Spotlight Student

2025 Crump fellowship: a summer of glacier research in Colorado and Alaska

Gabe Allen — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:17:50 +0000

2025 Crump fellowship: a summer of glacier research in Colorado and Alaska Gabe Allen Wed, 09/03/2025 - 11:17

Gabe Allen

Much of INSTAAR’s research depends on scientists hauling gear through tough terrain to reach remote locations. And, sometimes the challenge isn’t just weather or altitude — its wildlife. At least, that was the case for Juliana Ruef, who had to improvise after a curious pika chewed through a critical instrument cable on Imogene Pass this summer.

Ruef’s field season—split between Alaska’s Juneau Icefield and Colorado’s San Juan Mountains—was made possible by the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship. Crump, a beloved INSTAAR alum, passed away in 2022 after a hard-fought battle with an aggressive form of cancer. Before she died, she designed a fellowship for �� graduate students studying earth or environmental science in high-latitude or high-altitude regions.

With the fellowship’s support, Ruef collected data that will provide insights into glacial evolution in Alaska and rock glacier dynamics in Colorado. As glaciers around the world undergo rapid change, her work expands our understanding of the processes driving those transformations.

Now back on campus, Ruef is diving into analysis during her first semester as a PhD student — and also somehow finding time to train for an ultramarathon. INSTAAR caught up with her to hear more about her summer field work.

Juliana Ruef (left) and Dylen Swan (right) dig a snow pit on the Juneau Icefield.

What did the scholarship enable you to work on this summer?

I split my time between the Juneau Icefield in Alaska and the Imogene rock glacier in Ouray, Colorado. The fellowship gave me the chance to collect some really neat sets of field data. The rock glacier work provides a solid quantitative backbone for the research I started in my masters program, while the icefield experiments have opened up a whole new set of questions I’m eager to chase into my PhD.

Are there any early insights that you can share?

I came back with a ton of data from both projects. At Imogene, one major finding came from our GPS data, which showed the rock glacier creeping downhill at about a half-meter per-year.

In Alaska, I measured the balance of energy from the sun, air and snow at the glacier’s surface, drilled firn cores to study the chemical fingerprints of water molecules within and tracked subtle electrical signals in the snowpack. Once the data is processed, it should reveal not just how much melt is happening at the surface, but also how water moves and refreezes inside the snow and firn. If the signal is clear, we might even be able to link those chemical signatures to how the glacier is changing.

That’s a lot to tackle in one season of field work. Were there any snags?

Gosh, fieldwork is full of curveballs. Our drill broke while we were coring firn in Alaska, we had stretches of bad weather, and in Ouray a pika chewed straight through the wire to my radiometer (and almost to a GPS antenna cable too). We worked through it with a lot of improvisation, electrical tape, duck tape, titanium forks and plenty of teamwork. A lot of laughs too.

What was your proudest moment from last summer?

It wasn’t one single moment, it was the whole thing. I felt real ownership over these projects, which I’d spent a ton of time learning, prepping, and organizing for beforehand. Seeing everything come together in the field was amazing.

Looking back, I feel exceptionally lucky that I had so much support from the INSTAAR community. I got help from undergraduate field technicians, borrowed equipment from faculty members and leaned on others’ experience and advice to pull it all together.

What’s next?

Right now, I’m deep into processing this summer’s data. There are plenty of questions still left to chase, and I’m building a few fun models to help.

Outside of research, I’ve been spending time with friends and family. I’m also running a lot in preparation for a big race: the Dead Horse 50k in Moab, Utah.

More photos from the field

click to zoom

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Juliana Ruef is the 2025 recipient of the Sarah Crump graduate fellowship. This summer, she used the award to support field work at Imogene Pass in Colorado and the Juneau Icefield in Alaska.

Traditional

Juliana Ruef sets up a meteorological station on the Juneau Icefield. (All photos courtesy of Juliana Ruef)

White

Juliana Ruef sets up a meteorological station on the Juneau Icefield. (All photos courtesy of Juliana Ruef)

Which tree species are best at cooling down the city?

Gabe Allen — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:28:53 +0000

Which tree species are best at cooling down the city? Gabe Allen Tue, 08/12/2025 - 11:28

Gabe Allen

Summers in Boulder are hot and getting hotter. But the large trees that occupy the city’s parks, yards and green spaces can provide a welcome patch of shade for pedestrians, critters and understory plants.

