses.”

Nowadays, IEC faculty utilize digital tools in the classroom extensively and receive ongoing training in educational technology, in addition to staying current on best practices in second language acquisition and teaching.

The center, with current director Graham Douglas at the helm, recently launched IEC Online to bring its quality English language instruction to homes across the world. As the first campus unit to fully adopt Canvas for all its courses, the IEC is well positioned to succeed in the virtual education space.

The IEC’s mission of promoting intercultural communication is as vital as ever, and it will continue to confront the constantly challenging international education landscape with innovation and creativity. The center will celebrate its half-century on Nov. 20 with international student alumni, faculty and campus partners.

CU's hub for English language instruction celebrates a half-century of serving international students and professionals, university employees and community members.

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Building robots, building connections

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:29:38 +0000

Building robots, building connections Megan M Rogers Tue, 11/04/2025 - 07:29

ATLAS doctoral candidate Casey Hunt brings STEM learning to local classrooms with Lego robotics.

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Multilingual videos to introduce children to archaeology, paleontology and more

Megan M Rogers — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:06:50 +0000

Multilingual videos to introduce children to archaeology, paleontology and more Megan M Rogers Thu, 10/02/2025 - 08:06

CU Museum of Natural History’s Curator of Archaeology William Taylor’s interest in the sciences was sparked at a young age. Taylor started thinking about archaeology when he was 5 or 6 years old, playing Indiana Jones computer games and dreaming about the adventures he might have. The lightbulb moment occurred in grade school, during a class field trip to regional museum, where he joined an actual archaeological dig and helped find a veritable artifact!

Decades later, Taylor has teamed with Amelia the Archaeologist (a deaf public archaeology outreach educator) and his sister Cecily Whitworth (a deaf advocate, artist and educator), plus CU researchers and CU students to pilot a pair of videos that may inspire kids to be scientists, too.

“It is especially powerful for young folks to look at a scientist and see someone they can grow up to be,” said Taylor.

“I agree,” added Whitworth, "These materials are designed especially for kids who have never met a scientist before. I hope we are planting some seeds that grow into paleontologists and archaeologists in about 20 years!”

For adults interested—or enthusiastic—about archaeology, sign up for the first Archaeological Institute of America lecture of the season at CU on Oct. 23.

This project started small. The original educational offerings included exercises, worksheets and activities. The PACES grant from CU allowed the group to branch out to make videos and to include a paleontology video as well. “We hope to expand this project in the future to bring in other disciplines, other scientists from the museum, around campus and other languages,” said Taylor.

Online visitors can access each video, learn more about the content creators, plus download and engage with additional educational activities for young people—via the museum's Museum from Home webpage.

For more information about CU’s PACES grants and the communities they serve visit the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship.

Researchers, educational specialists and students at the CU Museum of Natural History are using a CU PACES grant to create educational content introducing a broad audience of children to the sciences.

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Building the quantum workforce of the future: A new study seeks the way

Daniel William Strain — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:16:44 +0000

Building the quantum workforce of the future: A new study seeks the way Daniel William… Tue, 09/30/2025 - 12:16

Daniel Strain

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis cuts the ribbon for the Quantum Incubator, a facility in ��ý�� that seeks to foster new quantum companies and technologies. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU ��ý��)

A team of physicists and education researchers is spearheading the largest study of its kind exploring how the United States can meet the needs of the rapidly growing quantum technology industry.

The study, which launched in 2024, is led by CU ��ý�� and Rochester Institute of Technology and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Laboratory for Physical Science Qubit Collaboratory.

Learn more about quantum research at CU ��ý��

In recent years, quantum technology companies have begun to pop up across the United States. These companies design technologies that tap into some of the unique properties of very small things like atoms and electrons. Such technologies include “quantum computers” that could one day discover previously unknown medications, or sensors that can detect signs of illness in a single puff of breath.

But the growth of the industry also raises a major question, said physicist Heather Lewandowski, one of the project leads: How can the nation better prepare students to enter this uncharted industry?

