Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s edition of BRL Today is sponsored by MahlerFest — check out their upcoming music festival.
City Councilmember Nicole Speer is among the first local casualties of sweeping federal research cuts under the Trump administration. She’s eliminating her own job running a CU Boulder brain imaging lab after NIH grants were delayed or terminated — part of a broader rollback that has already paused or canceled 54 CU Boulder research awards, costing CU tens of millions of dollars, according to a university spokesperson, reports Brooke Stephenson.
The broader cuts extend to other major agencies like NSF, NOAA and NREL, with some grants reportedly pulled over topics like DEI and misinformation. Local leaders warn the economic fallout could ripple through Boulder, where science jobs are central to the economy.
Also today: Lawmakers are set to wrap up the 2025 legislative session. Boulder stayed mostly out of the spotlight compared to last year’s land-use battles, but local lawmakers helped carry a few notable bills.
More, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: April showers make a comeback.
- CU + Climate: Gates-backed startup program launches in Boulder.
- NOAA fight: CU leaders push back on $1.7B science cuts.
- Science fair fallout: Boulder teen loses award after USAID pulls out.
- Summer nights: Superior Market returns with food, tunes, bubbles.
- Art meets civic life: New Boulder Library lecture series kicks off.
Thank you, as always, for reading,
— the BRL team
MahlerFest 38 is centered around Mahler’s Sixth Symphony—a powerful tribute to those who fight against all odds, whether on the battlefield, in moments of personal adversity, or through acts of quiet defiance. The festival’s lineup explores this theme across a range of musical expressions, from an opera written in an WWII internment camp to an American piano concerto about the Great Dismal Swamp, a sanctuary for those seeking freedom. Tickets and schedule.
‘A very intentional attack on science’: Boulder councilmember loses CU job in federal research cuts
So far, 54 federal awards at CU Boulder have been affected by Trump administration terminations or stop-work orders, representing tens of millions in lost research funding. Continue reading…
April showers make a comeback
Today’s high will be around 69, with ominous clouds rolling in throughout the day. Don’t worry, though — most of the actual storms will be spotty in our area, with the real drama playing out well east of Boulder in the form of severe weather across far eastern Colorado.
Rain chances jump quite a bit on Thursday and Friday, and temperatures will settle back into the usual lower-to-mid 60s. Time to dust off the umbrella!
Boulder lawmakers see mixed results as legislative session ends
As the 2025 Colorado legislative session wraps up, Boulder-area lawmakers notched a few wins — and some setbacks. A bill backed by Sen. Judy Amabile that allows cities to lower base wages for tipped workers passed and awaits the governor’s signature.
Another, sponsored by Rep. Junie Joseph, will bolster protections for renters using housing vouchers and is also headed to the governor’s desk. But efforts to streamline solar permitting were pared back, and a bill to address rising wildfire insurance costs failed in committee. Read more on BRL.
CU Boulder joins Gates-backed climate startup network
CU Boulder is launching a new program to help grad students turn climate tech ideas into real companies. Called Boulder Climate Ventures, it’s supported by Breakthrough Energy, the climate innovation group founded by Bill Gates, and brings CU into a network that includes Stanford and MIT. It’s the first public university in the country to join.
The program, based out of the Leeds School of Business, will include a two-part course starting this fall. Students will learn how to identify market opportunities, build teams and pitch investors — with a focus on issues relevant to the Mountain West, like wildfire risk and water management. Organizers say it’s a way to grow CU’s climate innovation work while plugging students into Boulder’s research and startup scene.
Meanwhile, CU leaders push back on White House plan to cut NOAA
Amid growing alarm over the Trump administration’s proposal to slash NOAA’s budget by nearly $1.7 billion, CU President Todd Saliman, CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz and CIRES Director Waleed Abdalati led a national letter this week urging the White House to preserve funding for NOAA’s research programs and Cooperative Institutes (CIs).
The proposed cuts would eliminate NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research — which employs more than 400 people in Boulder — and defund CIRES, one of the world’s largest climate science partnerships.
CU leaders called the CIs “an innovative and highly efficient investment” that support public safety, the economy and informed decision-making. They warned the cuts would weaken NOAA’s ability to provide vital services like disaster warnings, climate monitoring, and water research.
The CIs, they wrote, are “relied upon by federal, state, and local governments as well as the private sector” and represent a model that “maximizes the return on federal investments.”
Colorado is the only state with two Cooperative Institutes: CIRES at CU Boulder and CIRA at CSU. The business community is also raising concerns, with the Boulder Chamber and others warning of far-reaching economic consequences in a letter to the Department of Commerce.
Boulder student loses science fair award after federal funding pulled
A Fairview High School student was among those impacted by the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID, which led to the revocation of science fair awards across Colorado. Max Kurtz had won a prize for his soil science project at a Boulder Valley School District fair, but days later was notified that the award — funded by USAID — had been withdrawn. The Society for Science, which coordinates regional fairs, said the decision followed a stop-work order tied to the administration’s effort to dismantle the agency. At least one other Colorado student also lost their award, CPR reported.
Superior Summer Market brings local vendors, live music to Main Street
Superior’s monthly summer market returns Tuesday, May 14, offering food trucks, live music and local goods in the heart of Downtown Superior. The evening market will run from 5 to 8 p.m. on select Tuesdays through October, with a daytime Fall Fest closing out the season on Oct. 18.
The market features dozens of vendors, live music, food trucks, and nearby business participation — with acts like Dechen Hawk & The Lit Squad and Jeff & Paige. The June market will coincide with the grand opening of Superior’s new Civic Space, and August will feature a “Back to School Bubble Bash.” Full schedule and updates.
City to launch public art lecture series at Boulder Public Library
Boulder’s Community Vitality Department is launching a free public lecture series this month exploring how art intersects with community issues. The “Experiments in Public Art” series will run from May through September at the Main Library’s Canyon Theater and will feature topics ranging from street murals and graffiti to the links between weaving and computer coding.
Some events will include hands-on art-making. The first lecture, on May 10 at 6 p.m., will feature author Ana Maria Hernando discussing femininity and the built environment. See the full lecture schedule here.
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