We Welcome You!
Our Graduate School Field Guides are here to answer your questions about graduate student life and to jumpstart your involvement in the Forest & Rangeland Stewardship (FRS) Department at Colorado State University (CSU). Our Field Guides provide you with:
- Answers to questions you have about living in Fort Collins and student life at CSU.
- A familiar face to welcome you to department social events and gatherings.
- A bridge to develop friendships and expand your network beyond your lab and/or degree program.
- Support for new academic and professional interests.
We encourage you to email any of the field guides below with questions you might have about moving/commuting to Fort Collins and student life in general. They are excited to answer your questions, and please excuse occasional delays in responding – some will periodically be in the field with limited internet over the field season.
Include as your subject line: “Question for a FRS Field Guide”
Meet our FRS Field Guides
Hi there! My name is Sam Cooke and I live in Golden Colorado (about 20 minutes west of Denver). I’m about to begin my fourth semester of the Masters of Natural Resources Stewardship degree with an emphasis in ecological restoration. I occasionally make the drive to Fort Collins for classes, so if you need any recommendations on places to eat or concerts at the Mishawaka – give me a shout 🙂
A little about me…I’m originally from Southern California and graduated from California State Polytechnic University in 2014 with a focus on marine biology. During my undergraduate research I studied sea slugs (nudibranchs and opisthobranchs) in an evolution and systematics lab. This research experience gave me early exposure to grant writing, allowing me the opportunity (aka funding) to live on Catalina Island, California and travel to Sitka and Juneau, Alaska to conduct research.
I’m currently a biologist for a small women-owned consulting firm. I’ve worked in the consulting industry fulltime for 8 years – time flies! At work, I mostly focused on government contracts for both federal and state projects. I moved to Colorado in November 2019 because Colorado State University and specifically the Warner College was my dream school and department. It was hard moving away from friends and family, but I feel like the move has exposed me to strong connections through outlets provided by the university, students I meet on campus/online, and the amazing professors teaching my classes.
Anyway, enough about me, I’m excited to hear about you! So please reach out if you have any questions. Welcome to CSU!
I am a second-year master’s student in the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship department. I study the impacts of climate and disturbances on forest fecundity in dry woodlands. I grew up in the Colorado Front Range and know no other home. My undergrad work was done at CU Boulder and FRCC. My background has always been rooted in geography and landscape ecology, so I love talking about the relationships between spatial and temporal patterns of ecological processes. Don’t hesitate to reach out. I am a first-generation college student, so I love chatting about my experiences to prospective and new students. I have a multitude of hobbies and am a make-it or build-it yourself type of person. You will find me in my garden, hiking, eating, or brewery hopping. I am always happy to grab a bite, a drink, or just chat! Welcome!
Hi! My name is Amy and I’m going into my third semester in the Masters in Natural Resource Stewardship (MNRS) program with a specialization in ecological restoration. I’m from Houston, Texas and got my BS in wildlife biology from Texas State. I took several biological technician jobs while in my undergrad studying mainly small mammals and birds. After graduating I worked at an animal caretaker at an animal sanctuary in the Ozarks of Missouri. While working there we preached preservation and education. It made me realize that I wanted to go back to school to learn more about ecological restoration to be able to save these animals habitat before it’s too late. I found the MNRS program and realized it was perfect! Over this past summer I was fortunate enough to work with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) as both a crew lead and a technician. Outside of school I enjoy going on hikes and exploring more of what Colorado has to offer. If you have any questions about the school, the city, great places outside of the city to go explore or anything else, feel free to email at any time!