Research Opportunities
Project CUATRO offers research opportunities to undergraduate students at Colorado State University Pueblo and Central Community College. One of the main goals of Project CUATRO is to create a highly structured, innovative undergraduate research program that recruits and retains students, and graduates students in STEM degrees and careers. To do this, Project CUATRO uses exciting, engaging, local research opportunities to support a broad spectrum of students interests. See below for more information about the particular research opportunities available to students.
For additional information about student expectations, visit the Information for CUATRO Students site.
For additional information about student expectations, visit the Information for CUATRO Students site.
Dr. Jim Carsella
Contact Information |
Research Description
Project 1: The kissing behavior is a conserved behavior across several species in the squirrel family, however, the reason that these species engage in kissing behavior is unknown. It’s possible that the kissing behavior plays a key role in individual and kin recognition, which is an important adaptation that increases fitness and avoids inbreeding. Previous studies have shown that many mammals produce and exchange chemicals in their cheek glands; for example, domestic cats engage in cheek rubbing to mark objects as familiar. However, in squirrel species, the chemical composition of the chemicals exchanged during kissing or why they produce these chemicals is poorly understood. Therefore, the overall objective of this project is to understand the role of chemical communication in kissing and why squirrels engage in this kissing behavior. More specifically, the objective of this project is to pilot methods to determine the chemical profile of the chemicals produced in the cheek pads, which is the first step in this project. Understanding chemical communication is an important, but often ignored, component of conservation behavior that contributes to population monitoring and increases the success of release programs. Therefore, this project has important implications for wildlife management programs and the conclusions drawn from this project can be used by wildlife managers to improve the success of monitoring and release programs.
Project 2: Chemical speciation is often ignored in measuring elements of interest in the environment largely due to expense and an overall lack of understanding in how critical the chemical species of an element can be. Often the chemical species can govern whether an element is toxic, carcinogenic or a micronutrient. This project looks at the transport of iron and the effect of pH and micronutrients iron availability in plant systems.
Field or lab-based: Projects are primarily lab based with potentially some field options.
Skills students may develop: Students may develop the ability to make quantitative measurements, some basic organic synthesis, and learn to work in trace level environments to make measurements. Students will also learn about plants and animal communication.
Dr. Jim Carsella is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in his research laboratory, contact him at [email protected].
Project 2: Chemical speciation is often ignored in measuring elements of interest in the environment largely due to expense and an overall lack of understanding in how critical the chemical species of an element can be. Often the chemical species can govern whether an element is toxic, carcinogenic or a micronutrient. This project looks at the transport of iron and the effect of pH and micronutrients iron availability in plant systems.
Field or lab-based: Projects are primarily lab based with potentially some field options.
Skills students may develop: Students may develop the ability to make quantitative measurements, some basic organic synthesis, and learn to work in trace level environments to make measurements. Students will also learn about plants and animal communication.
Dr. Jim Carsella is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in his research laboratory, contact him at [email protected].
Dr. Lauren Gillespie
Contact InformationCentral Community College
Biology Laboratory 333 Email: [email protected] Lab website: https://thebluebirdgirl.wixsite.com/thebluebirdgirl |
Research Description
Birds are excellent models for investigating physiological mechanisms behind both behavior and plumage color production. My students and I study populations of Eastern bluebirds, focusing on relationships between hormones (testosterone, corticosterone), behavior (aggression, parental care, personality), and plumage colors (melanin pigment and ultra-violet blue structural color). We also study populations of Barn and Cliff Swallows to understand the mechanisms that may be responsible for an aberration in melanin pigment production present in these populations. I use both laboratory techniques (radio-immunoassay, plumage reflectance, electron microscopy, X-fay fluorescence spectrometry) and field studies to answer proximate questions in these species.
Dr. Mario Izaguirre Sierra
Contact InformationColorado State University Pueblo
Life Sciences 220 Email: [email protected] Lab Website: https://bughalo.wixsite.com/cell-nucleus-lab?fbclid=IwAR2HHnD96QAXNzFKy8f_YC3L00GY0eMPX2jI2daOyp-tl5TCB--lx2uzPjE |
Research Description
A major challenge of modern agriculture is to maintain crop production under adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, we need to understand how plants develop and respond during environmental stress (biotic and abiotic). Our approach is unique and powerful in the field, as we are exploiting two genetically formidable multicellular land plants: Arabidopsis thaliana and the moss Physcomitrella patents. We are using these plants to understand the mechanisms that they use to adapt and respond to our changing environment. Moreover, we seek to apply our basic research for crop improvement in order to balance food production with a minimal impact to the environment.
