Institute of Behavioral Science at CU Boulder

Bridging Research and Action: How Collaboration has Changed Wildfire Approach and Response In fire-prone communities, wildfire practitioners are often the sole advocates for making adaptations and are isolated from professional peers and researchers.

#Wildfire risk is intensifying across #Colorado and the West. Hannah Brenkert-Smith and the Wildfire Research Center - #WiRē are reshaping #wildfiremitigation and preparedness nationwide by connecting research directly with #communityaction:

www.colorado.edu/oce/2026/02/...

#FireResearch #Fires

@colorado.edu

IBS Training Award supports research comparing deliberative democracy in Boulder and Chengdu, China - Institute of Behavioral Science At Boulder’s first Community Assembly for the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, 43 randomly selected residents came together to discuss how and where to implement 15-minute neighborhoods. Across the ...

Both #Boulder and #Chengdu, China are using community-based deliberation to debate #15-minuteneighborhoods. The IBS Training Program awarded @xiaodongyan.bsky.social a $1500 grant to investigate how deliberative #democracy operates in #China compared to the #U.S.

ibs.colorado.edu/ibs-training...

One safety step sparks another Research from CU Boulder environmental economist Grant Webster finds that wildfire risk mitigation and proactive evacuation preparation are complementary.

196 lives were lost in the #2018CampFire, 2023 #LahainaFire, and 2025 #LosAngelesFires. New @colorado.edu research from IBS researcher Grant Webster shows #wildfiremitigation and #evacuationplanning reinforce each other and can help in the fight against fires.

www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2...

Behzadan project on Deaf disaster communication expands with new Natural Hazards Center award - Institute of Behavioral Science Amir Behzadan, interim director of the Environment and Society Program at the Institute of Behavioral Science and professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, has received a new $...

Congrats Amir Behzadan on receiving a $45K award from the #NaturalHazards Center! The funds will allow his team to collect data on #D/HH experiences during the #October2025floods in SW #Colorado and test a novel #ASL #videoalert modality generated by #AI.

ibs.colorado.edu/behzadan-pro...

Project aims to improve multilingual emergency alerting in Colorado When disasters like wildfires or flooding strike in Colorado, many residents never receive emergency alerts, and those that do often receive warnings only in

Researchers at the Natural Hazards Center at @colorado.edu have launched a new #NOAA-funded project to make #emergencyalerts more inclusive for multilingual communities and people with #disabilities.

#inclusivealerts #crisiscommunications

www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

Formerly #incarcerated people are helping shape the future of #environmentaljustice research. IBS Fellow David Ciplet and Liz Corrado are leading a new Environment and Society Seed Grant project that centers #livedexperience to address conditions in #prisons.

ibs.colorado.edu/strengthenin...

Why anti-Asian discrimination often goes unnoticed at work A new study finds bias is often overlooked when people aren’t seen as likely targets of discrimination.

IBS Fellow and #LeedsSchoolofBusiness Professor Dejun "Tony" Kong discusses anti-Asian discrimination in the workplace and how it often goes unnoticed for @colorado.edu Today.

www.colorado.edu/today/2026/0...

#discrimination #workplacediscrimination #equityintheworkplace #AsianAmericans

Strengthening the Next Generation of Oil Spill Researchers - Institute of Behavioral Science Oil spills are devastating, yet their community-level impacts are often difficult to study in real time. To help address this gap, the Institute of Behavioral Science’s Environment and Society (E&S) P...

The Next Generation Oil Spill Researcher Initiative aims to strengthen how #researchers prepare for, respond to, and study #oilspills before the next #disaster occurs. This project was 1 of 3 winners of our Environment and Society Program Seed Grants:

#seedgrant

ibs.colorado.edu/strengthenin...

New research highlights need for clearer video evidence guidelines in Colorado courts - Institute of Behavioral Science How is the justice system keeping pace with the prevalence of video evidence in today’s courtrooms? A new report from the Visual Evidence Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder examines how video e...

A new report from the @colorado.edu Visual Evidence Lab examined the past decade of #videoevidence use in #Coloradocourts. The findings raise important questions about #transparency, #accountability, and #fairness in the justice system.

#Colorado #Justice

ibs.colorado.edu/new-research...

