Shack-a-vole

Voles can be affectionate, monogamous creatures, which makes them great research subjects to study bonding behaviors like loss and grief. They’re also diggers, which makes them difficult to study in the wild. 

So, how could CU Boulder researchers study neuroscience in nature without voles running loose all over campus? They brought on students in the environmental design department at the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information.

Over the course of two semesters, Voleterra students designed and constructed a research site on CU's East Campus, gaining valuable hands-on experience. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.

“If you told me undergrads were going to build a research station, I would have said, ‘that’s cute.’ But I am so impressed with what they’ve been able to do,” said Zoe Donaldson, the lead researcher on the project.

“Did it need to be done this way? No. Is it a much better educational experience for students to work on something that has real-world implications and applications? Absolutely. What’s the point of having a university if we're not training students to go out and ultimately add something beneficial to the world?”

Donaldson, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who studies behavior and neuroscience, and her team initially approached the campus architect for help developing the site. That led to a connection with Marcel de Lange and Jared Arp, two faculty members in environmental design.

“I think it shows the university values what we do and the knowledge the students have,” Arp said. "Now they have a really deep, genuine understanding of where theory and application meet, where that conflict is—and how to resolve it in the field on the fly.”

A space for neuroscience in nature

Students who took the course said they came to environmental design for the chance to get hands-on experience and develop their technical skills. The voles project—dubbed Voleterra—had the added benefit of emulating what it would be like to work in the real world.

“So many times people focus on the abstract and the computer side of things, and they don't really understand how things fit together,” said Mati Merten, a senior studying environmental products of design who’s been with the project since the beginning.

Voleterra began as a studio class in spring 2025, in which students designed, pitched and ultimately built a 528-square-foot structure. But the biggest challenge wasn’t figuring out how to construct a building on a tight budget. Instead, it was ensuring their proposal met the standards of CU’s Design Review Board.

“They would send us back our proposals marked up with feedback and everything that needed to change. Then I would go through the building codes to figure out how to make it all work,” said Remi Daniel (EnvDes’25), a recent architecture graduate who was on the team last year. 

Students on the Voleterra project not only got to design for real-life clients, but they also got the chance to build the structure CU researchers would use to study voles. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.

Eventually, Daniel—now a master’s student in architecture at the University of Virginia—and another student led their formal presentation approved by the board.

Those delays, plus wintry weather last spring, meant students were late in breaking ground, though many stuck around throughout the summer to make up for lost time. This spring, Voleterra students focused on outfitting the interiors of the buildings, ensuring the office and laboratory spaces were both functional. 

Skill(ed) building

For repeat students, the project also provided the opportunity to develop leadership skills.

“I’ve never seen myself as a teacher, but I've taken a bit of a step back so I can share my experience and show new students how to do anything,” Merten said.

Daniel, meanwhile, said being involved in everything from drafting designs to pouring concrete has helped her make better connections between theory and practice as a graduate student.

That included the give-and-take between students and the board. 

“The fact that it took us the whole first semester to break ground was very eye-opening for the students working through that process,” Arp said. 

“If we were to repeat this, I think we would work within a different building system or framework. Everyone understands this was super valuable for the students, so we need to find a way to create more opportunities like it.”

The students were just as excited about the opportunity.

“This will go into my portfolio as something that shows I have some experience with interior design,” said Nico Ross, a junior studying EPOD who joined Voleterra this spring. “And it also demonstrates my ability to work with a team, including subdividing and delegating tasks.”

He said the process taught him everything from how to integrate client feedback into the design process, to being creative on a tight budget, to technical skills like cutting metal railing for wall panels.

But more than anything, he said, it was fulfilling to be part of a project with purpose.

“It's cool that this is a real client project,” Ross said. “But it’s valuable because we're doing this, not just for them as individuals, but for our school and allowing them to do research.”

Hannah Stewart graduated from CMDI in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news for the college.