“Quantum is big, both in Colorado and throughout the nation,” said Lewandowski, a fellow of JILA, a joint research institute between CU ��ý�� at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). “Universities are starting new courses, new degrees, new minors, and they need data. They need to understand the types of knowledge, skills and abilities students need to be successful in the quantum workforce.”

The project is particularly timely. In 2023, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) named Elevate Quantum—a coalition of 120 organizations in the Mountain West, with CU ��ý�� as a prime contributor—an official tech hub for quantum information technology. Today, the industry employs 3,000 people in Colorado alone. That number could rise to 10,000 in the next decade, according to some estimates.

Map of quantum information science courses taught in the United States. Click to explore map. (Credit: RIT/CU ��ý��)

To help prepare today’s students for that new frontier, Lewandowski and her colleagues set out on a massive undertaking.

In their study, the researchers are surveying the course offerings at more than 1,400 degree-granting institutions in the United States. They will also interview 200 professionals from quantum companies in Colorado and beyond.

The group has captured some of its preliminary results in a series of studies published online ahead of print.

“Questions about workforce development and education planning are complicated because how do you plan for what’s going to happen in this industry in five years?” said Shams El-Adawy, a postdoctoral research associate on Lewandowski’s team.

Study time

Lewandowski noted that quantum technologies are nothing new. Many everyday tools, such as the laser scanners at grocery stores or the transistors in your computer, rely on an understanding of the physics of very small things.

The recent growth in quantum companies, however, stems from technologies that take advantage of two quantum properties—entanglement and superposition. They are phenomena that allow scientists to, for example, measure things they couldn’t with traditional technology. The field is sometimes known as quantum information science.

“Whether it's measuring magnetic fields in the brain or the pull of gravity, the better you can measure things, the better you can understand the physical world,” Lewandowski said.

Heather Lewandowski

Shams El-Adawy

In the current study, Lewandowski, El-Adawy and their colleagues set out to understand how universities around the country are responding to this uncharted industry.

They built an interactive map of every quantum information science program in the nation—including the degrees, minors, concentrations and more offered by institutions of higher learning.

Colorado, for example, is home to six institutions that offer courses in quantum information science. CU ��ý�� alone offers 13 courses in the field.

Many of these courses are still only available to graduate students, but the offerings for undergrads are growing, El-Adawy said. Many schools are also getting creative about how they give students a grounding in quantum technologies.

“A lot of disciplines are sprinkling some of these topics in quantum information science into courses that are not fully dedicated to quantum information science, such as existing quantum courses,” she said.

Get to work

So far, the researchers have talked to more than 40 representatives from quantum technology companies, both in Colorado and around the United States. They urge interested business leaders, scientists, engineers and more to reach out if they want to participate.

In a study published online ahead of print, a clear trend jumped out at the researchers from the interviews: Businesses really want to hire recent graduates who have hands-on experience with quantum technologies. That might include everything from writing the complex algorithms that govern quantum computers to working with specialized lasers in an engineering lab class.

In 2023, CU ��ý�� launched the Quantum Scholars Program. It connects undergraduate students at the university to quantum companies in the area, showing them what kinds of careers are possible in the field.

“Our goal is to come back to the higher ed community and say, ‘What do we do with this knowledge?” Lewandowski said. “How do we build it into learning goals for classes and programs?”

Beyond the story

Our quantum impact by the numbers:

60-plus years as the regional epicenter for quantum research
4 Nobel prizes in physics awarded to university researchers
No. 11 quantum physics program in the nation and co-leader on the new Quantum Incubator facility

Follow CU ��ý�� on LinkedIn

In the largest study of its kind, researchers are exploring how the United States can prepare students to enter into the rapidly growing quantum technology industry.