One INSTAAR researcher is hyper-focused on this phenomenon. PhD student Advyth Ramachandran is investigating the cooling power of various species of urban trees. Each week, his field crew downloads data from carefully-placed temperature sensors and gathers samples of leaves and wood. The goal is to create guidance for urban planners and foresters looking to cool down cities with natural solutions.

Today, Ramachandran will present his methodology and preliminary findings at the Ecological Society of America’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore. He is one of several �� researchers who will attend, speak and present at the conference.

Earlier this week, INSTAAR sat down with Ramachandran to learn more about his project and how it came to be.

What is the origin story of your interest in urban trees?

Advyth Ramachandran clips a twig of an American linden tree in Boulder in August, 2025. Back at the lab, Ramachandran and his team will use the sample to assess wood density and leaf area for the tree. (Photo courtesy of Advyth Ramachandran)

I didn't have a very outdoorsy childhood, but my family would walk around a lot in urban parks, so I was always really interested in vegetation and biodiversity in urban areas. Then, when I was in college, three of my friends, who are computer engineers, recruited me as the science team member for a hackathon project using remote sensors to better manage urban forests. We were interested in soil moisture and how it impacts urban tree survival. Through that project, I got fascinated with urban forests, and I decided that it would be cool to study urban ecosystems more in graduate school.

When I started my PhD in Katharine Suding’s lab, I pitched the urban tree traits project to Katie and she gave me the green light. The idea is to study urban trees using some of the same methods that we use in natural ecosystems and also to think about urban vegetation dynamics through the frameworks we use in restoration ecology. One of my committee members, Laura Dee, connected me with the City of Boulder Climate Initiatives team, which led to a collaboration with them that is ongoing.

This is such a unique research question. How did it come about?

We know trees are good. We know they're good for a lot of reasons, but importantly they reduce urban temperatures. At this point, the evidence of that is overwhelming.

But, a lot of the evidence that we have for the role of trees in reducing temperatures actually comes from satellites, which are sensing land surface temperature — not actually sensors on the ground that are measuring the air temperature that people experience. The year before I came to CU, students in Laura Dee’s lab put out temperature sensors around Boulder and found that vegetation does actually cool down air temperatures in Boulder.

My research question ultimately arose from this finding, the existing literature and my interest in plant functional traits — basically characteristics that influence how plants interact with the environment. We converged on this idea of how tree traits might predict which species are the best at cooling.

Today in Boulder, we really don't know which tree species are the best to plant for cooling. When foresters decide which trees to plant they base that on a lot of things, such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, and fire risk. We’re trying to add an understanding of which species might work best for reducing temperatures to that selection process.

This is really an example of one of the main thrusts of my dissertation research, which broadly focuses on how plant functional traits can be used to design nature-based solutions. We wrote a paper about this last year, and one of the things that we learned is that this area is really understudied.

So, I did a pilot study in 2024 and then this year was the real deal. We got useful data last year, but we didn't have enough to really see clear differences among species. This year, I was finally able to see some clear differences arise after refining the methodology and expanding the size of the study.

What insights have you gleaned so far?

CU undergraduate researchers Jen Dugdale (left) and Rhiannon Danborn select and preserve leaf and wood samples In Boulder in August 2025. (Photo courtesy of Advyth Ramachandran)

The first insights came from last year's pilot study. We found was that the tree canopy has a significant effect on temperature, as you might expect. It can actually cool the air by around four degrees Fahrenheit. We also found that soil moisture and grass cover are really important determinants of temperature. One major takeaway was that temperature varies on really fine spatial scales. You could have sensors that are a stone’s throw away from each other and see a difference in average summer afternoon temperatures of five degrees Fahrenheit.

Coming into 2025, we decided to start zeroing in on the impacts of individual tree species by controlling for all of these factors that we identified last year. We only put sensors under isolated trees located in urban parks that are irrigated and green. Once we incorporated all these factors into our statistical model, we started to see differences between species. In the end, we were able to identify a gradient of tree species based on their cooling effects.

Can you get specific about which trees are the best at cooling?