As birthrates tumble, some progressives say the left needs to offer ideas and solutions The US and other countries face aging, shrinking populations. Conservatives have shaped debate over the issue. Some liberals say it's time for progressives to weigh in.

What kinds of policies actually make it easier to raise children? @lesja.bsky.social, assistant director of the CU Population Center at IBS, weighs in on a recent #NPR #AllThingsConsidered segment.

#birthratedecline #childcarecost #USpopulation #populationdecline

www.npr.org/2026/01/12/n...

Congratulations to the IBS Center for Collaborative Synthesis in Archaeology! Their Global Dynamics of Inequality Project was named a 2025 Research Project of Distinction by the #ShanghaiArchaeologyForum.

www.archsynth.org/gini-project...

#archaeology #archaeologicalrecord #inequality

Deaf, hard-of-hearing disaster communication project receives $60,000 RIO Seed Grant - Institute of Behavioral Science Amir H. Behzadan, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering and interim director of the Institute of Behavioral Science’s Environment and Society Program, has received a competi...

Amir Behzadan has received a $60,000 seed grant from @colorado.edu RIO to explore how disaster alerts can better serve #Deaf and #Hard-of-Hearing communities. The project examines current #riskcommunication and how #AI could support more #inclusive approaches.

ibs.colorado.edu/deaf-hard-of...

How Do We Know Our Students Are Learning? And If Not, What Can We Do about It? Discover why assessment should go beyond testing and focus on progress over mastery. Learn strategies to inspire curiosity, use data effectively, and foster intrinsic motivation in students.

IBS Fellow, #Education Professor and Director of the Center for Assessment, Design, Research & Evaluation at @colorado.edu advises that progress, not mastery, should guide how we structure assessments in a recent blog for @curriculumassoc.bsky.social.

www.curriculumassociates.com/blog/progres...

Safer Colorado Initiative Receives $60,000 RIO Seed Grant to Reduce Violence, Strengthen Statewide Partnerships - Institute of Behavioral Science Jillian Turanovic (PI) and David Pyrooz (Co-PI), faculty in the Department of Sociology and fellows of the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS), have been awarded a $60,000 Seed Grant from CU Boulder...

Jillian Turanovic and David Pyrooz received a @colorado.edu RIO Seed Grant! The grant will go towards the #SaferColorado Initiative, a first-of-its-kind partnership designed to #reduceviolentcrime through statewide, evidence-based collaboration.

ibs.colorado.edu/safer-colora...

#publicsafety

Jessica Finlay Named 2026 RIO Faculty Fellow - Institute of Behavioral Science Assistant Professor of Geography and Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) Faculty Fellow Jessica Finlay has been selected as one of 18 CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Faculty Fellows fo...

IBS Faculty and Fellow Jessica Finlay is one of 18 faculty fellows for the 2026 @colorado.edu #Research and #Innovation Office cohort! We caught up with Jessica to learn what this #fellowship means to her and what she hopes to accomplish:

ibs.colorado.edu/jessica-finl...

#facultysupport

2025 APC meeting marks major milestone for CU Population Center - Institute of Behavioral Science This fall, CU Boulder hosted the annual meeting of the Association of Population Centers (APC) for the first time, a significant milestone for both the CU Population Center (CUPC) and the Institute of...

A major milestone for the @colorado.edu @cupopulationcenter.bsky.social at IBS! The Association of Population Centers (APC) hosted their annual meeting at the Richard Jessor Building this November. Read more:

ibs.colorado.edu/2025-apc-mee...

#populationresearch #APC2025 #populationcenters

@environdemography.bsky.social @colorado.edu

As community spaces disappear, new CU Boulder research warns of health and equity risks - Institute of Behavioral Science A favorite café goes out of business. A small-town library reduces hours. A neighborhood recreation center quietly shuts down. Across the United States, these kinds of losses are becoming more common....

From coffee shops to rec centers, #Thirdplaces are vanishing.
IBS Postdoc Yue Sun’s new research shows the decline is nationwide and unequal. Communities need these spaces to stay healthy and connected.

Read more:

ibs.colorado.edu/new-research...

#communityhealth #mentalhealth #healthrisks

The way you say 'thanks' matters at work Not all thank-yous land the same. Research shows the right kind of appreciation can boost morale and encourage open communication.

