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Whale watch
What do whales say when they “talk” to each other?
That’s the mystery behind “Fathom,” a recent documentary on Apple TV+. Directed by Drew Xanthopoulos, the film had its world premiere June 16 at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. It follows researchers Ellen Garland, Ph.D., and Michelle Fournet, Ph.D., as they observe communication patterns and vocalizations of humpback whales in Scotland and the Pacific coast.
Also featured in “Fathom” is Leanna Matthews, Ph.D., a Biology faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver who joined the group as they were conducting fieldwork in a remote location off the southeastern coast of Alaska in August 2019.
“The question we ask in the film is, ‘This sound the species makes — what does it mean?’” Matthews said. “It’s hard to answer when you can’t ask them directly.”
There are a variety of vocalizations for different occasions in whale communications, including foraging, reproduction and maybe even just “talking.”
“Fathom” specifically focuses on a type of “‘whup’ call, which sounds like a reverse water droplet,” Matthews said. The film follows a playback experimental design, collecting above-water and underwater data. For a month and a half, the researchers drove around the remote location in a small boat, found whales, played a sound and observed how the animals responded.
The research by Matthews and Fournet that’s featured in the film is done through the Sound Science Research Collective, a nonprofit they founded focused on using acoustic research to answer conservation questions.
Matthews views the question of how animals communicate as itself a conservation effort and hopes “Fathom” viewers take away an appreciation of how culture exists outside of humanity.
“These intricate communication systems have existed for millions of years, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface of our understanding of them,” she said. “Diving into that is messy, complicated — and important.”
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Perfect harmony
The Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and Metropolitan State University of Denver have been singing from the same sheet of music for more than a decade.
Faculty members from the University’s Department of Music regularly teach at the nonprofit that works to empower youth to express themselves through jazz music. Conservatory Artistic Director Paul Romaine directed ensembles and taught drum set at MSU Denver from 2014 to 2018. The conservatory also regularly held evening band practices at the Auraria Campus Arts Building while it bounced around from room to room in search of a permanent home.
But the CCJA found a forever home this year when it and MSU Denver made their partnership official. Since February, the CCJA has been holding classes, performances and meetings at MSU Denver’s Kalamath Building (800 Kalamath St.), the space that also hosts MSU Denver jazz practices and performances.
“There has always been a lot of crossover and close relationships between us and them,” said Peter Schimpf, Ph.D., MSU Denver Department of Music chair. The move is exciting for the CCJA and MSU Denver’s Jazz Department, said Chris Romaine, who with her husband, Paul, founded the conservatory in 1999. The University and the nonprofit share a vision for the larger Colorado music community “Moving to the building and are already developing concepts is a complete gamesuch as joint concerts, workshops and programming. The partnership also helps changer for us, and it’s a the CCJA serve an even more diverse population while it works to improve dream come true.” equity and inclusion in music education. “Moving to the building is a complete game-changer for us, and it’s a dream
— CHRIS ROMAINE, CO-FOUNDER, CCJA
come true,” Chris Romaine said. “The potential is very inspiring to us.” The University’s hope is that young CCJA students will have a good experience and recognize that the experience can continue in music programs at MSU Denver, Schimpf said.
A shot at free tuition
COVID-19
Five Metropolitan State University of Denver undergraduates this month got a shot in the arm — a scholarship covering the cost of tuition and fees for the 2021-22 academic year simply for getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
In addition to supporting vaccination uptake to ensure a safe full return to campus, the scholarship initiative also helped the University carry out its access-driven mission, said Mary Sauceda, associate vice president of Enrollment Management at MSU Denver.
Final scholarship amounts varied by individual and were structured to close the gap between financial-aid awards (grants/scholarships) and the amount owed, often covered by a combination of “self-help aid” of loans, work-study and out-of-pocket payments.
“It’s always a good idea to support our Roadrunners financially, help them get their degrees and move along the path to their dream careers,” Sauceda said.
The University announced in June that it would join the State of Colorado in providing financial incentives for those who received one of the three authorized Covid-19 vaccines.
5
Number of MSU Denver undergraduates who received a Rowdy Return Scholarship in August.
$8,164
Maximum dollar amount provided to winners to cover the cost of tuition and fees not covered by financial-aid awards.
— PRESIDENT JANINE DAVIDSON, PH.D.
Undergrad discovery
As Biochemistry undergraduates at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Anna Nguyen and her classmates were challenged to come up with a research subject that would simplify an existing medical procedure.
Their solution, it turns out, may significantly improve the lives of millions of people worldwide who suffer from undiagnosed celiac disease.
To get a definitive celiac disease diagnosis, doctors perform an invasive biopsy of the small intestine, said Nguyen, who led the research project. She graduated in 2018 and is studying for a doctorate in Biomolecular Science and Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“We were hoping to circumvent that by doing a simple blood test,” she said.
The students’ test and research were detailed in a report titled “Electrochemical DNA Biosensor That Detects Early Celiac Disease Autoantibodies,” which was published in the leading international journal Sensors in April.
