Research, Service and a Postwar Transformation

World War II transformed CU Boulder into a hub of scientific research and national service. The US Navy Japanese Language School at CU Boulder trained linguists vital to the war effort, while faculty advanced physics and engineering breakthroughs. Postwar expansion, fueled by the GI Bill, democratized access to education. The Conference on World Affairs (CWA)  began in 1948 as United Nations Week. Alumni like Smead Aerospace alum Scott Carpenter soared into space, and faculty like Walter Orr Roberts pioneered climate science.  The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics began its legacy of making CU Boulder the only university in the world to send instruments to every planet in the solar system. Yet, the experiences of Japanese Americans and women in STEM fields on campus during this era of history raise questions related to identity, prejudice, civil rights, courage and what it means to be an American.