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Expanding career horizons through classroom outreach

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:03:32 +0000

Expanding career horizons through classroom outreach Megan M Rogers Tue, 09/30/2025 - 12:03

Christy Go

Senior Isaac Kou—a double major in computer science and ecology and evolutionary biology, minoring in dance—had not considered working in education or with K-12 students until hearing about the Program for Teaching East Asia’s classroom outreach program. Viewing it as an interesting opportunity to develop different skills and give back to the community, Kou applied. Apprehensive at first, Kou blossomed into a confident educator, excited to share about Japanese culture and engage with students.

Isaac Kou reads "The Sound of Silence" to a group of first graders.

About the program

Now having completed its second successful year, the Program for Teaching East Asia’s (TEA) classroom outreach program focuses on ways K-12 educators can use picture books about East Asia to engage students in cross-curricular learning. The program was made possible through sponsorship from the Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia. Participating CU students are each assigned a book set in East Asia then work with TEA staff to develop a lesson, practice reading delivery and ultimately present a storybook reading and mini-lesson to Colorado K-8 classrooms.

This year’s program, “Teaching Geography Through East Asian Picture Books,” engaged elementary and middle school students in classrooms from Greeley and the Denver metro area all the way to Grand Junction. These students explored urban and rural settings in East Asia and participated in activities that included listening to the sounds of the city of Tokyo to identifying different types of rice, including finding the “imposter.”

Running from February to May, the program successfully concluded with several CU student facilitators participating in reading to multiple classes during a celebratory day at a local elementary school. In total, the program reached 49 classrooms in eight school districts.

The CU outreach students hailed from different specializations, not necessarily aiming for careers in education. However, all the participants expressed how teaching impacted them and became so much more than just presenting material to young children. CU students reported that organizing a clear presentation adapted for different audiences, practicing projection and enunciation through readings, and answering questions and clarifying points on the fly helped them improve their public speaking and professionalism—useful skills that can be transferred to future career settings.

Lily Elliott

Lily Elliott, a senior double majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and Asian studies, challenged herself by preparing lessons for two books. Elliott was able to leverage her expertise in the sciences for the book “Rice,” about growing and harvesting rice in southern China, but she also stepped out of her comfort zone in preparing the second book, “The Ocean Calls,” about haenyeo, traditional Korean female divers. Working with a topic she wasn’t as familiar with prompted Elliott to engage in a different kind of reflection after each lesson and consider organization and delivery of the material in a more critical way.

Kyrie MacArthur

Sophomore history and education major Kyrie MacArthur, who also prepared for the book “The Ocean Calls,” relished the opportunity to prepare and execute her own lesson and reported the experience as great practice for her work as an educator. The experience confirmed her love for teaching; the program gave her the opportunity to work with elementary grades, expanding her thoughts about which grade levels could be her specialization. MacArthur's experience made her consider teaching upper elementary, as well as middle school, which could broaden future career opportunities.

Bhavana Moore

Participating student facilitators

Amanda Aldridge
Graduate student, Class of 2025
Master of Arts in Education with Teaching Licensure in Curriculum and Instruction: Social Studies

Lily Elliott
Senior, Class of 2025
Ecology and evolutionary biology, Asian studies

Christy Go
Doctoral candidate, Class of 2028
Music education and Asian studies

Isaac Kou
Senior, Class of 2025
Computer science, ecology and evolutionary biology, dance

Kyrie MacArthur
Sophomore, Class of 2027
History and education

Bhavana Moore
Sophomore, Class of 2027
Asian studies, English

Kristie Trevey
Graduate student, Class of 2025
Master of Arts in Education with Teaching Licensure in Curriculum and Instruction: Social Studies

Books featured in the program

"Mommy’s Hometown" by Hope Lim
"The Ocean Calls" by Tina Cho
"Rice" by Hongcheng Yu
"The Sound of Silence" by Katrina Goldsaito
"Warrior Princess" by Sally Deng

Having started a reading program for Nepalese children previously, sophomore Asian studies and English double major Bhavana Moore had already dipped her toes in the education pool. By participating in this program with the book “Warrior Princess,” about a legendary figure in Mongol culture, she gained experience preparing lessons in a classroom setting, giving her a chance to compare how to prepare for small- and large-group instruction. The program fanned the flame of passion Moore has for education, encouraging her consider how to connect her interests with education for future careers.

