Boulder joins Colorado Space Business Roundtable road trip across Colorado
Last week, the University of Colorado Boulder (ASV) team took part in the 4th annual (CSBR) road trip across the state of Colorado to increase visibility and cohesiveness across the state’s considerable space-related assets.
Along with a host of other objectives, the CSBR promotes the growth of space and space-related industry in Colorado, supports educational initiatives to satisfy the state’s high-tech employment needs and helps attract more space-related businesses to Colorado.
AeroSpace Ventures, which has been involved in the CSBR since 2013, connects the university’s leading space-related programs and resources, creating a collaborative environment where aerospace engineering and Earth and space sciences faculty, students and industrial researchers can solvecomplex problems and envision and create the future for space and Earth systems.
“The CSBR aerospace road trip is a great opportunity to spread the word across the state about the importance of Colorado’s aerospace economy, and we are so pleased to have our flagship university Boulder represented side-by-side with the large and small businesses who support the CSBR,” said Rick Ward, chair of the CBSR.
Each year, the CBSR visits communities around the state to: connect with businesses interested in becoming suppliers or subcontractors to larger aerospace companies; engage with local officials, students, educators and others who are interested in better understanding the impact aerospace has on the country and the state of Colorado; and meet with students and educators to discuss educational opportunities, such as internships and other programs involving Colorado aerospace companies and organizations.
This year’s CSBR road trip embarked from Denver on Monday, July 10, with its first stop at (AMPT) in Durango. On Monday evening, the group took part in a community meeting, receptionand stargazing event at the newly installed Air Force Falcon telescope at Fort Lewis College’s Geosciences,Physics& Engineering Hall.
On Tuesday, the “road trippers” visited Durango’s and then travelled to Grand Junction for another community meeting at Colorado Mesa University, featuring a number of local companies engaged in innovative unmanned aerial systems. Wednesday morning featured another company visit in Grand Junction, this time with , before the group headed for Montrose. In Montrose, the group visited several local companies and participated in a reception hosted by , a coalition of individuals and organizations in Colorado’s 22 western counties.
“I look forward to the CSBR road trip every year, and especially the opportunity to highlight the breadth of Boulder’s aerospace-related educational and research programs to communities beyond the Front Range,” says Abby Benson, assistant vice chancellor for research & innovation at Boulder and also a member of the CSBR Board of Directors. “I continue to be amazed by the companies that we visit and the community members and students we meet who are passionate about all things aerospace.”