Joost de Gouw

How historical siting decisions promote modern pollution disparities in Denver, Colorado Environmental inequality has emerged as a prominent area of concern within multiple fields of study. Scholars from these fields call for more in-depth analysis and specificity to evaluate the issue...

Alex Bradley in our group did a wonderful job with this analysis of air pollution disparities in Denver and the underlying, historical reasons. Alex discusses all the pivotal moments in Denver's history that have shaped the distribution of today's air pollution sources.

doi.org/10.1080/2325...

Yes there are. Easy to recognize.

Where is everybody? Must have picked the wrong year…

New audio 🔊 story campaign — Voices of CIRES! First up, CIRES Fellow & @colorado.edu Professor Joost de Gouw @gouwlab.bsky.social: buff.ly/2AowWlb

"Of all the research dollars that I get, 80% of that goes through student salaries, and if I don't get that, I cannot offer projects to students..."

Voices of CIRES: Joost de Gouw Listen to Voices of CIRES: Joost de Gouw by CIRES News #np on #SoundCloud

I enjoyed working on this piece for Voices of CIRES and think it came out really well. on.soundcloud.com/T9uMt1CyffGq...

E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm

Terrible Friday news dump.The wealth of expertise. The decades of scientific progress. The emerging and urgent challenges we were focused on tackling. It is all so short-sided and cruel. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/c...

Boulder skipped fireworks again. The air quality data says a lot. Boulder’s decision to ditch fireworks in favor of safer alternatives appears to be paying off, with noticeably cleaner air compared to neighboring cities, according to a new analysis.

Fireworks are beautiful, but the air pollution in their aftermath is not. Not only is PM2.5 strongly elevated afterwards, but it contains several heavy metals that give all the nice colors. Kudos to the Boulder Reporting Lab for highlighting this issue.
boulderreportinglab.org/2025/07/08/b...

Well said Dennis!

And thanks to Shelly Miller and Karl Linden, PhD for organizing the meeting.

Our groups participated in the International Congress On Far-UVC Science And Technology in Boulder this week. I was honored to present as one of the plenary speakers. Kudos to Madison Rutherford and Rebecca Mesburis for giving excellent presentations about their work. www.iuva.org/icfust-2025

Extensive fire damage, including crumbled buildings, scorched trees, and ash, in a neighborhood

#Fire — In 2024 and 2025, CIRES researchers learned:
🚒 Fires are getting faster, more destructive in the Western US
🔥 Fewer fires burn today (and that’s bad)
🏠 Post-fire pollutants linger indoors
🌟 And more!

Read more in CIRES' Spheres Magazine: cires.colorado.edu/spheres-maga...

I also enjoyed talking about air quality in the Front Range to a group of teachers as part of this workshop: ceee.colorado.edu/index.php/ev.... @ciresceee.bsky.social does such a great job with these.

Feeling depressed about the state of science in the U.S.? The best solution remains to talk to the next generation of students. I had the privilege to discuss my work with students in this REU program: www.colorado.edu/mse/academic.... So many good and thoughtful questions! We’ll be okay.

A PR graphic for The McClintock Letters. There is a drawing of Barbara McClintock next to an ear of corn and a DNA double helix. The text reads "The McClintock Letters. Improving communication between scientists and the public is crucial for rebuilding trust and addressing misinformation. Share your science story. Who: You! and other graduate, post-doctoral, and faculty-level researchers. When: Submit to local papers early June to publish on ~June 16th, Nobel Prize-awarded geneticist Barbara McClintock's birthday. What: Collectively publish over 1,000 letters to the editor in local hometown newspapers across the U.S.

Write a McClintock Letter w @cornellasap.bsky.social - an op-ed in your hometown newspaper that tells your science story & advocates for federal research funding. The goal is to publish ~6/16 (McClintock’s bday). I’m writing one, I'm super pumped! Sign up here: blogs.cornell.edu/asap/events-...

Such a loss….

Dark clouds over our laboratory.

CU Boulder researcher turns her house into lab to study health risks of cleaning products As people prioritize cleanliness, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are launching a new study to explore the implications of increased cleaning product usage on human health.

This summer we are participating in an indoor air study focused on the effects of cleaning and air cleaners. The TV news already came by: www.denver7.com/news/front-r...

Beautiful day in Boulder. A high cloud deck and temps in the 60s make for perfect hiking weather!

More photos from last week’s graduation! Congrats again to Emmy and Alex.

Our Institute’s annual science day, the CIRES Rendezvous, may have had no lunch this year, but the turnout was possibly even higher than normal. Very good to see everyone.

Congratulations to Emmy Longnecker and Alex Bradley who received their PhD diplomas yesterday.

It is devastating. RTP is under a lot of pressure and so is Boulder with NOAA, NIST, NCAR and NREL. The one thing that gives me hope is that people like yourself will still be there long after this administration is gone.

Folsom Field filled with 2025 graduates and their families. Blue sky and the Flatirons in the background

Hail, all hail our Alma Mater!
Ever will our hearts be true;
You will live with us forever,
Loyal we will be to you.
We will sing forever your praises,
Ever more our love renew,
Pledge our whole devotion to you,
Dear old CU!!

Go #ForeverBuffs to the CU Boulder Class of 2025! 📷:Glenn Asakawa

I am so sorry to hear this Jason! Your work is very important and I'm confident you will be able to continue at some point.

Folsom Field with stage and seats set up for Commencement. Grey skies with the Flatirons in the background

It's a bit rainy today, but we are hoping for a beautiful Colorado morning to celebrate our soon-to-be #ForeverBuffs at the 2025 commencement ceremony tomorrow, Thursday, May 8, 8:30 a.m. MDT! Photo: Glenn Asakawa

@bagleycartoons.bsky.social

With reductions in funding, it would be nice to see a trend towards more collaboration and less focus on individual projects for junior faculty. We put a lot of weight on that for tenure, but intellectual contributions and leadership can be more nuanced than that.

Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...

FYI: The Spencer Foundation, Kapor Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have collaborated to offer $25K rapid response grants.

"This rapid response bridge funding opportunity is for scholars and teams whose grants have recently been cancelled by NSF."

A student from our group is collecting air samples at one of the biggest trash cans in the world. Our students are so motivated that they are literally willing to study what happens to our trash. That makes it all the more exasperating that the EPA just terminated the grant that supports this work.

Thanks to all and especially Jeanne Waters, who was the materfamilias of the laboratory during the years I was there.