The EBIO department's honors program offers select dedicated students the opportunity to peruse research interests, compile and defend a thesis paper. Several papers are accepted and published in respected scientific journals. the department's 2015 honors students are highlighted below. Interested in graduating with honors? Check out our Honors Program!
Spring 2015 Graduates
Kyle Donahue - Latin Honors
For me, working on an honors thesis helped synthesize all of the work and knowledge I gained throughout the years in EBIO. Anyone can take classes, but a more sophisticated approach to research and science can be invigorating and enriching and make an undergraduate career much more satisfying. Looking back on it, the work was very much worth it and is helping me out now with my masters thesis. An honors thesis also looks great on any CV no matter which honors you receive.
Madison Beran - Latin Honors
My research in Tanzania through study abroad was one of the best experiences of my life! Not only did it give me valuable research experience, but writing the honors thesis was one of the best decisions I made in my undergraduate experience. I graduated in Spring 2015, and I am already attending University of Roehampton in London attaining my Master’s degree in Primate conservation, biology, and behavior. I have earned merit on my first two assignments because the honors thesis prepared me to write at a Masters level. Without the honors thesis and research I conducted I truly do not think I would have been accepted or prepared for a Master’s degree.
Emily Hannon - Latin Honors
I did an honors thesis that looked at intestinal parasites in 21 bird species. I cannot emphasize enough how doing research has helped me. Despite being a lot of work, I feel like I did most of my learning in the lab. It gave purpose to the classes I took, improved my writing skills, and showed me a whole career path that I never thought possible. Research has even taken me out of state because I was able to present my work at several professional conferences. I strongly encourage any student to explore options in research during their undergraduate degrees.
Emily just published her thesis work in the Journal of Parasitology
Hannon, E., J. M. Kinsella, D. M. Calhoun, M. B. Joseph, and P.T.J. Johnson. 2015. Endohelminths in bird hosts from northern California and an analysis of the role of life history traits on parasite richness. Journal of Parasitology. In press.
I focused on birds from California and found a huge diversity of parasites (64 taxa), including Ribeiroia sp. which can cause severe malformations in frogs in its early stages. I also applied a generalized linear mixed model to analyze the way bird life history traits (e.g., number of eggs produced, longevity, etc) affect the parasite community. The most intriguing result was that migratory birds hosted more parasite species than non-migratory birds, which is currently a topic of debate.
David Zelagin - Latin Honors
My general coursework exposed me to many topics, but I eventually found some that truly captured my interest. The Honors program allowed me to explore these ideas on my own terms with the guidance of knowledgeable faculty. The entire experience is simply more rewarding than learning prepared curriculum, as crafting your own approach to new questions leaves you with a product that you can rightly call your own. I would not consider an EBIO degree complete without this foray into active research.
Fall 2015 Graduates
Robin Reibold - Latin Honors
Doing research was hands-down the best experience I had at CU Boulder. I tried my best to be involved in as many different projects as possible, which let me get a wide range of experience and figure out what I actually enjoyed doing. The people I met while doing research have become some of my closest friends, and the times I spent out in the field and in the lab are some of my best memories. The connections I made during research were instrumental in my effort to get a job after graduation.
Matt Owens - Latin Honors
I love spending time in the mountains climbing and skiing and, as a result, I became interested in the ecology of alpine ecosystems. I worked closely with a graduate student in the Bowman lab to plan and conduct an experiment on the effects of aluminum toxicity on alpine plants. Writing and defending an Honors thesis was one of the more unique and valuable things I've done in my undergraduate career--it has been an excellent way to gain real experience in the field!
Spring 2016 Candidates
Honors candidate for 2016
Hello, my name is Maxwell Plichta, and I am an undergraduate in the EBIO department here at The University of Colorado Boulder. I have been lucky enough to work with the wonderful Chris Ray for the last two years studying the American Pika. Pikas are small alpine mammals that have a high sensitivity to temperature, which makes them an important species to study because they have the potential to be an indicator species for climate change. Chris, myself, and the pika crew do a lot of work on Niwot Ridge, which is a beautiful alpine biosphere reserve only 45 minutes from campus. The University of Colorado has a research station connected to the biosphere reserve and a tremendous amount of research takes place there. The station is an amazing resource available to CU students. Whether you're interested in taking a class or joining a research team I encourage you to check out the facility, the amazing landscape, and the life being studied there. My own work focuses on how temperature affects the behavior of the pikas and more specifically how males and females may react differently to changing climate. I am working towards defending an honors thesis in the spring, and I encourage anyone with a passion or interest in research to look into the honors program at CU. With such a beautiful and interesting landscape so close to home, the research possibilities are endless. I hope to see some new faces and new reserach this next summer up in the alpine.
Abby Kimball - EBIO Honors candidate for spring 2016
I am currently working on my honors thesis in Dr. Valerie McKenzie's lab studying the amphibian skin fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which is responsible for the current amphibian pandemic. Specifically, I am studying the dwindling populations of Boreal toads high in the Rocky Mountains. I'm interested in examining particular bacterial species in the amphibian skin microbiome with the ability to inhibit Bd infection and prevent amphibian mortality. My thesis focuses on examining these bacterial communities through out the amphibian's metamorphosis in order to determine when amphibians may be the most vulnerable to Bd infection.
Research has been the most rewarding experience in my undergraduate career and it has prepared me for my future in science. If you are interested in getting involved in research check out my series about undergraduate research on my personal blog (darwinsfinch.wordpress.com) and the CU Boulder UROP blog (http://www.colorado.edu/suep/urop/urop-experiences). If you're interested in learning more about my research in particular visit my website (abbykimball.weebly.com) and the McKenzie lab's (http://www.colorado.edu/eeb/facultysites/mckenzie/McKenzie_Lab/Home.html). Feel free to email me with any questions, I'd love to help you out: Abigail.Kimball@colorado.edu
Meg Summerside is working on her Honors thesis and plans to graduate in spring 2016
Engaging in your field and writing an honors thesis will undoubtedly be the most difficult academic pursuit of your undergraduate career. Yet, I have learned more and through this process than I possibly could have in any course. Beyond studying in depth the subject of my thesis, I have gained insight into how the scientific community functions, how to improve my writing skills, and how to read and view things critically.
Conducting independent field work as well as working on a field team provided me with the opportunity to see science outside of the lab and the classroom. I was able to directly explore the systems I was interested and get excited about what I was studying. Collecting my own data for this honors project has kept me invested and engaged through the daunting analysis and drafting process. I would encourage any student, especially in the sciences, to get involved in research in any capacity possible. Through my experience, I was able to indulge my curiosities about the natural world, build connections and friendships with other scientists, and learn more about potential future career paths I may want to peruse. What it boils down to is field work is FUN, working with other science geeks always interesting, and being part of a lab community is an invaluable experience here at CU.
Rachel Kaspar is graduating in spring 2016
I first considered doing an Honors thesis at the beginning of my college career but thought it out of reach due to having to balance work and school. As time went on, I concluded that if I wanted to pursue a career in science, the best option was to involve myself in undergraduate research. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Breed Lab within the EBIO department to research how honeybees socially regulate the temperature of their hive. Due to wonderful mentoring, I have immensely increased my skills in critical thinking, scientific writing, analytical data problem solving, and confidence in public speaking over the past two years. As graduation approaches, I have decided to pursue a career in science, and I feel exceptionally confident to apply for future jobs and graduate programs. I would recommend to any student who is considering a future in science to pursue an Honors thesis, hands-down.
