Boulder is a fascinating place. Not far from Denver, yet fully embedded in nature. It’s a typical small university town buzzing with students and academic life, as you would find it also in Europe, but set against the spectacular backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The University of Colorado has a beautiful campus at the heart of the city, with plenty green spaces and largely free of motorized vehicles. All major buildings have a similar architecture using stones from the nearby mountains, thus giving the campus a very homogenous look and feel. The most common way of moving around is by bike, taking advantage of the very dense network of cycle paths. Needless to say that the surroundings offer many possibilities for hiking and other sports.
I have been warmly welcomed by Roger Pielke jr., Bobbie Klein, Nancy Filice and all the other people at the Center for Science & Technology Policy, which occupies a small old villa at the edge of the university campus. I am biking each morning to work and have been given an office with a spectacular view on the iconic Flatirons, a formation of bare rock overlooking Boulder. Yesterday Roger took me around the campus – showing me of course the buffalo-shaped pool of the university’s Recreation Center – and we discussed developments in the world of science advice and work we want to do together. I also received already a number of speaking invitations from various parts of the university and will lecture in Roger’s class on science & technology policy.
With most of the administrative paperwork done, everything is prepared to explore Trans-Atlantic approaches to scientific advice.
Jan Marco's Science & Policy Blog 