A number of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship students conducting undergraduate research shared their projects at Colorado State University’s annual Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity event.
Oral Presentations
Franklin Harris
Major: Forestry
Growing Plants on Mars: Astrobiology Applied
Harris’s research focuses on the possibility of nitrogen fixing plants to grow in Mars soil. His project is based in the Tree Pathology Lab run by Dr. Jane Stewart.
Poster Presentations
Zane Dickson-Hunt
Major: Forestry
Pinyon Pine Stomata Size Effects on Tree Survival
Dickson-Hunt’s research explores stomata, the mechanism by which plants exchange gases, in pinyon pine trees. He’s answering questions regarding the relationship of stomatal shape and sensitivity to climate and tree success in Colorado and New Mexico.
Miranda Flora
Major: Natural Resources Management
Differences in Genetic Diversity Among Natural Accessions and Cultivars of Slender Wheatgrass
Flora’s research looks at slender wheatgrass, a commonly-used species in ecological restoration projects. She is determining how much genetic diversity is found in natural versus genetically cultivated sources of the seed.
Ryleigh Gelles
Major: Natural Resources Management
Impacts of Forest Restoration Treatments on Pollinator Communities within the Colorado Front Range.
Gelles studied the insect pollinator community response to prescribed fire treatments in Ponderosa Pine dominated forests.
Geon Ho Kim
Major: Natural Resources Management
National Analysis of Interactions between Compounded Forest Disturbances from Tornado and Fire over 30 Years
Geon Ho looked at areas where tornado and fire both occurred between 1984-2014, and compared fire severity inside and outside overlaps in tornado tracks. He wants to see if wind damage effects subsequent fire severity and if that differs among fire types.
Hannah Rigdon
Major: Natural Resources Management
Salvage Logging in Lynx Habitat
Rigdon’s project is determining where salvage logging within spruce-beetle impacted forests will cause the least disruption to Canada Lynx habitat in central Colorado.