University economy
Colorado's economy depends on highly educated workers, but Colorado ranks above only Vermont and New Hampshire in public funding of colleges and universities – a situation that troubles state higher education officials. More than $800 million annually in additional taxpayer funding is needed to raise college access and affordability for Colorado’s residents, say officials. "The health of higher education in Colorado is an absolute fundamental driver to the health of the Colorado economy," said David Skaggs, director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. A better-educated workforce earns more money and pays more taxes. Skaggs and university and community college officials in December released a report showing that higher education is responsible for generating $4.25 billion in wages and salaries, 98,000 jobs, and approximately $387 million in state and local taxes for the state.
—Fort Collins Coloradoan
Credit crisis
Recent property foreclosures, financial institution losses, credit-market tightening, and the specter of recession is the result of the housing market crisis, says Sanjay Ramchander, associate professor of finance and real estate at Colorado State. Central banks around the world responded to the crisis by providing emergency funds to banks and attempting to shore up investor confidence. But understanding the factors underlying the credit-market turmoil is a crucial step in our learning process, says Ramchander, including the foreign savings glut, international and domestic regulations, financial innovations, and the Greenspan factor (former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan's proclivity to cut interest rates to stabilize financial markets and bail out struggling institutions). Individuals must exercise more ownership of and responsibility for their financial literacy, and financial institutions should behave more prudently in safeguarding their clients’ long-term economic well-being, says Ramchander.
—Rocky Mountain News, full story
Manure management
Simple modifications in agricultural practices can help decrease the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in manure, reports a CSU researcher in the Journal of Environmental Quality. Amy Pruden-Bagchi, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, found that adding organic material to manure such as alfalfa and leaf waste and composting it reduced the proliferation of the genes. Pruden-Bagchi, who was recognized by President Bush in 2007 with a Presidential Early Career Award, found that even if cells carrying the genes have been killed, the DNA still winds up in the environment and may get transferred to other cells. Antibiotic resistance genes are not regulated and there is growing interest in documenting the human health effects from antibiotic resistance in water.
Organic agreement
Colorado State University has signed an agreement with the Aurora Organic Dairy of Boulder for a research and educational exchange that supports CSU's commitment to 21st century agriculture. The dairy will redevelop its production facility near Platteville, Colo., creating a 1,200-cow research dairy surrounded by organic forage production. The dairy, which already provides $1,000 scholarships to every student enrolled in CSU's interdisciplinary degree program in organic agriculture, will construct a building for CSU scientists to research organic forage production, environmental management, animal health, and cow management. The new facility will support CSU internships, class visitation, and joint research projects.
Tree stress
Applying magnesium chloride to suppress dust and stabilize non-paved roads can stress and damage nearby trees, say Colorado State University researchers. A recent study examined 60 roadside plots on 15 non-paved roads in Colorado's Larimer and Grand counties and found high concentrations of magnesium chloride in symptomatic trees within 20 feet of roads. Researchers also studied roadside vegetation along more than 200 miles of 55 non-paved roads but found 80 percent to 90 percent of the foliage appeared healthy or only mildly damaged, indicating that trees are the roadside species most affected by the compound. Next, researchers will assess the time it takes for magnesium chloride to affect trees and determine if safe application levels exist.
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