Tenth Anniversary Event Honored Colorado’s
Top Scientists and Engineers
for Projects Having a Significant Impact on Society!

Brilliant discoveries from the realms of clean energy chemistry, profound advances in disease diagnosis, astounding fundamental atomic physics shaping global nanotechnology and surprising results of "everyday" consumer activities affecting atmospheric pollution the CO-LABS 10th Anniversary Awards event was another fantastic celebration of scientific discovery! This premier scientific research recognition event in Colorado included 200 researchers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and government officials as we celebrated the exceptional and groundbreaking work of scientists and engineers from Colorado’s federally-funded research labs and institutes. Thanks to Fireside Production for this great video; and Copan Studios for the cover photo! Special guests included Robert R. Redfield, MD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - Dr. Walter Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology & Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - Dr. Martin Keller, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) & President of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy - Dr. Waleed Abdalati, Executive Director, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. Plus Keynote Speaker Alice Jackson, President of Xcel Energy - Colorado. Our Presenting Sponsors were Colorado State University and University of Colorado - Boulder; their support provided tickets to the first-place winners of the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair and their parents and mentors. See more at www.2018GovAwards.com

Greeting and congratulations message by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, which kicked off the 10th Annual CO-LABS Governor's Awards for High-Impact Research event on October 4, 2018 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. See the winners' videos on our YouTube channel.

Dr. Margaret Murnane, JILA and University of Colorado - Boulder Dr. Henry Kapteyn, JILA and University of - Colorado Boulder JILA's Ultrafast Imaging Team The JILA Ultrafast Imaging Team, led by Drs. Murnane and Kapteyn, revolutionized research and technology when they created the world’s first tabletop x-ray laser systems in 2007. Drs. Murnane and Kapteyn not only lead this large JILA research group that continually improves x-ray laser capabilities and applies them to high impact problems such as improving semiconductor device performance but they also founded and lead a local growing high-tech laser company that disseminates their laser technology to enable advanced measurements across broader research and development community. Compared to the expensive, limited access billion-dollar-scale x-ray facilities such as free-electron lasers and synchrotrons, the JILA team’s work has led to reduced competition for limited access to these expensive large facilities, scientists and companies can now have their own tabletop system. Thousands of research groups and companies across Colorado, the US and the world can build on the JILA Team’s foundational technologies and innovations, broadly advancing research and commercial products. the Team’s alumni have opened new avenues for medical diagnoses, treatment, and prevention; for example at the Mayo Clinic, they are making innovative advances their imaging research in the department of Radiology; this research includes high-detail imaging of the brain for Alzheimer’s disease, noninvasive mapping of the vascular system, real-time imaging of the heart, and touchsimulating technology. Drs. Murnane and Kapteyn are also leading the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Centeron Real-Time Functional Imaging, called STROBE. STROBE aims to bring together researchers across the U.S. who are developing new technologies to probe the nanometer and atomic scales, and combine the advances of visible, x-ray, nano-probe, and electron microscopy imaging, for an ultimate goal of understanding and structure and functionality of various types of matter as they change over time. STROBE’s vision is to transform imaging science and technology of functioning nanosystems. Read more at https://bit.ly/2xSqmfi

Dr. Gregg Beckham, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Dr. Erik Karp, NREL Dr. Violeta Sánchez i Nogué, NREL Vassili Vorotnikov, NREL Principal Investigators The NREL team has created a novel process for producing acrylonitrile from biomass. NREL’s new nitrilation technology produces near-100% yields of cost-competitive acrylonitrile—representing a huge market—from non-food biomass. A renewable alternative to the petrochemical method, nitrilation eliminates toxic byproducts, requires less energy, uses inexpensive catalysts, and can be performed in a simple reactor configuration with no explosion hazards. Developed in the 1950s, acrylonitrile has become an indispensable component of our daily lives. However, nearly all commercial acrylonitrile is produced today via an energy-intensive, chemically hazardous, petroleum-based process. Currently, more than 7 billion kilograms of acrylonitrile are produced worldwide annually. It is used to make home furnishings such as carpets and draperies, as well as clothing and fabrics. In addition, acrylonitrile is used in plastics such as food containers, packaging materials, electronic devices, sports equipment, and children’s toys; in various rubber products; and in specialty products such as paints, caulking materials, and cosmetics. The NREL team has developed a sustainable route to produce acrylonitrile and carbon fibers via nitrilation chemistry; their process has been able to achieve an extraordinary 98% yield of acrylonitrile from 3-hydroxypropionic acid, which can be biologically produced from plant sugars, ethanol, glycerol, syngas, and other low-cost renewable feedstocks. The NREL approach led to the development of a hybrid biological/catalytic method—one that had never been tried before—that could do the job of ammoxidation conversion much more efficiently. In addition to the more efficient and less polluting attributes, savings are possible: General-grade carbon fiber costs between $6 and $8 per pound. Using nitrilation technology pushes carbon fiber pricing below $5 per pound. Studies have shown that lightweight carbon fiber materials could reduce passenger car weight by 50% and improve fuel efficiency by about 35% without compromising performance or safety. Learn more at https://bit.ly/2P8BLOJ

Dr. Claudia R. Molins, CDC Dr. John T. Belisle, Colorado State University Dr. Gary P. Wormser, New York Medical College Principal Investigators (Note - this video was updated with images on December 4, 2018) Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne infectious disease in the United States with 300,000 new cases estimated to occur annually. The Bacterial Diseases Branch (BDB) of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (Fort Collins, Colorado) serves as a national diagnostic reference laboratory for Lyme disease. Importantly, the failure to provide an early diagnosis of Lyme disease and delay in treatment can result in severe manifestations of disease (neuroborreliosis, carditis, and Lyme arthritis) or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Early Lyme disease is typically diagnosed by observation of the most common clinical manifestation, an erythema migrans (EM) skin lesion. Dr. Claudia Molins is an early career primary investigator in the BDB of CDC’s Division of Vector Borne Diseases. She has established a novel research program focused on applying a biosignature from the human metabolic response to Lyme disease for diagnostic purposes. Simply put, Dr. Molins has gone against conventional thinking that infectious disease diagnostics must focus on finding a single analyte or a small number of analytes that are specific to a pathogen, and has targeted the creation of a “diagnostic fingerprint” based on a large number of human metabolites that is specific to Lyme disease. A multi-institutional partnership was established by Dr. Molins between CDC and the Colorado State University, Infectious Diseases Research Center (CSU, IDRC; a CO-LABS Partner) and New York Medical College (NYMC). Each entity brought a unique expertise critical for the success that has been achieved. Along with a robust collaborative team including additional researchers, they undertook the challenge of differentiating Lyme disease from STARI, two diseases that are clinically indistinguishable. A proof-of-concept study has identified metabolic biomarkers in urine that can be applied to develop an innovative, non-invasive diagnostic test for early Lyme disease. The research of Drs. Molins, Belisle and Wormser provide an alternative diagnostic approach that can fill the need for a sensitive early diagnostic test that maintains high specificity. Specifically, the results of their studies revealed that a metabolic biosignature is significantly more sensitive than the currently used laboratory diagnostics for Lyme disease. Plus the work being recognized this evening has served as a driver for the development of a CDC-CSU, Infectious Diseases Metabolomics Working Group. This working group now encompasses the principal investigators and their research staff from eight different laboratories. Read more at https://bit.ly/2P6Ah7q