Emma Atkinson

journalist, editor, social media manager, marketer

my latest work

University of Denver •

Celebrating 120 Years of Clinical Programs at DU | University of Denver

When you think of attorneys, you might envision the courtroom sharks that we see depicted in popular culture—aggressive lawyers who stop at nothing to win, hounding witnesses during cross-examinations and making passionate closing arguments to juries. But there’s more than one way to be an attorney, and at Sturm College of Law, students get the opportunity to figure out not only what kind of attorney they want to be but also what area of law they want to work in, thanks to the Student Law Office...
University of Denver •

2 DU Faculty Head Overseas on Fulbright Fellowships | University of Denver

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program—the United States’ flagship international educational exchange program—has sent more than 400,000 scholars across the world to study, teach and do research. Eighty-nine of those faculty scholars have come from the University of Denver, the first of whom traveled to China. Leasa Weimer, director for global partnerships and the University of Denver’s Fulbright Scholar campus liaison, says she’s been working to build an even bigger Fulbright commun...
University of Denver •

DU Releases Impressive Study Abroad Numbers—And Looks to Increase Them | University of Denver

In 2024-2025, 885 DU students will go abroad—and 825 of them have already embarked on their journeys this fall.Students are traveling to 35 different countries, the most popular among them being Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.  “We have students studying in nontraditional locations such as Georgia, Ghana and Tanzania,” says Emelee Volden, director of international education. “We’re also excited to have somewhat back-to-normal enrollment in Australia, New Zealand, China a...
University of Denver •

Welcome Back to RadioEd Season 5 With Chancellor Haefner | University of Denver

Emma Atkinson (VO):In the six years that Chancellor Jeremy Haefner has helmed the University of Denver, much has changed—and research at DU has truly blossomed.DU was awarded R1 research status in 2021, making it the fourth university in Colorado and the only private institution in the Rocky Mountain Region to have achieved the classification. Since then, the research being done by faculty and students across DU has only gotten more exciting.As we head into the 2024 school year, with more to com...
University of Denver •

U.S. News & World Report Reveals 2025 College Rankings | University of Denver

The University of Denver again ranked among the top colleges in the country in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 rankings. Today, the publication released its latest list of the nation’s Best Colleges, with DU earning a tie for 121st place on the National Universities list—three spots higher than the previous year.Every year, U.S. News & World Report analysts and editors compile more than 80 lists of Best Colleges rankings, highlighting colleges and universities that excel in areas like value,...
University of Denver •

DU Works to Get Out the Vote Ahead of 2024 Election | University of Denver

College students—and young people in general—are a group that has historically had a low rate of participation in elections. In 2016, only around 40% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the presidential election.But times are changing, and youth voting rates have increased in every presidential election year since 2016, according to the U.S. Census. The University of Denver, like colleges and universities across the nation, is investing time and money into increasing the civic engagement of its stud...
University of Denver Magazine •

Through the eyes of a student photographer

Born and raised in Hawai‘i, physiology and art student Lauren Tapper says that when she came to the mainland, she noticed a discrepancy between what outsiders believe about the Hawaiian Islands and what she knows to be true. So she chose her home state as the subject of her undergraduate research project, which she presented at the annual Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Showcase last spring.
The black and white photos of “Hawai‘i, Uncovered,” Tapper says, are meant to...
University of Denver Magazine •

Research at 14,000 Feet

On a sunny but chilly 54-degree August day, Velotta and his team set out at 7 a.m. for the summit of Mount Blue Sky. It’s the first day of their week-long stay at the base of the mountain near the Echo Lake Campground, where they sleep in dark wooden cabins reminiscent of summer camp.  
Their research began the day before at dusk, when the group hopped into a white pickup displaying a DU logo and slowly wound their way along the highest paved roadway in North America. As the...
University of Denver Magazine •

Up close and personal with Washington's diplomats

Boettcher Scholar Colton Arciniaga (BA ’24) says his summer internship in Washington D.C. was an experience that every Korbel student dreams of.
“It’s the one that everyone's always talking about and wants to get,” he says. 
Before his senior year, Arciniaga landed an internship with the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Mexican Affairs and spent several months in the district rubbing shoulders with foreign service officers, a group of U.S. diploma...
University of Denver Magazine •

The story of sobriety isn’t black and white

On Matt Ziebarth’s first day of law school in 2019, an orientation leader said something that stuck with him for years to come.
“Look to your left and right,” the leader said. “Out of the three of you, one of you will have a problem with alcohol or substance abuse.”
Ziebarth remembers thinking, “Yeah, right, that's somebody else. That will never be me.”
But when the pandemic hit, Ziebarth realized that his relationship with alcohol wasn...
University of Denver Newsroom •

5 Free Things to Do in Denver | University of Denver

Exploring a new city can be interesting and cool—and expensive. Luckily, Denver offers plenty of no-cost activities for you and your friends and family to enjoy. Denver Walking Tours has been offering free tours of the city for nearly 10 years. On an adults-only Twisted History tour, you’ll learn about the shocking and salacious stories of Denver. From chilling murders to notorious gangs, the tour “promises a day of darker revelations and laughter, offering a unique perspective on the city's pas...
University of Denver Newsroom •

Pushing Boundaries With Martha Redbone | University of Denver

“These are the stories that a lot of people would not like to be told—to sweep things under the rug and put a pretty little bow on top of it.”That’s how musical artist Martha Redbone describes the stories and family lore at the heart of her newest work, “Bone Hill,” a musical theater performance that tackles themes like racism, erasure and colonization.Growing up as a Black and Native woman, Redbone says, she viewed the American ideal through a “white” lens—one that gave little weight to the ver...
University of Denver •

