THE BOETTCHER FOUNDATION’S WEBB-WARING Biomedical Research Awards program supports scientific innovation in Colorado by providing bio- medical research funding for early career investi- gators at the state’s research institutions. Recipients, known as “Boettcher Investigators,” are awarded research grants of $235,000, cov- ering up to three years of biomedical research. The grants support Boettcher Investigators in establishing their research, helping them become competitive for major awards from federal agen- cies and private sources. While the foundation’s investment in biomedical research, as well as its support of scholarships and nonprofit organizations, have served every part of Colorado, the University of Colorado’s BioFrontiers Institute holds a unique position in that many of the foundation’s focus areas inter- sect in the facility. Currently three Boettcher Investigators make their research homes in the BioFrontiers Institute. Among them is Loren Hough, an assistant pro- fessor whose research focuses include examining how a protein tail on microtubules might control different features of a cell. Hough noted that, in addition to being a confi- dence-booster, the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award he received in 2014 allowed him to move forward with research that might be considered high-risk. “It worked great and that research is the foundation for the rest of what we’re doing now,” he said. WRITTEN BY JEANNE MC ADARA, PHD 18 BIOSCIENCECOLORADO / / 2019-2020