I'm not ready to provide planting recommendations just yet, because we still need to refine our analyses and go through peer review. One thing we did find, though, is that dense foliage seems to be a useful trait for cooling. Interestingly, there are some trees, like blue spruce for example, that grow dense foliage and seem to be relatively drought-tolerant. More research is needed, but this is a promising indication that we might be able to find tree species that are both tolerant of a dry climate and good at cooling cities.

This week, INSTAAR PhD student Advyth Ramachandran is presenting preliminary findings at a conference in Baltimore. His work seeks to understand the cooling effects of various urban tree species in Boulder.

Traditional

CU undergraduate researchers Gavin Schoew (left) and Arin Oberley measure ground cover near a temperature sensor in Boulder in August, 2025. This data is used to disentangle the impact of trees from the effect of ground cover on urban temperatures. (Photo courtesy of Advyth Ramachandran)

White

CU undergraduate researchers Gavin Schoew (left) and Arin Oberley measure ground cover near a temperature sensor in Boulder in August, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Advyth Ramachandran)

Spotlight: Hunter Geist-Sanchez is pioneering restoration methods for Colorado grasslands and reconnecting with his ranching roots

Gabe Allen — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 20:58:52 +0000

Spotlight: Hunter Geist-Sanchez is pioneering restoration methods for Colorado grasslands and reconnecting with his ranching roots Gabe Allen Mon, 07/21/2025 - 14:58

Gabe Allen

Hunter Geist-Sanchez's summer field crew hikes to a field site near the National Renewable Energy Lab's Flatirons Campus. Left to right: Ava Boettiger, Zade Baldwin, Hunter Geist-Sanchez, Rose Young. (Gabe Allen)

All summer long, INSTAAR masters student Hunter-Geist Sanchez wakes up at dawn to meet a rotating cast of labmates and undergraduate research assistants at a grassy mesa bordering the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Flatirons Campus. The team spends long hours setting up experimental plots, measuring soil moisture and erosion, simulating grazing cattle with a weed whacker and, most of all, mapping plant species.

All the work is in service of the Suding Lab’s grassland diversity and grassland resilience projects. The overarching goal is to cultivate knowledge and management strategies that will help conserve Western grasslands as the climate becomes hotter and drier. This summer, funding from INSTAAR's Summer Scholars Program allowed Geist-Sanchez to expand his undergraduate research team to three members.

Hunter Geist-Sanchez shows undergraduate field technicians a map of a field site near the National Renewable Energy Lab's Flatirons Campus. (Gabe Allen)

Geist-Sanchez is relatively new to this work, but his passion for it is apparent.

"No one cares about grass, but I think grass is pretty great,” he explained during a recent day of field work. “It’s hard to really appreciate the beauty until you spend a lot of time in a certain place. Then you get it.”

Perhaps a piece of Geist-Sanchez’s love for grasslands is hereditary. His family has deep roots in the San Luis Valley, where his grandparents grew up working on local farms and ranches. His great uncle and cousins still own and operate a ranch in the area.

Though Geist-Sanchez has lived his whole life in front range cities, his extended family keeps him connected to Southern Colorado rangelands. Recently, his masters project has been a frequent topic of conversation with still-ranching family members.

“Hopefully this research helps them with restoration on the property,” Geist-Sanchez said. “My great uncle asks me about it all the time.”

For many, 10 or 12-hour stints of data collection in the blazing sun would seem a hefty price to pay for good science. But, Geist-Sanchez seems unfazed by long days in the field. For him, they are a chance to put distractions aside and revel in the details of an ecosystem. It’s a habit that he formed long before he entered academia.

A love of nature

Geist-Sanchez grew up splitting time between parents in Aurora and Fort Collins, with more family spread around Front Range cities. Growing up, his siblings and cousins were mostly captivated by sports and video games — things that Geist-Sanchez also had a passing interest in. But, his true passion was always nature.

“In all my free time, I would go to the library and read Nat Geo books and stuff like that,” he said. “I was really fascinated with wildlife growing up, and no one else was really like that. I knew from pretty early on that I was different.”

Geist Sanchez’s early education in the natural sciences didn’t all come from books. As a kid, he looked forward to family camping trips to Great Sand Dunes National Park, along the Poudre River and to other natural areas across the West. Most of all, he looked forward to spending time with his grandmother on a plot of family land in the San Luis Valley.