Kristie Trevey, Amanda Aldridge

Two participants were graduate students in secondary social studies education. They found the program helpful for learning about child development in the elementary grades.

Kristie Trevey said it was rewarding to participate in the program and see the impact of bringing guest speakers into the classroom for memorable student learning and connection. She especially enjoyed engaging students in discussions about family and change over time with the book “Mommy’s Hometown,” a story about a mother’s recollections of her childhood in a Korean town.

Trevey is now continuing her impact in the field as the director of elementary learning support at Evergreen Country Day School.

Amanda Aldridge said, through her visits at elementary schools, she thought about how picture books could enhance middle school instruction. Aldridge created remarkable curriculum on the book “Warrior Princess,” which she presented in schools as part of the program and then also to secondary teachers from across the nation at this year’s summer institute on the Mongols in East Asia, a program hosted on the CU campus by the Program for Teaching East Asia.

Aldridge is excited to continue her work as a new teacher at Hulstrom K-8 and will be part of a panel at this year’s National Council of Teachers of English Conference, presenting on the same book.

Isaac Kou

As for Kou, his experience with the TEA program broadened his career aspirations and led him to consider connecting his degrees with work benefitting the community and educational work for children. He has just recently been appointed as the IT manager of the Children’s Museum of Denver, bringing his IT expertise to an educational setting.

Growing as educators

While participating elementary teachers expressed the program was beneficial from a cross-curricular standpoint, they emphasized the impact of the CU students who brought in individual perspectives and innovative teaching techniques into their classrooms.

TEA’s graduate student assistant and coordinator for the program, Christy Go, enjoyed seeing how the expertise and experiences each student brought from their respective fields converged to create meaningful lessons. As a former K-8 music educator, Go saw each student improve their instruction and become more grounded in their identities as educators throughout the program. From the perspective of an aspiring teacher educator, Go felt it was extremely rewarding and validating to coach the students and contribute to their reflections and growth.

The success of the program highlights the importance and transferability of teaching skills and the powerful impact of outreach in the community. TEA is extremely proud to have worked with these incredible students and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

The Program for Teaching East Asia at the Center for Asian Studies at CU ��ý�� is a member of the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia and works to provide teachers with robust professional development about East Asia for application in K-12 classrooms nationwide.

CU outreach students are finding ways of bringing their teaching experience into expanding career pathways.

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Program increases data science literacy through intensive summer program

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:20:25 +0000

Program increases data science literacy through intensive summer program Megan M Rogers Tue, 08/26/2025 - 10:20

CIRES

A CU ��ý�� lab welcomed more than 20 students from four minority-serving institutions to work collaboratively to master new skills. This was part of the Environmental Data Science Innovation & Impact Lab program.

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Celebrating 5 years of teaching and learning innovation

Megan M Rogers — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:38:38 +0000

Celebrating 5 years of teaching and learning innovation Megan M Rogers Wed, 08/13/2025 - 09:38

Since its founding in 2020, the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) has been a hub for fostering excellence in inclusive, evidence-based teaching and supporting educator development. For the past five years, the CTL has empowered thousands of educators—faculty, postdocs, graduate instructors and staff—through free consultations; teaching observations; programs and communities of practice; online teaching resources; campus teaching and learning initiatives; and a robust calendar of workshops, conferences and community events.

From launching four annual conferences to cultivating partnerships with key units to lead campuswide teaching and learning initiatives, CTL’s dedicated team is helping to shape a campus culture that values curiosity, creativity and innovation in the classroom.

The recent integration of ASSETT (Arts & Sciences Support of Education Through Technology) into the CTL in July 2025 marks a new chapter—uniting expertise in pedagogy and educational technology to serve CU ��ý��’s diverse teaching community.

