Colorado State University - Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

On this “What’s Good?!“ Wednesday:

From May 27–30, ESS student Brandon Budnicki joined the Conference for Advancing Participatory Sciences (CAPS) in Portland alongside the team—Greg Newman, Stacy Lynn, and Caroline Nickerson.

Brandon presented his poster, “Improving Research Protocols through Natural Language Processing,” sharing preliminary findings on integrating survey theory into participatory science design. His peers recognized his work with the “Most Interesting Research Findings” award.

We’re so proud of Brandon and his dedication to making science more accessible and meaningful for everyone!

Guess what time it is? That’s right, it’s AMP it Up Week here at ESS! 🎉

Put the sandwich down, Gary, and check out what the Accelerated Master’s Program in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability has to offer! 🥪✨

Looking to speed up your learning and gain skills in sustainability that’ll open doors to impactful and high-paying environmental careers—faster than a traditional master’s? Then AMP is calling your name! 🚀🌿

We’ll be dropping valuable info every day this week, leading up to our Open House event on October 17th! Got questions or want to learn more? Slide into our DMs or hit the link in our bio!

Tag, you’re in! Today is CSU's Day of Giving. Support CSU students with a gift that sparks innovation and opportunity: https://col.st/X4aLw The power of one Ram is great. The power of many Rams is endless ⚡️ Tag, you're in ⬇️ Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences College of Business - Colorado State University Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences CSU College of Liberal Arts CSU College of Natural Sciences CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Colorado State University Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering Warner College of Natural Resources Colorado State University Graduate School CSU Extension Colorado State University Online CSU Spur Office for Inclusive Excellence at CSU

Help us in congratulating Megan Podolinsky for receiving the prestigious VPR fellowship!

Megan is a doctoral candidate in the graduate program in ecology and studies Surface Water Dynamics in Depressional Wetlands of the US High Plains and Beyond.

In addition to receiving up to $4,000 in research and travel funding, each VPR cohort is given the opportunity to undergo a series of training sessions as well as network with fellow graduate students and leaders from across the university.

Here’s Megan on the significance of this incredible work:

“My research on depressional wetlands is important to me because these sites are understudied despite the multitude of ecosystem services they provide in an otherwise arid landscape dominated by agriculture. The playa wetlands of the US High Plains that I study are extremely varied, making for exciting and unpredictable sampling. I have been fortunate to witness completely dry wetland basins transform overnight into biodiversity hotspots teeming with wetland species. I have also enjoyed building relationships with landowners and exploring the High Plains region over the past three summers, two things that have only deepened my passion for researching surface water and other ecological functions of these unique wetlands.”

Congratulations Megan!

The DayCent Model is an important tool for ecosystem analysis, helping us understand the impact of changes in climate and management.

Dr. Ram Gurung is offering a group study to:

- Learn Century Model biological and ecological theory and background
- Gain hands-on experience running DayCent on various ecosystems
- Quantify and Assess GHG emissions

August 12 - 16 | 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. MST

And two additional synchronous meeting times prior to Oct. 13, details TBD

Register soon, spots are limited!

Today we’re celebrating Lauryn Howlett – an incredible student in the Professional Science Master’s program in ESS!

Lauryn just started a summer internship with the Agricultural Water Quality Program at CSU as an Agricultural Technology Research Assistant.

She’s traveling around the state to help assess the water quality and field health, using ground samples, monitoring equipment, and even drones!

Back at the lab, Lauryn codes, analyzes data, and conducts the Total Suspended Solid analysis, an important indicator of ecosystem health that detects the dry-weight of suspended particles in water that are not dissolved.

Here’s Lauryn on her experience:

“This multifaceted internship with the Agricultural Water Quality Program is enhancing my knowledge of food systems, water quality, data analysis, coding, and technology used in agricultural and environmental settings, as well as developing practical skills. This experience is equipping me with the skills and knowledge necessary to make a meaningful impact in the field of sustainable food systems.”

A lot of our water comes from snow. Figuring out just how much of the snow turns into water is an important data point for ensuring that high elevation watersheds like the Cache la Poudre can continue providing water for drinking, agriculture, and recreation.

A few of our amazing students and faculty just had a paper about their work in the snow-to-water process published in Water. (The journal. It’s called Water. No really, we’re serious!)

In the paper, students Helen Flynn, Marin MacDonald, and Anna Pfohl, along with Professor Steven Fassnacht, propose a new, more accurate way of calculating base flow – or how much water is sustained in a stream between rainstorms – in small, snow-dominated watersheds. This could be a really helpful new perspective for sustaining watersheds and water supply.

Go team!

Nikki, our incredible Academic Advisor, just spent a week in beautiful Kenya with School for Field Studies (SFS)!

SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research all over the world.

She saw some beautiful sights (Zebras! Giraffes! Rhinos!) and learned about wildlife and environmental conservation.

Next time you see Nikki, ask her about her time in Kenya and if you're a student who would love to learn more about this program, let us know!

Two ESS stars recently won a Dean’s Grant for Transdisciplinary Solutions to Wicked Environmental Problems!

Jacob Petersen-Perlman won a $25,000 grant for his project “Governing the Invisible: Best Groundwater Management and Governance Practices for Western States.”

This project aims to develop an online course on groundwater governance, organize a symposium, and produce journal articles and grant proposals. Collaborators include faculty from ESS, Geosciences, and other CSU departments.

And Clara Mosso received a travel grant to participate in 3rd Biennial International Transdisciplinary Conference on Environmental Justice in Switzerland!

Go Team!

Happy Graduation Warner College Graduates!!

Commencement starts at 1pm MST at Moby Arena.

Webcast available at https://commencement.colostate.edu/

Congratulations to all of our ESS CURC winners and honorees this year!! We are so proud of you!!

🌟Excellence in Energy and Climate Solutions🌟

Madzie Boyles
“Measuring Climate Vulnerability in Houston, Texas”
Mentor: Elizabeth Tulanowski

🌟Excellence in Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice🌟

Ian Edwards-Clancy and Link Warren
“Growing Food Security at Colorado State University”
Mentor: Sylvia Lee

🌟College Honors🌟

Kate McGill
“A Comparison of Observed and Modeled Soil Moisture”
Mentor: Avery Driscoll

Shelby Mead
“Microclimates under solar panels in agrivoltaic systems drives soil microbe community composition”
Mentor: J. Alexander Siggers

Amelia Anderson
“Wild horses in the west: Generating maps and learning modules for four K-12 curriculum levels”
Mentors: Sarah King and Stacy Lynn

Featured are photos of Amelia Anderson and Madzie Boyles.