Discovery Scholars

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fran Sandmeier, Associate Professor Biology

Find Out More about Dr. Sandmeier's Discovery Scholar's Experience

Project Details: The Colorado Checkered Whiptail (Aspidoscelis neotesselatus) is a species of concern in Colorado, and is composed of all-female, asexually-reproducing individuals. These lizards are thought to occur primarily in protected areas, likely due to outdated and incomplete surveys conducted in the past in Pueblo and El Paso counties. In fact, this species is found throughout moderately and heavily urbanized areas in the city of Pueblo. Like many other species of small lizards, these animals often have high rates of death and injury close to urban areas, due to subsidized predators, such as feral cats, dogs, and racoons. Predator-avoidance can also decrease time the animals spend foraging and basking, thus decreasing general health. Scientists often use body size, evidence of tail-drops, number of ectoparasites (mites), and blood smears to quantify age structure and health in lizard populations. We will use these same techniques to understand what increases the quality of habitat for maintaining healthy populations of A. neotesselatus. Additional project opportunities include studying the immunology of turtles and tortoises, conservation of native lizards, and ecology and habitat selection of box turtles. 

Student Outcomes: Students will be trained to carefully handle and examine the animals and to take and analyze small blood samples. All students will work together to learn to collect, manage, and analyze data. Additionally, students will increase their scientific literacy by reading and interpreting similar studies at other locations.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Claire Ramos, Associate Professor of Biology

Find Out More about Dr. Ramos' Discovery Scholar's Experience

Project Details: Conservation of migratory songbirds can be particularly challenging as it these animals require three distinct habitats for successful completion of their life cycle: breeding habitat, wintering habitat, and migratory habitat. The migratory phase of the life cycle of these animals may be the most critical as migratory behavior is physiologically stressful and dangerous. This was clearly demonstrated by a mass migratory songbird die-off that occurred in early Sept. 2020 the southwestern United States. Thousands of dead migrating birds were found over the span of just a few days. It is thought that this die-off was a result of a lethal combination of drought conditions reducing food availability, poor air quality caused by wildfires, and a freak snow storm. Migratory banding stations can provide valuable information to better understand the threats that migratory birds face on route to and from their breeding grounds. Migratory songbirds will be captured from field sites in areas heavily used by migrating birds in the area. We will use mist-nets to capture the birds and take various measurements to determine overall physiological condition of the birds. Birds will then be released to continue their migration.

Student Outcomes: Students will be trained in mist-netting, including how to handle the netted birds with care for the concern of the health and well-being of the animals. Information about migration will be provided through lab meetings and readings from popular science literature (e.g. Living on the Wind by Scott Weidensaul) and primary literature.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amaya Garcia Costas, Assistant Professor of Biology

Find Out More about the Phage Hunters Experience

Project Details: Bacteriophage (phage) are a type of viruses that infect only bacteria. Although invisible to the eye, they are thought to be the most abundant biological entities on Earth, with some estimates indicating that there are 10^31 phage in the planet. Incredibly, phage are estimated to kill as much as 40% of the ocean's bacteria every day. CSU-Pueblo students will sample local habitats and isolate bacteriophage using microbiology techniques such as the plaque assay. Once these novel phage are isolated, CSU-Pueblo students will characterize their phage using electron microscopy and molecular biology approaches such as DNA isolation and restriction enzymes. Lastly, the genomes of selected phage will be sequenced and CSU-Pueblo students will manually curate every gene in the genome using bioinformatic tools such as BLAST and HHPred, and gene annotating programs such as Glimmer. Students will be able to explore structure-function relationships of selected gene products and probe the evolutionary relationships of their isolated phage to known phage. HHMI will sponsor the attendance to their annual symposium of one faculty member and one student participating in the program. In addition, students will be able to write a Genome Annotation paper to submit for publication, and to design future experiments on their phage (eg. targeting specific genes, or specific phage processes) that they can carry out as research students after this program has ended.

Student Outcomes: Students are taught standard molecular and microbiology lab techniques such as pipetting and aseptic technique as well as how to keep a lab notebook. The bioinformatics component includes introductions to common search engines and genetic databases. Students get to name their own phage.

Facuty Mentor: Dr. Cassidy Dobson, Associate Professor of Chemistry (Biochemistry)

Project Overview: Disulfide Bond Forming Enzyme (DBF) is a known molecular chaperone from the archaea, Sulfolobus solfataricus, and has been shown to rearrange incorrectly made disulfide bonds despite the absence of internal cysteine residues, making its mechanism unique and elusive. Our hypothesis centers around investigating the unique mechanism enabling DBF to rearrange incorrectly made disulfides despite its absence of internal cysteine residues. Additionally, we are interested in using g-crystallin proteins as a test case to see if DBF has the ability to prevent or disassemble pre-made disulfide-mediated protein aggregates.

