E-Nouncements - October 2026

Dr. Scott Yanco - Distinguished Alumni

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Date: October 16th, 2026 
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Science Building 1111

The Ecology of Death - What Tracking Individual Animals Reveals 
About Population Decline

Last week, Dr. Thomback's lab attended the 2026 Whitebark Pine Science and Management Conference and Training in South Lake Tahoe, California. The conference is organized by the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation. Abby King and Dani Yashinovitz gave a presentation titled: "Implementation of experimental direct seeding projects in the Inland West to improve restoration outcomes." 

Will Leary, an MS student at the Denver Botanic Gardens, was awarded the Colorado Mycological Society Research Grant Award. This award is given to a graduate or undergraduate student, currently enrolled in an accredited university doing academic research in mycology or other relevant field. Priority was given to research proposals on Colorado mycology, followed by research in the Western United States or adjacent state on a topic relevant to fungi in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Congratulations Will!

Moore's lab studies what he calls the "reproductive meltdown"—the way rising temperatures disrupt breeding long before they kill adults outright. Even modest heat can render animals sterile, make offspring nonviable, or simply push individuals away from breeding grounds so mates can't find each other. Survival, in other words, doesn't guarantee the next generation.

Dr. Michael Greene is a Board Member for Birdability.org. Birdability is a non-profit that advocates for accessible bird watching for “every body” and “everybody”. As part of Birdability Week, Mike will host a Laradon Lunch and Learn session at Laradon in Denver. Laradon has provided education and support to students aged 5 to 21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Jasmine R. Vidrio, Oona M. Takano, Laurel M. Hartley, Jennifer C. Danek, Carson P. Hedberg, Sophie Kuchynka, Paul T. Le, Samantha Levine, Mary C. Murphy, Jennifer R. Pollard, Krysti Ryan, Fayelynn Fox Scheideman, Stephanie D. Spong, Satya Maliakal Witt co-authored an article " A Professional Development Model for Training Biology GTAs in Equitable Teaching: Implementation and Evaluation at Two Minority-Serving Institutions" which was published in Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a critical role in undergraduate biology education, yet rarely receive training in the inclusive teaching practices that support student belonging, growth mindset, and persistence in STEM.

Jenkins, Jill A.; Tucker, Joseph T.; Barber, Larry B.; Vajda, Alan M. co-authored an article, "Assessment of sperm motility, apoptosis, and viability of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) at Cape Cod, MA in 2024 in SciX. 

Dr. Kaia Mattioli will be speaking on "Decoding the roles of alternative isoforms in cancer"

Colorado RNA Club - A Slice of RNA

October 13, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Location: CU Anschutz, Building Academic Office 1, L15-7000 E. Chester Ridgway Board Room

Pizza at 12:30 before the talk!

You can RSVP via this link: https://forms.gle/gTgLp1uejrCGu79w7 please RSVP 10/8

Dr. Sara Branco is part of a team led by Georgia Southern University that received $1.6M from the National Institutes of Health Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training. This project expands Myco-Ed (a program also developed by Dr. Sara Branco and collaborators that works with classrooms across the world to train students in fungal biology and genomics) to the biomedical fields. The funds will be used to train non-mycologist instructors teaching classes relevant for biomedicine with the goal of training the future biomedical workforce in mycology and genomics. 

Dr. Sara Branco has been elected Vice President of the Mycological Society of America (MSA). As Vice President, Dr. Branco joins the MSA Executive Council, the Society’s advisory board. This one-year term begins a four-year progression through the leadership roles of Vice President, President-Elect, President, and Past President, who all serve on Executive Council of MSA.

Course Information
3 Credits
BIOL 4910/5910: Field Studies
Dates
On Campus: May 17-20, 2027
In country: May 25 - June 4, 2027
On Campus: June 11, 2027
Eligibility Requirements 
Must be in good academic standing at the time of application
Review the full Eligibility Policy for more details
Non-CU Denver applicants must review the Non-CU Denver Student Policy
Course Prerequisites: BIOL 2010 (or 2061/2097/2030), BIOL 2011 (or 2081/2098/2031), BIOL 2020 (or 2051/2095/2040), and BIOL 2021 (or2071/2096/2041) with a C- or higher.
Housing
Shared Accomodations: Rainforest Lodge, Dorms, Lodge/Hotel
Passports and Visas
All students must have a valid passport from their country of citizenship. It is highly recommended that you ensure that your current passport is valid for at least six months after the program's end date.
Please review the Visas and Study Abroad document and research visa requirements for this program's host country.

Link to registration:https://studyabroad.ucdenver.edu/_portal/tds-program-brochure?programid=...

We will be highlighting faculty lectures, labs, grad student research, out door research, a pod cast, and beautiful pictures taken by our students!

Please send Janessa, our Social Media guru, at JANESSA.NUNEZ@UCDENVER.EDU with your pictures, stories, and availability for an interview

The picture used is of bison taken by Fayelynn during her outdoor research.

Fall Foliage Hike
Saturday, Oct 10, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Take a fall hike with us before the colors fade! We will be hiking about 4.5 miles on moderately steep terrain. Expect to see some mountain vistas, aspen trees, and meadow landscapes. All experience levels are welcome. Transportation included.

Date: Sat, Oct 10 | 8am – 1pm

Pre-trip Meeting: Thurs, Oct 8 | 5:00pm | Zoom

Price: $25

Chicago Lakes Backpacking Weekend
Saturday, Oct 17-Sunday, Oct 18 2026
Spend the weekend hiking and camping in Mt. Evans Wilderness around alpine lakes! We will backpack about 4-5 miles/day with around 1500 ft of elevation gain (this means we will be hiking uphill). Expect to see alpine lakes and mountain vistas! All camping gear, meals, transportation, and permits will be provided. Must be available to attend the pre-trip meeting before the trip.

Dates:Sat, Oct 17th – Sun, Oct 18th

Difficulty:5/10 – Moderate. Must be able to hike up steep terrain with a heavy backpack.

Price: $55

Pre-trip Meeting: Tues, Oct 13th 5:00pm | Student Wellness Center

Registration CLOSES: Oct 12th | 11:59pm

Pumpkin Palooza
Thursday, Oct 22, Noon-4 p.m.
FREE
Celebrate the fall season at Pumpkin Palooza! Join us for an afternoon of free pumpkin painting, exciting carnival games, delicious food and snacks, and fun giveaway items. Bring your friends, get creative, and enjoy one of our biggest fall events of the semester. Don’t miss out on the festive fun! 

DCPA Night Beauty and the Beast
Wednesday, Oct 28, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
FREE
Join the Campus Activities Team for an incredible night at DCPA’s Beauty and the Beast! Tickets will be linked when they go live this fall. Make sure to follow us @cudencat for updates!

Tickets are reduced to $15 for CU Denver students and a plus one guest. Your ticket also gets you into our pre show party at the Student Commons Building (ACAD 2500), where you can enjoy free food, dessert, drinks, games, and activities, plus a chance to win prizes! We hope to see you there!

Show time will be 7:30pm.