New research from IBS affiliate and @colorado.edu #LeedsSchoolofBusiness professor, Tony Kong, shows that how we say “thank you” at work matters just as much as saying it.

Read more:
www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...

#leadership #workculture #gratitude #IBS #CUBoulder #Leeds #Business #workplace

Stopping Violence Before It Starts Research shows youth violence is preventable through early, evidence-based interventions, but lasting change requires shifting resources to proven prevention

In a new piece for @colorado.edu Alumni Association, Beverly Kingston, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, breaks down decades of research showing that prevention works.

The solutions exist. We just have to use them.

www.colorado.edu/coloradan/20...

#youthviolence

Deepfakes and AI in the courtroom: Report calls for legal reforms to address a troubling trend The inaugural report of CU Boulder's new Visual Evidence Lab warns that the legal system is unprepared for the flood of video, including AI-enhanced or

80% of courts use #videoevidence, but there is no oversight for #deepfakes and #ai in courtrooms. Sandra Ristovska, IBS Fellow and Associate Professor of #mediastudies at @colorado.edu, discusses her latest report on steps to combat deepfake abuse in courts:

www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...

Waymo self-driving cars are ‘learning’ Denver’s streets. But Colorado has no regulatory oversight of autonomous vehicles. The Waymo expansion here accelerates the spread of machine-learning technology and may help self-driving cars overcome a technical problem: navigating thick, sensor-obscuring snow.

IBS Fellow Amir H. Behzadan weighed in on a recent #TheDenverPost article about #Waymo self-driving cars in Denver.

www.denverpost.com/2025/11/09/w...

#autonomousvehicles #aiandethics #ethicalai #colorado #denverselfdriving #selfdriving

More than 99% of the world’s 7.7 billion people have one or more of their environmental rights under threat, according to new @colorado.edu research led by Naia Ormaza-Zulueta and IBS Fellow, Zia Mehrabi of the Better Planet Lab.

www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...

#humanrights #climaterights

Not one but TWO great #BoulderReportingLab stories from IBS Fellow, Brian Keegan, Ph.D. this week! He unpacks election results from the #2025BoulderElections.

boulderreportinglab.org/2025/11/06/a...

boulderreportinglab.org/2025/11/09/b...

#BoulderElections #CityofBoulder

Voters’ dislike of PAC donations cuts across political lines CU Boulder political scientist Michelangelo Landgrave’s research finds Republicans and independents share Democrats’ concerns over corporate donations in

New @colorado.edu research finds rare bipartisan agreement: voters across parties oppose large corporate #PAC donations.
Study by political scientist Michelangelo Landgrave shows Americans favor small, individual contributions instead.

#CampaignFinance #Democracy

www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2...

Our Racist, Terrifying Deepfake Future Is Here A faked viral video of a white CEO shoplifting is one thing. What happens when an AI-generated video incriminates a Black suspect? That’s coming, and we’re completely unprepared.

IBS Fellow and Associate Professor of #MediaStudies at @colorado.edu College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, Sandra Ristovska, was recently quoted for a story in The #Nation about her research into #socialjustice and AI in courtrooms.

www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Identity, not guilt, may be the key to lasting environmental action - Institute of Behavioral Science From reusable cups to clean-energy pledges, sustainability campaigns try to nudge people toward greener choices. But what makes those changes actually stick? New research led by Heather Barnes Truelov...

How can we encourage greener behavior? New research co-authored by @colorado.edu Amanda Carrico shows guilt may not be the answer. Hear from Amanda and the University of North Florida's Heather Barnes Truelove (PI) about their study:

ibs.colorado.edu/identity-not...

#environmentalaction #green

Young adults fear mass shootings but don't necessarily support gun control A new study of the 'massacre generation' reveals deep divisions along gender and party lines in sentiments about firearms.

60% of young adults fear #gunviolence. But not all agree on #guncontrol. Read more from IBS Faculty/Fellow Jillian Turanovic's recent study in #SocialScienceQuarterly:

www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...

Join us for #SimplifyLanguage training from 2 - 4 p.m. in Jessor 155! Lee Shainis will walk us through more #accessible and #efficient communications for research, community outreach and more! Zoom option available.

RSVP and More Info: docs.google.com/forms/d/1B4a...

#accessiblecommunications