“My mom would drop me and my cousins off down there for weeks at a time,” he said. “Those are really fond memories.”

The property was stunning and rugged. To take a bath, Geist-Sanchez remembers filling up buckets from the well and boiling the water on the stove. Days were spent going on hikes and helping his grandmother tend the garden.

For Geist-Sanchez, it was idyllic.

“I just always loved being outdoors,” he said.

After high school, Geist-Sanchez went on to earn a degree in ecosystem science and sustainability from Colorado State University. As an undergrad, he took an unusually active role in several restoration ecology projects. Specifically, he worked with research groups testing new methods for restoring out-of-use agricultural fields and cheatgrass-invaded grasslands.

“After that, I knew I wanted to do more restoration. It’s really difficult work and I was fascinated by how we might be able to improve outcomes,” he said.

After college, one of Geist-Sanchez’s mentors connected him with Katharine Suding, who was looking for a grassland research assistant. After a year in that role, Suding asked Geist-Sanchez to join the lab as a graduate student and take the lead on the lab’s grassland resilience project. Geist-Sanchez jumped at the opportunity — it was a perfect way to sink deeper into his passion for restoring Colorado’s natural systems.

Restoring bare patches

Hunter Geist-Sanchez plants surveyor flags at the Hogan Ranch Property in Boulder. (Gabe Allen)

Restoration ecologists are looking for new methods to combat desertification as the West becomes hotter and drier. In his masters work, Geist-Sanchez has zeroed in on bare-ground expansion — when arid spots lacking vegetation grow over time.

The first step is to figure out how problematic bare patches form and what leads to their growth. To investigate this question, Geist Sanchez is looking at thermal imagery of the landscape, measuring soil characteristics and cataloging the species that grow in and around the sites.

“One of the questions I’m interested in is, ‘What are the mechanisms behind this bare ground spread,” Geist-Sanchez said.

Next comes the question of restoration: how can land managers bring plants back to these sites? To address this, Geist-Sanchez is planting a mix of forb and grass seeds. Importantly, he has balanced the seed mixes to represent plants with specific survival strategies. Plants that arise early in the season may be able to take advantage of spring moisture, and then offer shade later in the summer. Plants with large seeds might be able to survive periods of drought or heat by relying on energy stores.

These hypotheses are based on previous research, but only time will tell their efficacy.

“I guess we’ll have a better idea by the end of the season,” Geist-Sanchez said.

For now, bare patches generally stay small in Boulder grasslands. But, if desertification becomes more extreme in the future, research like Geist-Sanchez’s will become even more important for both natural areas and rangelands.

“We don’t have extreme desertification here yet, which is great,” Geist Sanchez said. “If we ever start to see something like the dust bowl, which stemmed from extreme agriculture and land-use changes, I hope land managers will be able to apply this research. I want to be able to hand this off and expand on it.”

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Geist-Sanchez is following his life-long love of nature to develop new methods for preserving Colorado natural areas and rangelands. As a sixth-generation Coloradoan, he hopes his research can help keep grasslands sustainable as the West heats up.

Traditional

White

Juliana Ruef is awarded the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship

Gabe Allen — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Juliana Ruef is awarded the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship Gabe Allen Fri, 04/04/2025 - 06:00

Gabe Allen

INSTAAR is excited to announce that incoming PhD student Juliana Ruef is the 2025 recipient of the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship. Ruef will use the award for snow science research on the Juneau Icefield in Alaska this summer.

The Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship was designed by Sarah Crump, a beloved INSTAAR alum who passed away in November 2022. Each year, the fellowship provides funding for one graduate student studying earth or environmental science in high-latitude or high-altitude regions.

Juliana Ruef, the recipient of the 2025 Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship, poses for a portrait.

Though Ruef hasn’t started her PhD yet, she is already at INSTAAR working on a MS degree with INSTAAR faculty Robert Anderson and Bradley Markle. Her PhD research will focus on the evolution and dynamics of rock glaciers and firn—granular ice that forms between snow and glaciers.

Ruef will use the fellowship funds to pay herself and an undergraduate research assistant to gather data for firn evolution research project this summer. The funding will also help pay for travel to and from the Juneau Icefield as well as essential supplies for data collection in the field.

