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INSTAAR conducts interdisciplinary research and education on the past, present, and future of Earth systems in service of a just and thriving world.

With deep roots in polar regions, alpine environments, and Quaternary history, today we embrace a global perspective on bellwethers of environmental change.

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INSTAAR in the field

News

Small bird, big trick: How a hummingbird chick acts like a caterpillar to survive

When Jay Falk (Postdoc, INSTAAR + Smithsonian) and Scott Taylor (Faculty, INSTAAR + EBIO) first saw the white-necked Jacobin hummingbird chick in Panama’s dense rainforest, the bird biologists didn’t know what they were looking at. 

CU Boulder Today

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New research warns of accelerated timelines for a sea-ice-free Arctic

Alexandra Jahn and Céline Heuzé (University of Gothenburg) use computer models to show how a series of extreme weather events could lead to the Arctic’s first ice-free day within just a few years.

CU Boulder Today
 

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Events

Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship 

Sarah Crump, in purple coat, stands in front of a dramatic Baffin Island landscape of colorful tundra suddenly broken by towering cliffs.

Next application deadline: Late February, 2026.

Thanks to the efforts of Sarah's family and 1200+ generous donors, we met our first funding goal in May 2023 and created an endowment that supports a CU Boulder grad student every summer. Sarah's summer fellowship gives a boost to their study of Earth or environmental science in Arctic, Antarctic, or alpine regions. It also acts as a lever for equity and underserved communities. Our next goal is to extend summer support into the school year. Please consider contributing.

Learn about Sarah & her fellowship   Contribute to Sarah's fellowship

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