Student Outcomes: Students who participate in this research will have the ability to recombinantly express, purify and analyze proteins using E. coli as the expression system. Students will become familiar with sterile techniques, UV-Vis spectroscopy, IMAC purification and potentially analytical size exclusion chromatography. In addition, students will gain necessary skills in scientific communication through weekly group meetings and oral presentation(s) at local, regional, and even national conferences. Students will also have the opportunity to contribute to scientific journal articles based on the results obtained from their research.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sang Park, Institute of Cannabis Research Senior Scientist

Project Details: Invertebrate models traditionally conferred distinctive benefits over vertebrate models. The major benefits include the ease and low cost of rearing large number of specimens, and also enabling researchers to monitor multiple generations of genetically homogeneous population. Among the insect model systems, Dr. Sang Park focused on the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, as a novel insect model system for cannabinoid research. The insect model has a long history in research in insect physiology, biochemistry, neurobiology, and drug interaction studies. Thus Dr. Park utilizes the system to investigate pharmacological functions of minor cannabinoids, particularly studies involving non-CB receptor mediated pharmacokinetics. The relatively short life cycle and small size of M. sexta allow researchers to study the impacts of a cannabinoids over multiple generations that will allow for an experimental design in higher mammal model organisms.

Student Outcomes: Students will experience the novel invertebrate model system for cannabis and cannabinoids research. Students will explore unknown therapeutic functions of cannabinoids. Students will learn the defensive roles of cannabinoids against natural enemies.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Richard Farrer, Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry 

Find Out More about Dr. Farrer's Discovery Scholars Experience

Project Details: Since the students will not have completed General Chemistry, much of the initial work will be the fundamental chemistry that is involved in polymer chemistry and nanomaterials. Initially, student will be tasked with the production of polymer samples through a handful of different methods, including direct laser writing (DLW), electrospinning, and 3-D printing.

Student Outcomes: Students will create nanomaterials (gold nanoparticles, nanowires, quantum dots, etc.) in the laboratory, and will explore the differences between the nanomaterials and the bulk materials. Analysis of polymers and nanomaterials will introduce students to microscopy (both light and electron), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and chemical analyses. Students will be expected to present their work at group meetings and possibly at campus symposia.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bruce Lundberg

Project Details: The Project will explore the scientific and mathematical determination of the shape of the earth, which is still ongoing. It will focus on the science, math, people and places of the Struve Geodetic Arc Survey. The Survey was led by astronomer Frederick Wilhelm Struve over the years 1816-1855 and over 2820 kilometers through 10 countries from Ukraine (Black Sea) to Norway. Thirty four of the 265 station points in 258 main measured triangles are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites exhibiting outstanding international cooperation producing great advances in knowledge of the earth’s shape and size, and topographical mapping techniques. The mentor visited sites in Sweden and Finland in 2021-22.   

Student Outcomes: Students will discuss readings, research tasks and reports in weekly team and individual meetings. Integration of preliminary results and task adjustments will result from ongoing discussions.  A final team paper and presentations will be discussed and edited in the final two months. Student individual and team reports and presentations will involve combinations of science and math, geography, history and biography, and K-12 teaching through stories related to the Struve Survey. 

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bahaa Ansef, Associate Professor of Engineering 

Project Details: The AI system started to be part of human life and is affecting our lives in different ways. Smart applications like visual, text, interactive, functional and, analytic AI systems will shape the future of the current and future generations. To be an effective part of this AI revolution, virtually everyone will need a basic understanding of the technologies that underpin machine learning and artificial intelligence. Therefore, this project will be suitable for all degree majors. The proposed project aims to create an active learning environment for a group of discovery scholars (students) to understand the basics of AI technologies, systems, and ethics.

Student Outcomes: The students will learn to use free web-based tools to develop AI systems to solve daily life problems like time management budget optimization, image text, and sound recognition. The final products will be a group of small AI-based projects that were suggested and developed by the students and can be presented in the science and technology symposiums or conferences inside and outside the university.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tina Twilleger, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences and Human Movement

Find Out More about Team Performance

Project Details: In this project, students will work with two professors in Health Sciences and Human Movement to explore the topic of legal, over the counter (OTC), performance enhancers. Using a mixed-method, epidemiological approach to this two-part study, we will first design an online survey tool and interview guide that helps us to better describe college student use of legal, OTC, performance enhancers as well as their understand their knowledge of the benefits and risks of such use. We will analyze the survey data using descriptive statistics, and the interview data using an inductive coding process.  Next, for part-two of the study, using a nested sample of participants, we will conduct standard fitness testing on two matched groups of students to find the association between having a “good” score on the tests and the use of legal, OTC performance enhancers. 