Ruef’s advisors cited her focus on community-building and her high research standards in a recommendation letter.

“We can think of few students who so closely embody Sarah’s passion for scientific understanding of the alpine world as well as her commitment to making science a better community,” Markle and Anderson wrote.

You can visit this link to learn more about the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship or donate to the fund.

Juliana Ruef processes a freshly-drilled "firn core" on the Juneau Icefield in 2024.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact INSTAAR Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Ruef is the third recipient of the summer fellowship created in honor of a now-passed INSTAAR alum. She will use the funding for snow science research on the Juneau Ice Field in Alaska this summer.

Off

Traditional

Juliana Ruef on the Juneau Ice Field in Alaska.

White

Advyth Ramachandran selected for an ESA Graduate Student Policy Award (ESA)

David J Lubinski — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 20:40:13 +0000

Advyth Ramachandran selected for an ESA Graduate Student Policy Award (ESA) David J Lubinski Thu, 03/06/2025 - 13:40

PhD student Advyth Ramachandran (EBIO + INSTAAR) won a 2025 Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award from The Ecological Society of America. The award provides hands-on training and science policy experience in Washington, D.C. to a cohort of 10 graduate students.

Off

Traditional

White

INSTAAR’s 2024 Sarah Crump Fellow reflects on an adventurous season in the Rockies

David J Lubinski — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 21:58:49 +0000

INSTAAR’s 2024 Sarah Crump Fellow reflects on an adventurous season in the Rockies David J Lubinski Mon, 02/03/2025 - 14:58

INSTAAR’s Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship is now accepting applications from �� graduate students. Last year’s recipient, Katie Gannon, recalls an eventful summer of field science.

Sarah Crump was a beloved INSTAAR alum. After a hard-fought battle with an aggressive form of cancer, she passed peacefully in November 2022. Before she passed, Sarah designed a fellowship for �� graduate students studying earth or environmental science in high-latitude or high-altitude regions. The fellowship provides summer funding for one student each year. Women and other underrepresented groups in earth science are particularly encouraged to apply. Preference is given to applicants whose advisors are INSTAAR members. INSTAAR is accepting applications for the 2025 Sarah Crump fellowship now until February 28: Apply, donate or learn more.

Katie Gannon works on The Loch, a high altitude lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

As the applications start to roll in for 2025, INSTAAR sat down with Katie Gannon, the recipient of the 2025 Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship, to hear about her experiences as a fellow. It turns out she had quite an adventurous summer. Sarah would have approved.

You worked on a lot of different projects this summer. Tell us about one that stood out?

At the start of the summer we worked on a research project in the Rawah Wilderness just west of Fort Collins. We were interested in how rock glaciers, which are underground ice formations in the mountains, impact lakes downstream.

We did two 4-day backpacking trips to get back there and both of them had their share of challenges. The first trip was freezing. We camped in the spring snow and had to post-hole for hours to get between study lakes

On the second trip, we were up high above the tree line when a thunderstorm blew in and it started hailing. We were at least 4 miles from camp, it was the middle of the day and we had at least one more lake to sample before we were done. So we hiked down off the ridge and huddled up in the trees to wait out the storm.

We were all cold and wet and mildly miserable. But then Bella (Gannon’s PhD advisor) started singing and dancing to Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go!” and we started singing and jumping up and down and dancing to stay warm. I was soaked through, shivering, and laughing hysterically, along with everyone else. It was a great reminder of how important it is to support each other and enjoy the ride.

In the end those trips were a great way to get to know my lab, and the glaciers were so wild to see. The water seeping out of the rock and into the lakes is barely above freezing even in the middle of the summer and it is laden with ions and trace minerals.

You also worked on lake monitoring efforts in Rocky Mountain National Park and in Green Lakes Valley. Tell us about that.

These long-term projects feel special to me because in addition to creating useful data, repeatedly visiting these sites allows us to get to know the lakes and develop a connection with them. Last season, I watched the Loch thaw bloom in the spring. Then, in the fall, I watched as the trees lost their leaves and the lake froze over again.

We deploy buoys in the lakes that measure temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration. In the winter, the ice freezes over the top and the buoy is pushed down about a meter below the surface. Even though we carefully map out where each one is in the fall, the ice inevitably pulls them around during the colder months.

