University of Colorado faculty members are often asked to testify before House and Senate committees as experts in their respective fields. In the summer and fall of 2021, five experts from CU provided expert testimony in Washington, D.C.

CU Boulder Graduate School Dean Scott Adler testified before the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, where he focused his testimony on the need to reform congressional committees to reassert their historical power and more reliably address policy issues. The July 20 hearing and corresponding testimony transcript can be viewed here. Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr., CU Boulder Department of Environmental Studies Professor, testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs during a hearing on climate change, resilience, and reinsurance. During his testimony, Dr. Pielke noted the need for current, high-quality climate science to be utilized in the development of climate policy to ensure economic, scientific, and natural aspects of society are protected. Dr. Pielke's July 20 testimony can be read here. CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences Associate Professor Dr. Marcus Holzinger testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science during a hearing on space situational awareness, space traffic management, and orbital debris. During this hearing, Dr. Holzinger noted that to mitigate potential collisions during space travel, it is not only useful but also necessary to set "rules of the road" for space traffic. The July 22 hearing webcast and Dr. Holzinger’s testimony are available here.

Dr. Connie Savor Price, Professor at CU School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for Denver Health CU Anschutz Medical Campus testified before the House Science, Space, and Technology Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee during its July 14 hearing on the COVID-19 outbreak and future infectious disease outbreaks. Dr. Savor Price focused her testimony on the principles required to investigate outbreaks, including the need for high levels of data transparency for both patient records and other clinical information. Dr. Savor Price’s written testimony can be viewed here, and the hearing can be watched here.

Lori Peek, PhD, Natural Hazards Center Director and Professor at CU Boulder, testified before the full Committee on Homeland Security at the October 27 hearing on climate change, emergency preparedness and communications, on the need to reduce economic and social inequality in all of its forms to reduce natural hazards losses. The video of the hearing and testimony transcripts are available here.

CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences Associate Professor Dr. Marcus Holzinger and Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper in Washington, D.C.

Office of Senator Hickenlooper