Connor Mokrzycki

Whether you're sleeping under the stars or tucked into a cabin in the woods, camping in Colorado is full of possibilities—it’s whatever you want it to be. The Centennial State offers outdoor experiences for every comfort level, from scenic campgrounds to remote wilderness. If you’ve never been camping in Colorado, here are a few tips to get you started.Camping in ColoradoIf you're looking for a simple way to ease into it, car camping is a great place to start. Most established campgrounds allow you to drive right up to your site, and they often come with restrooms, picnic tables, and fire pits. If you’re more adventurous, consider exploring national forest or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land—some sites are accessible by car, while others are hike-in only.  DU’s Alpine Club offers regular hiking adventures and is a great way to meet others and learn the ropes. And if you're hesitant to sleep outdoors, the University’s  John C. Kennedy Mountain Campus offers a cabin-based experience complete

With finals looming and commencement just around the corner, have you had a chance to plan what to do when your parents come to town?If not, don’t panic. Instead of the usual Thursday night run to Crimson and Gold Tavern or Fat Shack, give your parents something a little more special to remember. Trust me—they’ll thank you later.Here’s a list of fun, parent-approved activities to keep them entertained while you wrap up the quarter. Whether your family loves sports, art, live music, or great food, this guide has something for everyone. 1. Show off DU’s gorgeous campusGive your parents a personal tour of campus. Show them your dorm or off-campus house—just try to clean it up a bit first. Wander by beautiful, lesser-known spots like the rose window at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, the gear-shaped window at the Ritchie School of Engineering, or the peaceful garden outside the Daniel L. Ritchie Center. When it’s time to refuel, grab a bite at Fourth Story or host a casual get-together to

When Sam Noonan (BS ’20, PSM ’21) decided in his third year at DU that he wanted to pursue medical school, he worried his math major and leadership minor might hold him back. But a conversation with his advisor changed his perspective.“I was kind of flustered, thinking, ‘I’m not a bio major, I’m not a chem major.’ But she told me I didn’t actually need that, that people get in to med school with business degrees, art degrees—I just had to have the basic requirements for the applications,” he says. Now in his third year at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Noonan says DU’s Pre-Health Education and Advising program helped him build his pathway to med school.Flexibility to support every pathFlexibility is at the heart of the University of Denver’s Pre-Health Education and Advising program. Whether students arrive on campus set on a certain career or discover their passion for health care later on, the program offers personalized guidance, resources, and the option to ma

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and workplaces at an unprecedented pace, the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science is launching a new Master of Science in Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Designed for working professionals and career-changers alike, the part- and full-time program offers the flexibility, depth, and personalization needed to thrive in an evolving digital economy. “There’s no time like the present,” says Chris GauthierDickey, associate professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. “We’re at the beginning of a wave, and gaining these skills now gives someone a real leg up in the future of applications and business.” The new program equips students with the practical tools and foundational knowledge to lead in data-driven and AI-powered fields. Prospective students can still apply for the fall—the final international application deadline and the first priority application deadline are May 5. Sean Connin, teaching professor

Egg prices in Colorado and around the country remain stubbornly high as a severe bird flu outbreak and ongoing inflation continue to drive up costs. With millions of egg-laying hens lost to the virus and production expenses rising, consumers are still facing steep prices at the grocery store, with no immediate relief in sight.Since January 2022, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has spread rapidly across the U.S., first detected in wild birds and later infecting commercial poultry, mammals, and even a poultry worker in Colorado. Throughout 2022, cases appeared in foxes, bobcats, coyotes, skunks, otters, mink, and seals. By 2024, the virus had reached dairy cattle in Texas and Colorado and, by July, it was found in Colorado hens. In Colorado, the virus has affected over three million birds, including four egg-laying operations and nine backyard flocks, as well as 11 domestic cats that tested positive. The outbreak has also led to 10 human cases, forcing workers to use extensive personal protective equipment

Your Guide to Live Music in Denver

A much-loved tradition since 1961, Winter Carnival promises students a perfect mid-quarter blend of cold-weather campus events and mountain fun at Winter Park.The weeklong event has endured as a hallmark of DU community spirit, with only three interruptions in its decades-long history: a snow shortage in 1981, extreme road conditions in 2020 and a pandemic in 2021. This year’s Carnival, set for Feb. 3-9, is shaping up to be better than ever, with the most robust lineup in years.“This is the most events we’ve had planned for a Winter Carnival since 2020,” says Sydney Gutierrez, president of the DU Programming Board (DUPB), the student organization that puts on the event. “We’re trying to bring it back to what it was like pre-COVID.”To make the Carnival more accessible, DUPB offers scholarships to cover costs for bus transportation, lift tickets and tubing passes, ensuring every student has the chance to participate. Applications for financial assistance can be submitted through Feb. 3.The weeksl

DU Engineering Professor Develops Game-Changing Device for Detecting Cancer Cells

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No matter where you’re interests lay, part of DU’s 4D Experience is exploring the more than 100 clubs and organizations that you can join to dive deep into your academics, sharpen your professional skills, stay healthy and active, and make an impact on the DU community.Whether you already have a club in mind or want to peruse the many options available, be sure to stop by the Student Organization Involvement Fair, hosted by New Student & Family Programs and the Office of Student Engagement, on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Community Commons to explore your options and sign up for a club or two.Before you go, here are some options to consider.Get your game onDoes playing board games sound like a fun and relaxing way to spend your free time? Join Board Game Club and get access to a large collection of intriguing board games—maybe even some you’ve never played before. If you’re looking for a more in-depth adventure, hop into a game with DU Dungeons and Dragons Club. For fans of video games

Pancreatic cancer is a dreaded diagnosis, killing approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. every year, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is challenging to detect, resulting in patients being diagnosed when the disease has reached an advanced stage, when it is also harder to treat. What’s more, two common tools for treating a variety of cancers—radiation and chemotherapy—can take a heavy toll on patients, with significant side effects and high costs, and they are often limited in thei…

DU Cyber Security Researcher Unveils Risks of Virtual Assistants

University of Denver

Valentine’s Day is here and hearts are all around. But Feb. 14 is not the only day you should be thinking about hearts. February is American Heart Month, dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and heart disease—the leading cause of death among Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For a group of researchers in the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, understanding heart disease is a year-round commitment. Ali Azadani, associate…

Work began this month on a multi-university research project aimed at developing, building and launching a public-facing platform to share health, well-being and sustainability data across Colorado. Made possible by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the collaborative effort brings together researchers from the University of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado State University and CSU-Pueblo. The platform, dubbed “T…

University of Denver students now have access to a trove of opportunities to expand their professional and creative skills through the online LinkedIn Learning platform. Home to more than 5,000 video courses in 13 different languages, the online platform offers certifications and instruction on a wide variety of business, technology and creative topics, enabling students to dive deeper into what they learn in the classroom and explore areas of interest outside of their majors. There are hundreds…

Aurora Science & Tech High School’s freshman—and inaugural—class has had an unusual opportunity to learn important skills often left out of the secondary school curriculum: financial literacy. Throughout the winter quarter, they learned about everything from budgeting to investing from graduate students and faculty at the University of Denver’s School of Accountancy, who led six ninth-grade classes through workshops covering the fundamentals of personal finance. Each workshop was designed to pro…