On one of my first field days this summer we hiked our boats in four miles to the Loch and then spent two more hours paddling in circles looking for our buoy. Everyone cheered when we finally found it.

Gannon's field photos (click to zoom)

Your lab collaborated with the forest service this summer. Tell us about that.

We looked at two remote mountain lakes in the San Juan Mountains that are experiencing algal blooms. This, in and of itself, is strange. You don’t usually see algal blooms in watersheds that have been minimally impacted by people.

In order to get all our gear in to collect samples, our team brought in a team of six mules and horses. They were hilarious and adorable. We would just sit in camp in the evening and watch them play around in the pasture. Having help from the pack animals and forest service amplified the project. We were able to collect much more data than we would have on our own.

You were busy this summer. Did you have time to work on your own research?

Yes. I got the first project for my PhD off the ground. I’m investigating methane and carbon dioxide accumulation in two alpine lakes. One is above the treeline while the other is below.

The fellowship allowed me to scout out lakes, order materials and find collaborators here at CU to help me run my samples. Now I have two months of data. We’re also collecting samples through the winter to see if methane and carbon dioxide build up under winter ice.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

INSTAAR’s Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship is now accepting applications from �� graduate students whose research is centered on processes or climate history in high-latitude or high-altitude environments. Last year’s recipient, Katie Gannon, recalls an eventful summer of field science.

Off

Traditional

White

INSTAAR’s summer scholarship is open (plus a Q&A with last-year’s cohort)

David J Lubinski — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:09:26 +0000

INSTAAR’s summer scholarship is open (plus a Q&A with last-year’s cohort) David J Lubinski Thu, 01/23/2025 - 14:09

Gabe Allen

INSTAAR is now accepting applications for the 2025 Summer Scholars cohort

Each year, the scholarship provides funding for two �� graduate students to continue their research over the summer. Priority is given to INSTAAR graduate students who enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the institute. Recipients receive a research stipend equivalent to a 50% RA position for three summer months.

Apply, donate, or learn more
Deadline March 5th, 2025

In 2024, the award went to two ambitious PhD students hard at work on research projects on opposite ends of the world. This week, INSTAAR sat down with Natalie Aranda and Jed Lenetsky to learn more about their experience as summer scholars.

Jed Lenetsky (ATOC)

What did the scholarship enable you to work on last summer?

I was able to advance my research on two different projects in Baffin Bay.

The first project looks at how future climate scenarios might affect sea ice, marine life and other oceanographic conditions. That one is focused on the North Water Polynya, which is one of the Arctic's most productive ecosystems. Previous funding from the NSF ran out before the summer, so the scholarship was critical. It allowed me to complete revisions on a manuscript, and the resulting article is now under review for publication in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate.

The second research project examines oceanic changes in the Davis Strait in southern Baffin Bay. The Summer Scholars funding allowed me to spend time processing and analyzing data. I also used some of the funds to participate in a research cruise through the Davis Strait this fall (and gather more data).

What challenges arose in your work, and how did you respond?

It’s really difficult to process and gain meaningful insights from imperfect observational data — which is what I’m attempting to do with the Davis Strait project. I’m still working it out, but I am learning a lot through the process. I’m confident it will make me a stronger scientist once I get to the other side.

What was your proudest moment?

Definitely submitting my revised paper on the North Water Polynya for publication. We substantially improved the study by working on an assessment of relevant model processes over the summer. The assessment showed that the physical processes driving the formation of the North Water Polynya in the model were similar to the real world. The findings added rigor and boosted our confidence in the research.

Natalie Aranda (CEAE)

What did the scholarship enable you to work on?

The funding gave me time to work through an important and difficult step in my dissertation research.

I was able to devote my time and focus toward processing biological samples that I collected in Antarctica back in early 2023. The samples didn't arrive back in the U.S. until around March of that year and, up until last summer, I ran into a bunch of road blocks processing them into usable data. This scholarship allowed me to dedicate myself full time to the task, and I ended up completing the work before the start of the semester.

This fall, I was finally able to move on and begin interpreting my data. Basically, I’m looking at chloroplasts in diatoms under a microscope and counting how many of them were alive when they were collected. I’m looking for a trend that tells us where in the stream there is more likely to be live or dead cells.