"As we celebrate five years of the Center for Teaching and Learning, I’m deeply proud of our accomplishments and the ever-expanding resources, consultations and workshops we offer,” said Kirk Ambrose, CTL’s founding director. “I look forward to our center’s continued growth and to working collaboratively with the recently launched Buckley Center for Sustainability Education,” as we explore and integrate best practices for teaching and learning throughout our campus,” said Ambrose.

CTL’s achievements since its founding:

Hosted over 250 workshops and events for CU educators in key areas such as instructional design, inclusive practices, assessment, and innovation and technology.
Supported over 400 graduate students through the completion of the Lead Graduate Student Fellowship Program, Certificate in College Teaching, or Future Faculty Development Certificate.
Partnered with other campus units to carry out three major BUS (Buff Undergraduate Success) initiatives to support teaching, learning and student success campuswide: the BUS Innovating Large Courses Initiative, BUS Canvas Grading Initiative and BUS Canvas Templates Initiative.
Sponsored the Innovation Incubator Interdisciplinary Data Science team, who won National Science Foundation ($300,000) and National Endowment for the Humanities ($150,000) grants to create eight new interdisciplinary data science and humanities courses.

“Faculty at CU ��ý�� have always valued excellent teaching,” said Katherine Eggert, vice chancellor and senior vice provost for academic planning and assessment. “What CTL has done for the university is give faculty and graduate students a vibrant, one-stop resource for gaining new skills, benefiting from new research in pedagogy and assessment, and learning from each other in a shared community around crucial topics in teaching and learning.”

As the CTL marks this milestone, be sure to participate in the following:

Attend the Fall Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference Oct. 2–3, and register for workshops throughout the academic year.
Explore new resources and partnerships through the merged CTL-ASSETT website.

Subscribe to CTL’s newsletter for teaching strategies, resources and events geared toward the campus teaching community. Read CTL’s annual report.

What the community is saying about CTL

The Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) has been an invaluable resource in my professional journey. From being able to help my students in putting together professional portfolios via Buffs Create to participating in the AI Summer Design Studio to sharing and learning through the mentor program, CTL offers invaluable training and social opportunities of all kinds.”
–Lori Poole, assistant teaching professor, communication

I am so glad that ASSETT exists and that we now have a CTL! Thank you for all the wonderful and hard work you do to help us all become better educators and to continually strive to create communities of practice! I truly am amazed by all you do and grateful to have you on campus! Thank you!”
–Leilani Arthurs, associate professor, geology

CTL is a vital resource for improving teaching and the classroom culture. It has filled a void at our university that was much needed. As an R1 research institution, teaching falls to the wayside. CTL brings teaching and the classroom into central focus, which is what supports our success in research.”
–Teresa Wroe, assistant vice chancellor of prevention and deputy Title IX coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance

I have a greater sense of belonging through the connections I have made at the CTL. I know I have resources (and mentors) at the CTL that I can turn to, and I have made friends through participation in book clubs that carried over into other semesters and as we see each other on campus.”
–Kim Jackson, PhD candidate, HIST, participant fall 2019–spring 2024

CTL/ASSETT's programming is some of the most impactful I've experienced as both a graduate student and faculty member at CU ��ý��. The opportunity to connect with other individuals from across campus (who often come from totally different disciplinary backgrounds than me) and to work to develop my teaching has had a huge impact on my career choices and ultimately life.”
–Anthony Pinter, assistant teaching professor, ATLAS

I would say that going to CTL/ASSETT events helps to keep you thinking about evidence-based practice and experimenting with how to make your teaching better—how to engage with new technology and new ideas about best practices in the classroom in a way that helps you to improve what you do.”
–Nicole Jobin, teaching professor, A&S RAPs

For the past five years, the Center for Teaching and Learning has served as a hub for providing teaching and learning support to all campus educators.

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Growing as educators

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