Chemistry major Dylan Poch, pictured on the right with Department Chair Andrew Bonham, Ph.D., said the study will help his academic aspirations.
“I learned the process of writing a scientific publication and how many edits, reviews and revisions it takes,” he said. “It’s not something I expected to do as an undergrad.”
Bonham said he has had at least 12 students become authors of internationally peer-reviewed research articles over the past decade.
“It’s a testament to the University’s mission of teaching, empowering and giving opportunities to undergraduates,” he said. “They don’t have to wait until they graduate to change the world.”
CLARAN c ALYSON M
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Design for a better world
Dominique Hunt was working for Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Information Technology Services when Covid-19 forced classes online. In the first months of the pandemic, the 26-year-old Industrial Design major witnessed scores of students contacting the department in search of computers.
“One thing that hit me was the need for ready-to-go solutions to get everyone online immediately,” he said.
When he realized that nearly every student already had an internet-connected smartphone, Hunt had a eureka moment: PhoneBook, a dock that converts a smartphone into a laptop interface and provides internet-connected performance for less than $100. PhoneBook in April took second place in the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge, a competition that encourages students to design life-improving products. Out of 222 entries from 37 countries, Hunt was the top U.S. finisher. He said he was “completely AMANDA SCHWENGEL shocked … as a team of one” to earn the prestigious accolade. Hunt developed the concept in an Advanced Industrial Design course taught by Associate Professor Amy Kern, Ph.D. The class, she said, enables students to work on passion projects that give real-life applicability to academic study.
For Hunt, who grew up in Kenya, PhoneBook is about access. He said the telecommunication infrastructure in his home country had skipped the hard-wired phase in favor of widespread cellular data networks, making wireless access plentiful.
“The first step to empowering communities is through access to information,” he said. “In Kenya, you can purchase a day’s worth of unlimited data for … a couple of dollars.”
While similar products are on the market, they are prohibitively expensive. In contrast, open-source plans for the 3D-printed PhoneBook can be distributed for local fabrication.
It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that others — including the Stanford designcompetition judges — are taking note, as PhoneBook holds promise for delivering sustainable and accessible solutions to people around the world.
TEDx tickets still available
Metropolitan State University of Denver is once again partnering with TEDxCherryCreek to present a daylong event that centers on the stories and work of the Roadrunner community. Tickets are still available for the Sept. 10 program, “Ready to Rise,” which will feature talks on resilience, renewal and recalibration in the wake of a tumultuous year.
“This event will bring the Roadrunner community together again after too much time away from campus,” said President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “It’s also an opportunity to show the world the quality and caliber of our University.”
Some talk topics include the power of women to inspire future generations, regardless of the adversity they face; maternal guilt and shame around decisions made about their child’s education during the pandemic; and dance as a balm to heal minds, bodies and spirits.
The bulk of the program will be held in person at the King Center on the Auraria Campus, with some portions online as well, and will be open to the public. Admission is free for students, faculty and staff. Tickets are $20 for all others.
TEDxMSUDenver
SEPT. 10 reserve tickets: tedxmsudenver.com
— KEVIN ETTWEIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION AND QUALITY AT LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE
Opportunities in space
Jade Mako launched her second career in the Lockheed Martin Co-op Program at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
At 28, the Boulder native made the leap from a decadelong career in hospitality to simultaneously studying business at the University and serving as an intern at Lockheed Martin.
Three years later, the 2020 graduate is a full-time subcontract administrator at Lockheed Martin Space. She recently helped facilitate a contract that will provide space-adjacent learning opportunities for other members of the MSU Denver community. The five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract was signed May 3 and makes the University a subcontractor for Lockheed Martin, allowing students and faculty members from any discipline to provide requested services.
“This contract takes the University’s relationship with Lockheed Martin to the next level,” said Richard C. Mac Namee, director of the Cybersecurity Center at MSU Denver. “We now have a streamlined process to offer our expertise to one of the largest defense contractors in the world and to be paid for our work.” Mac Namee said MSU Denver is one of only a handful of universities in the country to have such a relationship. He added that the contract helps the University realize its goal of providing career-focused learning experiences for students while helping them cover the cost of tuition.
Mako said Lockheed Martin also benefits from the arrangement. “By having students and faculty primed to work on projects, we are better positioned to meet our benchmarks,” she said. “We also appreciate working with a university in our community and the value of developing an even stronger talent pipeline at home.”
Mako said students’ initial work will be focused on engineering and design in NASArelated projects but that there have been discussions about tapping Event and Meeting Management students to plan post-pandemic gatherings, among other ideas.
“Our new agreement elevates MSU Denver as a supplier, not just an academic collaborator,” said Kevin Ettwein, vice president of production and quality at Lockheed Martin Space. “We’ve partnered with MSU Denver’s engineering programs for more than a decade, and now we can use the expertise of other departments to advance a new era in space.”
