CSU adds session on mental health to precede DARPA Forward conference

Contact for reporters:
Jennifer Dimas
(970) 988-4265
jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu

CSU is hosting a session on Aug. 29 focused on a silent pandemic ravaging veterans and young people: mental health struggles in challenging times.

The event, “Collaborations in Mental Wellness,” will precede the DARPA Forward conference and features documentary filmmaker Frederick Marx (“Hoop Dreams,” “The Veterans’ Project”), Joe Conrad, founder and CEO of Grit Digital Health in Denver, CSU professors and Department of Defense officials. Companies will demonstrate the latest VR technology applicable to psychology.

About 30% of college students say that anxiety negatively affects their academic performance, and more than 1 in 5 students reported having been diagnosed with depression by a healthcare professional, according to the American College Health Association national assessment of students. A 2018 study by Harvard Medical School researchers found that 1 in 5 college students experienced thoughts of suicide.

Meanwhile, people serving in the military experience 15 times higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder while rates of depression can be five times higher, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Veterans of Foreign War reports an average of 20 veterans commit suicide daily in the United States. CSU is one of the top schools in the country for veterans, according to Military Times.

“Young adults as students or those who serve in the military are experiencing a silent pandemic in mental health issues and we need to focus on actions that build mental resilience to improve their abilities later in life,” said Alan Rudolph, vice president for research and a former DARPA program manager. “We are hosting this important satellite meeting on mental wellness before the DARPA Forward conference to explore how science, cinema and new technology can help people thrive given the challenges of their times.”

Open to the public, registration information

The “Collaborations in Mental Wellness” symposium begins 4:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at Hilton Fort Collins. It concludes with virtual reality demonstrations by HP Inc., Tripp Co. and CSU.

The event is hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research and admission is free to the public. Click here for program and registration information.

DARPA Forward conference to be held at CSU

The following day, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) brings its DARPA Forward conference series to CSU’s Lory Student Center. It’s the first of six such conferences across the country. It begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, and continues into Wednesday, Aug. 31.

The event seeks to connect DARPA leaders with new communities of talent and partnerships. The goal: energize regional research and business, fuel breakthroughs in national security, and help deliver the U.S. technological advantage. Colorado was selected due to its burgeoning technology innovation ecosystem from Fort Collins to Denver to Colorado Springs.

DARPA Forward participants will hear from world-renowned scientists, accomplished innovators, and senior defense leaders. Among the topics are the future of autonomous vehicles, microbial movements in the airborne ecosystem, cybersecurity threats to society and how to produce food in space.

Among the speakers invited:

  • Kathleen H. Hicks, deputy secretary at the Department of Defense
  • Tom Vilsack, secretary of the Department of Agriculture
  • James H. Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command

CSU Chancellor Tony Frank is scheduled to deliver welcoming remarks. A dozen CSU professors will share cutting-edge research on emergent issues. They are:

  • Tami Bond, microbial movements in the aerobiome
  • Angela Bosco-Lauth, microbial movements in the aereobiome
  • Amy Charkowski, adapting agriculture for humans in space and austere environments
  • Deana Davalos, mental wellness interventions and technologies
  • Karyn Hamilton, adapting agriculture for humans in space and austere environments
  • James Hurrell, geoengineering for climate protection
  • Michael Kirby, big data and predictive analytical tools in the context of One Health
  • Craig Partridge, cybersecurity threats to society
  • Steve Simske, cybersecurity threats to society
  • Susan VandeWoude, big data and predictive analytical tools in the context of One Health
  • Bryan Willson, geoengineering for climate protection
  • Lise Youngblade, mental wellness interventions and technologies

Also at the conference, 14 up-and-coming young CSU scholars will be recognized as DARPA Risers, who are standouts in their fields, and whose research is related to national security and demonstrates the potential to lead to technological surprise — the heart of DARPA’s mission. The CSU DARPA Risers can be found here.

Deadline for registration for DARPA Forward is Aug. 12. For more information and to register, click here.