Research-Backed Ways to Save Your Marriage and Avoid Divorce | University of Denver

Need a wedding gift for a happy couple in your life? Well, look no further—psychology professor Galena Rhoades has the perfect idea: her latest book, “Fighting for Your Marriage: Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Building a Lasting Love.”The idea of “preventing divorce” and “fighting for your marriage” before it has even begun may seem like putting the cart before the horse, but Rhoades likens the book to a “how-to” handbook for relationships.“We use manuals for just about everything we...
University of Denver Newsroom •

New Research Shows Positive Impact of Prenatal Mental Healthcare on Babies | University of Denver

New research from a University of Denver professor of psychology underscores the importance of mental health care for pregnant people—and suggests that treating depression during pregnancy can lead to longer gestation time and healthier babies.“Broadly, we're really interested in understanding the intergenerational impact or transmission of maternal mental health and understanding how maternal experiences and mental well-being in pregnancy has intergenerational implications,” says professor Elys...
University of Denver Newsroom •

Do the Olympic Games Actually Promote Peace? | University of Denver

The Olympic Games symbolize many things: strength, togetherness, peace. But does the worldwide spectacle actually promote global harmony?If you were to ask Tim Sisk, University of Denver professor of international and comparative politics, he would say, simply, “No.”In his new book, “Sports in International Politics: Between Power and Peacebuilding,” Sisk argues that while the Olympics are often assumed to foster goodwill between nations at war, the Games don’t do much for peace.“The Paris Games...
RadioEd •

Girls in STEM: What 3 Professors Are Doing to Empower the Next Generation

RadioEd is a biweekly podcast created by the DU Newsroom that taps into the University of Denver’s deep pool of bright brains to explore new takes on today’s top stories. See below for a transcript of this episode.

Women make up just 34% of the workforce in professional STEM fields. In college, too, women are underrepresented: about 21% of engineering majors are women and around 19% of computer and information science majors are women.

So, the question is: Why does this happen? Are women just
RadioEd •

Why Taking a Timeout in the NBA Might Not Be the Best Idea

RadioEd is a biweekly podcast created by the DU Newsroom that taps into the University of Denver’s deep pool of bright brains to explore new takes on today’s top stories. See below for a transcript of this episode.

Much of sports is a gamble. There’s a saying: “Any team can win any game on any given day.” Almost nothing, no outcome, is guaranteed in sports—and that’s part of the fun of watching and playing.

But players and coaches want to eliminate as many variables as possible, trying to leav
University of Denver Newsroom •

The Twists and Turns of a Lamont Grad’s Musical Journey

Kids love to quit things. “It’s too hard” and “It’s too boring” are common refrains that echo from the mouths of youngsters who want to spend less time in structured activities and more time with their friends or in front of the TV.

Seventh-grader Adam Gang wanted to quit playing music. He had loved it when he was younger, inspired by his cousin Sam Yahel, a professional jazz pianist. On a piano that Yahel had given him, Gang learned to play Mozart and Chopin, begging his parents for piano less
University of Denver Newsroom •

With A Country Divided, Judy Woodruff Still Has Hope

In her time reporting on politics in Washington, D.C., broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff has covered the administrations of eight presidents. And now, she says, she sees the United States as being more politically divided than ever.

“In all my years of covering Washington and of trying to understand American political decisions, I've never seen the country this divided,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff spoke at the 2024 Korbel Honors event, the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of Internationa
RadioEd •

Talking to a Loved One With Suicidal Thoughts

If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988.

RadioEd is a biweekly podcast created by the DU Newsroom that taps into the University of Denver’s deep pool of bright brains to explore new takes on today’s top stories. See below for a transcript of this episode.

This episode of RadioEd is about suicide and how people can help those they love who might be experiencing suicidal thoughts.

We know it’s a heavy topic. In many cultures, suicide is taboo—and in some countries i
University of Denver Magazine •

Sounds of Hope

On a brisk, sunny day in February, a group of students from the Lamont School of Music hauled their musical instruments into the bustling atrium of the Children’s Hospital of Colorado.

The musicians were surrounded by the buzz of activity that is the lobby of any hospital; doctors hustled through the large room, their white coats flapping, and nurses in colorful scrubs stopped to check their pagers before continuing to their destinations, their sneakers squeaking against the floor.

But this is
University of Denver Newsroom •

What Does It Mean to Be a Woman in STEM?

What good is life if we can’t laugh at the situations we find ourselves in—even if they’re not actually funny?

That’s the concept behind “Womanhood: The Series,” a film series produced by female writers and filmmakers across the United States, that examines what it is, exactly, to be a woman, through storytelling with a humorous twist.

The second season is all about the experiences of women who work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and will feature six short f
University of Denver Newsroom •

Speaking Up in a Safe Space

Speaking up in class is hard, whether you’re a nervous fifth grader or a mature college student. It’s even harder when the subject is controversial or contentious—students might be afraid of seeming uninformed or contradicting their professors in front of their peers.

And now, in the face of rising global issues like climate change and human rights, civil discourse on tricky topics is more important than ever.

At the University of Denver, students have a unique opportunity to engage in tough d
University of Denver Newsroom •

‘A Continuum of Love’: Telling the Story of WWII Japanese-American Internment Camps

University of Denver professor of anthropology Esteban Gomez and recent alumna Whitney Peterson’s new film, “Snapshots of Confinement,” premieres this month on PBS.

If you search online for the history of World War II Japanese American internment camps in the United States, you’ll find a wealth of photos, some taken by famed photographers like Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams. But a new documentary film, produced by a University of Denver professor and his former student, digs deeper.

“Snapshots
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