Dr. Mario Izaguirre Sierra is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in his research laboratory, contact him at [email protected].
Dr. Mario Izaguirre Sierra is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in his research laboratory, contact him at [email protected].
Dr. Elizabeth K. Peterson
Contact Information |
Research Description
Prairie dogs are a keystone species in the Great Plains and the habitat that they create provides habitat for a number of species, such as the threatened burrowing owl and endangered black-footed ferret. But prairie dog populations have plummeted by 96% across their range, causing desertification of grassland habitat, loss of ecosystem services for associated species, and even population declines for species like the black-footed ferret. Therefore, we are relocating prairie dog colonies in conflict with humans to a conservation management area to rebuild populations of prairie dogs and restore grassland habitat for species of concern. Our research focuses on understanding the loss of prairie dog populations and associated species, creating management solutions to improve relocations of prairie dogs, and studying and managing predator populations. Students can gain skills in population ecology, conservation management, trapping, handling, behavioral studies, and ecological surveys (to name a few) with a number of species. In addition, students will have the opportunity to work with USFWS, as we collaborate closely with USFWS at the US Army Pueblo Chemical Depot.
Dr. Liz Peterson is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Liz Peterson is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Claire Ramos
Contact InformationColorado State University Pueblo
Office Location: Life Sciences 222 Office Phone: 719-549-2509 Email: [email protected] Lab website: https://www.csupueblo.edu/profile/claire-ramos/index.html |
Research Description
North America has suffered precipitous declines in its native bird populations in the last 50 years. Conservation of avifauna poses challenges because many species are migratory, requiring study in the breeding grounds, wintering grounds, and the migratory routes connecting the two. Migration poses myriad ecological and physiological challenges for birds, often made more complex by human activity. My lab investigates how anthropogenic environmental change impacts birds during migration. Increased incidence of drought, air pollution from urbanization and wildfire, and habitat change and loss all have the potential to negatively impact birds as they migrate, exacerbating existing population declines. We will monitor spring and fall migration by capturing wild songbirds and taking measurements of physiological condition to assess the health of birds migrating along the Front Range.
Dr. Claire Ramos is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Claire Ramos is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Franziska Sandmeier
Contact InformationColorado State University Pueblo
Life Sciences 244 Office Phone: 719-549-2492 Email: [email protected] Lab website: : https://sites.google.com/view/fran-sandmeier-lab/home |
Research Description
Research will be focused on box turtles and CO checkered whiptails. Students in my lab will quantify thermal ecology of box turtles, including selection of certain resources that are important for heating and cooling their bodies. We will track turtles in the field to determine resource selection across the year. We will also use models to quantify the thermal properties of microhabitats. We will also quantify loads of blood parasites and frequency of tail drops of CO checkered whiptails on the Depot, and use this population as a control to help understand threats to lizards in more urban areas of Pueblo.
Dr. Fran Sandmeier is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Fran Sandmeier is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For other opportunities in her research laboratory, contact her at [email protected].
Dr. Daryl Trumbo
Contact InformationColorado State University Pueblo
Life Sciences 224 Email: [email protected] Lab website: : https://sites.google.com/view/daryltrumbo/ |
Research Description
Amphibians have suffered worldwide declines due to disease, climate change, habitat destruction, and water pollution. We will be surveying water bodies in and around Pueblo, Colorado for adult and juvenile amphibians using a combination of nighttime call surveys for adults and daytime dipnet surveys for tadpoles and eggs. We will create a GIS database of occupied breeding ponds in southeastern Colorado to predict amphibian distributions on the landscape, and collect samples for genetic analyses to assess habitat suitability and gene flow.
Dr. Daryl Trumbo is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For more information, contact Dr. Trumbo at [email protected].
Dr. Daryl Trumbo is not currently accepting CUATRO students. For more information, contact Dr. Trumbo at [email protected].