Misha Toor

I’m carrying with me a deep love of the landscapes I live in and a community that protects them.

Misha Toor sparkles in classes with her insightful questions, answer-key worthy problem sets and pure joy at new ideas. A double-major in geological sciences and ecology and evolutionary biology, she excels in connecting ecology and Earth surface processes. Her honors thesis involved faculty in three departments—her two home departments and atmospheric and oceanic sciences—to shed light on sources of nitrate in streams emerging from enigmatic rock glaciers. Colorado has more than 3,000 rock glaciers, many of which produce small amounts of meltwater curiously enriched in the nutrient nitrate. Misha sampled sites across Colorado to measure water chemistry, nitrate stable isotopes and 14C-based water ages, and developed her own hypotheses to explain the elevated nitrate. Misha is energetic and buoyant, and everyone is elevated by her presence, from her peers to grad students to faculty. Her enthusiasm for science and the environment will allow her to shine in her future endeavors.