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!

 

John holding a caught fish

Task Switching Behavior in Honeybees - John Ternest

March 24, 2016

I’m currently working in Dr. Michael Breed’s lab, my research is focused on task switching behavior in honeybees. This is incredibly important due to the significance that honeybees have as pollinators, and the sharp decline that is being seen in their populations. Eusocial species like honeybees require an extreme level...

Meg at UROP location with two horses

For the Birds? - Meg Summerside

March 24, 2016

Engaging in your field and writing an honors thesis will undoubtedly be the most difficult academic pursuit of your undergraduate career, and dually the most rewarding. Beyond studying in depth the subject of my thesis, I have gained insight into how the scientific community functions, how to improve my writing...

Stefanie sampling soil up on Niwot Ridge against a backdrop of spring wildflowers and mountain views

Effects of Anthropogenic Nitrogen Deposition on Alpine Microbial Soil Ecology - Stefanie Sternagel

March 24, 2016

I am currently working on an honors thesis looking at the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition on alpine microbial soil ecology under the outstanding mentorship of Dr. William Bowman. All of my soil samples come from Dr. Bowman’s nitrogen addition manipulation up on Niwot Ridge at the Mountain Research Station,...

Amedee standing on a pier overlooking the ocean

Effective Instructional Approaches in a Large Introductory Biology Classroom - Amedee Marchand Martella

March 24, 2016

We are at the forefront of an advancing and ever-changing world. Scientific and technological innovations have led to vast changes in the way we navigate our environments. Unfortunately, U.S. students consistently lag behind their international peers in science and mathematics. Thus, improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) performance and...

Kayla measuring and sampling plants from an observatory tower

How will plants react to the air of the future? - Kayla Carey

March 24, 2016

Throughout the fall of 2014 I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Australia with the School for International Training. Upon arriving ‘down under’, I was granted the exciting opportunity to conduct research at Australia’s largest climate change facility, the Eucalyptus Free-Air CO2 Enrichment experiment (EucFACE). The experiment manipulates carbon...

Rachael in a protective bee suit examining a bee on her mask

Honeybee research is the bee’s knees within the EBIO Honors department! - Rachael Kaspar

March 24, 2016

Rachael Kaspar EBIO Honors Candidate: Graduating in Spring 2016 Honeybee research is the bee’s knees within the EBIO Honors department! 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...

Spencer and a friend looking out over the rocky mountains

Do what you want to do! - Spencer Holtz

March 24, 2016

For me it took a long time to actually figure out how to connect what I liked to do with a project that was academic in nature. Working on an honors project gave me this opportunity as I was able to choose the area of research that I wanted to...

Andrew using a extractor to test samples in the lab

The Macro and the Micro - Andrew Hansen

March 24, 2016

When I came to CU four years ago, I chose to major in EBIO because I had always been fascinated by the astounding diversity and complexity of nature. I loved learning about speciation, biodiversity, natural history, and the amazing array of forms that life has assumed in the 3.5 billion...

Michaela standing in a rocky lush field

Plant-Insect Interactions - Micaela Enger

March 24, 2016

I grew up near the Shenandoah mountains collecting and pressing wildflowers with my grandmother and catching insects with my little brother which led me to become an EBIO major. I’m lucky enough to do my research on one of the most beautiful insects: the butterfly. I work in Bower’s lab...

Elizabeth sampling in a pond, holding a large net

From the Office to the Outdoors - Elizabeth Angell

March 24, 2016

Elizabeth Angell: From the Office to the Outdoors After spending a few years working in a business career upon graduating from Texas Tech University with my M.B.A., I decided to take a leap and follow my passion for nature. Becoming an EBIO student meant that I could gain the experience...

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