RIO Public Scholarship Initiative
At a time when public trust in expertise is declining and the demand for evidence-based solutions is rising, CU Boulder has a timely and powerful opportunity to elevate its faculty as essential voices in national conversations. The Public Scholarship Initiative seeks to highlight how scholarship—through discovery, science and culture—contributes meaningfully to public wellbeing.
As a part of the RIO Public Scholar Initiative, RIO will offer an op-ed writing workshop for faculty from across the sciences.
The application consists of two short paragraphs describing your research, how it connects to current issues, and why you feel inspired to engage in public scholarship right now.
Deadline to apply is Sunday, June 1 @ 11:59 p.m. MT.
STEM Public Scholarship Op-Ed Writing WorkshopÌý
- Intro session (90-minutes; Virtual): First week of June
- Workshop (In-Person): June 24–25, 2025
This short, intensive program will equip those interested in public scholarship with the tools to convey their messages to the general public, with a focus on increasing public understanding of the scientific process, translating complex findings into actionable insights and vital solutions, and elevating CU Boulder’s scientific expertise. The aim is to produce publishable opinion articles that faculty can then send to media outlets during the summer.
Following the workshop, participants will work one on one with Hillary Rosner to pitch and place your piece.
This opportunity is open to tenure-track and research faculty at all ranks, from assistant to full professor, with preference given to those in STEM-related fields—particularly those working in fields related to public health, climate, natural hazards and sustainability.ÌýÌýÌýNote: A similar opportunity for faculty in the arts and humanities will be offered in September 2025.
Who you’ll be working with
This workshop will be led by , assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism. Hillary is a nationally recognized science journalist with more than 25 years of experience working as a reporter, editor and teacher. Her work has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Audubon, Men’s Journal, Wired, Scientific American, Undark, Nautilus, High Country News and dozens of other outlets. Her book Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Their Fractured World will be published in October 2025 by Patagonia Books.
Hillary has extensive experience teaching scientists how to tell stories for a broad audience, and she has taught storytelling courses and workshops through Compass, the Organization for Tropical Studies, and the National Science Foundation, as well as independently at a variety of institutions.