University of Denver Spring 2024

50 Reasons to Love DU 33. Research With Reach

1880:

Herbert Alonzo Howe arrived in Denver by train to begin his work as one of six professors, teaching DU’s

1920:

first astronomy class in 1881. As the first director of the Chamberlin Observatory, Howe contributed significantly to research on Mars and other heavenly bodies.

Etienne B. Renaud was the first archeologist to complete a systematic study of Eastern Colorado. He was foundational in developing survey methods of the western High Plains and wrote approximately 125 articles for both American and European publications.

1936:

Fred D. D’Amour developed serum to neutralize the venom of black widow spiders.

1945:

Joyce C. Stearns was one of seven physicists who signed the Franck Report, recommending the nuclear bomb developed by the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Laboratory not be dropped on Japan. Later, Stearns became faculty and chair of the physics department at DU and worked with Denver City Parks on building the paved road to the top of Mount Blue Sky.

1968: PhD student Es’kia Mphahlele, considered a founding writer of modern African literature, was awarded First Prize for the best African novel by African Arts magazine for “The Wanderers,” an autobiographical novel he wrote in in lieu of a thesis.

1987: Inventor and chemist Donald Hugh Stedman along with research engineer Gary Bishop developed the FEAT (fuel efficiency automobile testing) system. The automated system could test up to 10,000 vehicles per day, using a cost efficient method that surpassed traditional testing stations in identifying polluting automobiles.

1990s: Sarah M. Nelson’s studies of ancient art— specifically, the famous Venus figurines of Ice Age Europe—demonstrated how interpretation of the past reflected contemporary cultural and political biases. She was among the first to focus on the archaeology of gender and laid the foundation for feminist archaeology.

2019: Jennifer Greenfield studied and authored a report on the potential economic impacts of paid family leave in Colorado. She also testified at the state legislature numerous times in support of Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI), which voters approved in November 2020.

The Venus of Willendorf Credit: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0.

2023: Galena Rhoades and Scott Stanley’s research indicates that, contrary to popular belief, living together before being engaged can decrease a couple’s odds of a successful marriage.

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