Student News

Advis or: Dr. Michael Moore Date: May 22, 2026 Time: 10:00am – 11:00pm Location: North Classroom 3207 The Mountains are Calling, Can I Go? On the Development of Ecological and Reproductive Traits at Novel Elevations in Odonates As the planet warms, organisms are expected to shift their ranges either latitudinally...

Ad visors: Dr. John Swallow and Dr. Laurel Hartley Date: May 21, 2026 Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm Location: Science Bld 4127 STEM Laboratory Experiences and Sense of Belonging Among International Graduate Students The U.S. higher education system is widely recognized for its high-quality scientific research and diverse career opportunities, making...

Advisors: Dr. Rebecca Hufft, Dr. Michael Moore, and Dr. Diana Tomback Date: April 29th, 2026 Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm Location: Botanic Gardens FNC Classroom 3 Long-Term Impacts of Aerial Seeding During Fire Recovery in Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta) Communities: Beaver Creek Fire, Colorado Case Study Wildfires are continuing to increase...

Elli e Tus har Advisor: Dr. Gregory Ragland Date: April 24, 2026 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm Location : North Classroom 1003 Evolutionary Divergence and Thermal Plasticity: Investigating Transcriptional Responses in Tropical and Temperate Drosophila Species. Phenotypic plasticity enables organisms to adjust to environmental variation, yet it remains unclear how plastic...

Casey W eissburg Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Advisor: Dr. Michael Wunder When: Friday, February 13, 2026 Where: Science Classroom, Room 1111 Time: 8:00am Age-and Season-Specific Demographic Rates for the Mountain Plover: Variation Between Populations and Across the Annual Cycle Pinpointing what factors drive population change requires understanding variance in demographic rates...

Congratulations to Jessica Loeffler for receiving the 2025 Fall CLAS Outstanding MS student Award. She has contributed positively to the research mission, the teaching mission, and the overall culture of the department. This is now seven semesters in a row that one of our students has won either the Outstanding...

Congratulations to Alyssa Hohorst for receiving the 2025 Fall CLAS Outstanding PhD Student Award. She has contributed positively to the research mission, the teaching mission, and the overall culture of the department. This is seven semesters in a row that one of our students has won either the Outstanding MS...

Jessic a Loeffler M a ster’s Thesis Defense Adviso rs: Dr. Andrew Wilson, Dr. Michael Greene, and Dr. Sara Branco When: November 21, 2025 12:00pm – 1:00pm Where: Science Building, Room 2001 Join Zoom Meeting: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/98409192103 Meeting ID: 984 0919 2103 or Join by SIP • 98409192103@zoomcrc.com Comparing the Fungal...

Gabr ielle Cerep-Funke Master's Thesis Defense Advisor: Dr. Chrissy Alba When: Thursday, November 20, 2:00pm - 3:00pm Where: Science Building, Room 4127 Zoom: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/94940451010 Evaluating the Performance of Horticulturally Relevant Native Forbs under Increasingly Limiting Water Availability Climate models predict a hotter and drier future for Colorado, which can impact...

J ustin J. Loucks Defense Exam Advisor: Dr. Andrew Wilson When: Friday, November 14, 2025 1:30pm – 3:30pm Where: Science Building, Room 4127 Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/77907961149?pwd=VdQqOUhtyKl0fvWM2Ua56Vz8s9Jg4p.1 Meeting ID: 779 0796 1149 Passcode: QEb2VF TAXONOMY AND SYSTEMATICS OF THE FUNGAL GENUS BOLETOPSIS IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA The fungal genus Boletopsis...