What are Undergraduate Highlights?
The undergraduate program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is a thriving, inspiring hub housing passionate students who are engaged in many different applications and projects relating to their areas of curiosity and expertise. We want to highlight these innovative and developing projects and people coming out of our program, in order to support and encourage more direct engagement with the world through the lens of ecology and biology. Explore recent projects below, and help to share and support work you care about!

 

Saunders gestures toward a stand of banana trees.

Francie Saunders makes the most of what EBIO has to offer and also gives back

April 17, 2017

Francie Saunders was born and raised in Memphis, TN, and is now a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder majoring in EBIO and minoring in business with a focus in innovation. She is passionate about the bettering of our society and planet through biological research and education. During her...

Streb displays a carrion beetle in a bottle.

Meat-eating Beetles are important too! - Tyler Streb

April 6, 2017

Hi there, my name is Tyler Streb, an Evolutionary Biology and Ecology senior here at CU. In also pursuing an Atmospheric and Oceanic science minor, my primary interest lies in researching how abiotic factors such as adverse weather events, patterns and climate change influence biotic processes. Living in an environment...

Arcuri in a rainforest.

Living Off the Grid in order to Assess the Rehabilitation of Juvenile Woolly Monkeys - Paulina Arcuri

April 6, 2017

I began my research career my freshman year at CU. For a while, I bounced between labs trying to figure out which held my interest and aligned with my career goals. At the time I was working in entomology labs sorting insects--a dream for many, just not me. I was...

Morphew examines an artificial beehive.

Wild Bees: The Pollinator Underdogs - Alex Morphew

April 6, 2017

My foray into biology and research at CU was entirely by chance. Upon transferring to CU in 2014 from Washington D.C., I found a summer research assistantship in the Bower’s Lab working for a USDA-funded study examining bee communities in agricultural ecosystems. Luckily, being stung by bees all summer did...

Resilience of Restored Landscapes - Marguerite Behringer

April 6, 2017

My fascination with intersectionality and evolution brought me to CU’s EBIO department. In Costa Rica, where I studied abroad, I completed my first research study on soil health differences between different land-uses. This program revealed the real-life nature of research: muddy boots, meticulous data collection, awe-inspiring creatures, journal jargon, frustration,...

From Coral Reefs to Alpine Forests - Madison Sankovitz

April 6, 2017

Studying ecology and evolutionary biology has allowed me to delve into the investigation of many different organisms and ecosystems on Earth. During my sophomore year at University of Colorado Boulder, I spent my time at the Butterfly Pavilion as an entomologist intern, caring for a great variety of insects and...

Lopez shows off a sample of biological soil crust.

Fungal Presence in Biological Soil Crust - Naomi Lopez

April 6, 2017

As a descendent of Mexican ranchers from the Chihuahuan desert, I wanted to learn more about desert ecosystems and the role that desertification will play in a warming climate. Upon perusing the EBIO website for potential research opportunities, I found Nichole Barger’s lab which specializes in desert ecosystems and more...

Smith grins over a tethered blue crab.

Climate change: don’t be blue, be crabby! - Kylie Smith

April 6, 2017

I have always had a passion for marine life, and I was fortunate to take marine biology during senior year at Monarch High School. However, I was unsure what to study at CU Boulder and initially considered a degree in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology for cancer research. As part...

Loria smiles in front of a chilly alpine lake.

Little Creatures and Big Questions - Kelly Loria

April 6, 2017

Scientists are lucky, we get to spend our time asking questions and then seeking the answers. The University of Colorado’s EBIO department is filled with inspiring people asking questions across all scales of nature. Personally, I’m curious about how the indirect and direct actions of humans affect aspects of aquatic...

McCahill poses with a barn swallow.

The Mitey Barn Swallows & The Omegga Egg - Kelley McCahill

April 6, 2017

After researching the Safran lab upon my arrival to CU, I became fascinated by their barn swallow research on sexual selection and hybridization. In fact, seeing the short video of their summer work on the EBIO webpage was what originally drew me towards CU Boulder. When I first started off...

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