Colorado Wyoming Alliance for Minority Participation

Amanda Bevan. The project:  The Adams Bat Lab is investigating the effects of climate change on bats and associated nocturnal food webs along the Front Range of Northern Colorado. Forests that are recovering from disturbance events are experiencing shifts in community composition, and we are investigating how these shifts are altering insect diversity and bat activity. We are looking for students interested in assisting with insect biodiversity data and learning about bioacoustics to identify the presence of new species in disturbed forests. What a research day would look like: Participants would work in the lab at UNC with the opportunity to do some fieldwork if they are interested. Participants will assist with sorting insect specimens from vegetation samples into insect orders and would learn about bioacoustics and techniques to identify.

Kelsey Krutsinger.The project:  The Han lab focuses mostly on liver physiology experiments. Currently, we are working in conjunction with the Hydock lab, investigating the health of the liver with the administration of puberty blocking medication (gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist: GnRHa). What a research day would look like: Our work is entirely in the lab. Most of the work will be completed on specimens/samples collected from a previously completed animal study. If timing works out, there may be an opportunity to work with the animals (rats), however this is voluntary and not required.

Cole Grannan:  The project:  Potatoes are an integral vegetable crop in Colorado; they make up almost 10 % of the state's income from all crop agriculture. When insects and microbial pathogens cause damage to these crops, it can have a detrimental impact on yield. To protect crops against pests, growers must rely on expensive chemical control agents. In contrast, organic farms must find alternative pest control methods to remain competitive. The use of commercially available biofertilizers has been proposed for organic farming to increase the nutrient uptake of crops and to enhance yield. Recent research has shown that some biofertilizers can activate the plant’s immune responses against insects and microbial pathogens. However, there is little information about field-grown potato immune responses. This research aims to investigate field-grown potato responses to the application of biofertilizers and pests found on-site. What a research day would look like: This research offers both the opportunity to perform field research in an agricultural setting and in the laboratory. The work will primarily be conducted at a farm. The student will be involved in the inoculation of potatoes with biofertilizers and maintenance of field plots.

Anika Shelrud. The project: The Burns Lab studies reproductive biology, specifically focusing on a gland called the corpus luteum. Participants who join the Burns lab this summer will investigate the influence of omega-3 fatty acids on bovine steroidogenic luteal cells exposed to cytotoxic cytokines. The project will expose individuals to primary cell culture, gene and protein analysis, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and additional assay procedures. Our lab also has a whole animal research project under way, and students would be more than welcome to learn how to bleed cows and interpret ultrasound data as an added bonus.

Leah Crenshaw. The project:  I am studying the impact of landscape factors (habitat fragmentation, human structures, energy development, etc.) on Western Meadowlarks, focusing on their breeding season. Grassland bird populations are the most rapidly declining group in North America. By looking at several predictors of individual fitness (song structure, body condition, and success rearing chicks), I hope to get a better sense of why grassland bird populations are shrinking. My goals are to determine what landscape factors impact the behavioral ecology of grassland birds, share these findings with land managers/the scientific community, and promote the conservation of grassland birds. What a research day would look like: This project will be primarily fieldwork in Weld County grasslands starting at around 4:00 a.m. on field days. (Birds wake up early.) We will be catching and banding Western Meadowlarks, checking up on their nests to see how the eggs/chicks are doing, and recording their songs. On some days, I will be camping in the field, and you will be welcome to camp with me or drive in and out each day. If you choose to camp, we will get camping equipment for you. All field training (ex. how to catch and handle wild birds) will be provided.

Anika Shelrud.  What a research day would look like: Monday; starting at 8am, we would make a trip out to the local abattoir to collect ovaries. We would then isolate the corpus luteum (a structure that develops on the ovary) and digest it down to a primary cell culture. We would isolate specific cell types and set up experiments for the rest of the week with our primary cell culture. A full day! If the mentee is interested in learning how to draw blood samples from cows and interpret ultrasound data, we would head out at 5 am, once a week, to CSU.