What challenges arose in your work, and how did you respond?

Ha! Staring at a microscope for the entire day makes your eyes blur and your head spin, especially when you’re not finding what you are looking for. The scholarship gave me the space to come back the next day (and the next day) to try again.

What was your proudest moment?

Certainly, it was when I finished processing my last sample. It was a long time coming, and it felt great. I actually finished at the end of July, which gave me enough time to put together a poster for the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Science conference, which was held in Pucón, Chile at the end of August. I got some feedback at the conference that has been critical in my approach to data analysis this year.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

INSTAAR is accepting applications for a summer graduate research scholarship. The 2024 recipients used the extra time and money to process and collect data, publish work and attend conferences.

Off

Traditional

Working high up on Niwot Ridge, Colorado

White

Racing for climate action at 18,000 feet (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine)

David J Lubinski — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 04:38:46 +0000

Racing for climate action at 18,000 feet (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine) David J Lubinski Fri, 12/06/2024 - 21:38

Invited by the king of Bhutan, �� PhD student Clare Gallagher (ENVS & INSTAAR) completed the 109-mile Snowman Race to bring attention to the realities of climate change.

Off

Traditional

White

In search of pika (Rocky Mountain PBS)

David J Lubinski — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 19:05:11 +0000

In search of pika (Rocky Mountain PBS) David J Lubinski Thu, 08/15/2024 - 13:05

Graduate student Airy Gonzalez Peralta grew up far from pika habitat. Now she strives to understand how climate change could affect these adorable mountain mammals. Join her on a multimedia journey to her pika research site on Niwot Ridge, Colorado and the backstory on how she ended up there.

Off

Traditional

White

5 �� students, alumni receive 2024–25 Fulbright awards (�� Today)

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2024 19:00:56 +0000

5 �� students, alumni receive 2024–25 Fulbright awards (�� Today) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/07/2024 - 13:00

PhD student Millie Spencer is 1 of 5 Fulbright awardees from ��. She will use her award to expand her work with Mapuche-Pehuenche communities in Chile: mapping glaciers, gathering oral histories of glacier retreat and hydrological change, and illuminating water insecurity.

Off

Traditional

White

Spotlight Student

2025 Crump fellowship: a summer of glacier research in Colorado and Alaska

What did the scholarship enable you to work on this summer?

Are there any early insights that you can share?

That’s a lot to tackle in one season of field work. Were there any snags?

What was your proudest moment from last summer?

What’s next?

More photos from the field

Related Articles

Which tree species are best at cooling down the city?

What is the origin story of your interest in urban trees?

This is such a unique research question. How did it come about?

What insights have you gleaned so far?

Can you get specific about which trees are the best at cooling?

Related Articles

Spotlight: Hunter Geist-Sanchez is pioneering restoration methods for Colorado grasslands and reconnecting with his ranching roots

A love of nature

Restoring bare patches

Related Articles

Juliana Ruef is awarded the Sarah Crump Graduate Fellowship

Off

Advyth Ramachandran selected for an ESA Graduate Student Policy Award (ESA)

Off

INSTAAR’s 2024 Sarah Crump Fellow reflects on an adventurous season in the Rockies

You worked on a lot of different projects this summer. Tell us about one that stood out?

You also worked on lake monitoring efforts in Rocky Mountain National Park and in Green Lakes Valley. Tell us about that.

Your lab collaborated with the forest service this summer. Tell us about that.

You were busy this summer. Did you have time to work on your own research?

Off

INSTAAR’s summer scholarship is open (plus a Q&A with last-year’s cohort)

INSTAAR is now accepting applications for the 2025 Summer Scholars cohort

Jed Lenetsky (ATOC)

What did the scholarship enable you to work on last summer?

What challenges arose in your work, and how did you respond?

What was your proudest moment?

Natalie Aranda (CEAE)

What did the scholarship enable you to work on?

What challenges arose in your work, and how did you respond?

What was your proudest moment?

Off

Racing for climate action at 18,000 feet (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine)

Off

In search of pika (Rocky Mountain PBS)

Off

5 ���������� students, alumni receive 2024–25 Fulbright awards (���������� Today)

Off

5 �� students, alumni receive 2024–25 Fulbright awards (�� Today)