Student Outcomes:The student researchers will gain skills in tool development, gathering and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data related to health promotion and exercise science, and creating materials for dissemination of research findings. The work will result in two presentations a the CSUP research symposium, and two research manuscripts.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. George Dallam, Professor of Exercise Science and Health Promotion

Project Details: The project will involve pre-post testing human subjects testing as well as an ongoing training program. Ideally students will have completed EPER 343/344/344L. Students will then develop skills in a wide variety of physiological measurement techniques including the collection of VO2,VCO2 and ventilation using a metabolic cart, the measurement of both arterial and muscle oxygen saturation using infra red sensors, the measurement of blood lactate using a dry chemistry method,  and measurement of heart rate and heart rate variability using blue tooth transmitters. Participating student researcher must be willing to be flexible around scheduling based on subject needs. 

Student Outcomes: This experience will require considerable hands on involvement on the part of the students who will engage in all aspects of the project including IRB application, testing, data analysis and formal presentation/publication.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christine Rochester, Professor, Health Sciences and Human Movement

Project Details: Student researchers will investigate the effectiveness of sustainability education in program called "Outdoor Physical Education. and sustainability. Students will do this by designing and implementing a pre and post test and leading focus group interviews.  They will also determine the results and present them.  

Student Outcomes: Students will learn how design reliable instruments, collect data, analyze data and make a research presentation. 

Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Volk, Professor of Music

Find Out More about the Composers Consortium 

Project Details: Compose and perform your own music 

Student Outcomes: Student will work within this group to help each other compose, produce, and record their own music in a live performance. Students will have a unique opportunity to be a part of the full creative activity of music making on a personal level and at a high level of personal achievement.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yunhan Zhao, Assistant Professor of Criminology

Project Details: It is estimated that there are over 25,000 surveillance cameras installed across the New York City. Where exactly are these cameras located? Are neighborhoods in the city equally surveilled based on public safety considerations? Or are the cameras also installed to monitor risky neighborhoods characterized by concentrated disadvantage, residential instability, and higher proportion of racial/ethnic minorities, giving rise to biased “digital frisking”? Using the most recent geocoded data of surveillance cameras, city infrastructures information, crime statistics and sociodemographic data, this project allows us to explore spatial distribution of surveillance cameras, discover potential spatial disparities of distribution and explain such disparities using theory-informed variables at census tract level. Distribution patterns will be first studied through Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) and then explained by multivariate statistical modelings. 

Student Outcomes: Students can expect to learn about spatial data structures, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), basic mapping skills and multivariate regression analysis. Students will help with literature review, designing research questions, and developing posters according to analytical results.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Briscoe

Project Details: This project will use the One Welfare framework to look at how social, environmental, and animal well-being are all interconnected. This includes looking at the relationships between economic growth and well-being, and how governments and communities balance the interests of different groups when making decisions and adapting to rapid social and environmental changes.

Student Outcomes: Students will learn how to use research databases, write literature reviews, and collect and analyze data.  Students will help design and implement research tools (e.g. administrative data analysis, surveys, interviews).

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aaron Johnson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology

Project Details: The Southern Colorado Cannabis Industry Ethnography will explore the everyday lives of the folks who work in the legal cannabis industry in Southern Colorado using a combination of participant observation, in-depth interviews, and the analysis of discourse found in marketing and social media. As an inductive project, themes in the shared culture, conventions, and social dynamics of cannabis industry employees and business owners will emerge over time. However, the project begins with a particular concern for those engaged in the "dirty work" (Douglas 1966) of the industry and the ways in which they manage the potential stigma associated with such.

Student Outcomes: Student scholars will learn of the sociological approach to qualitative / interpretive research, as well as engage in age-appropriate fieldwork, conduct qualitative interviews, and content analysis techniques. Student scholars will participate in the analysis of data and present findings in academic venues. More so, they will gain an in-depth insight into what it means to work in the legal cannabis industry.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carla Zimmerman, Assistant Professor of Psychology   

Can Your Smartphone affect your psychological well-being?

Project Details: Numerous studies link problematic use of smartphones to negative mental health outcomes, such as loneliness. However, these studies rely on measures of smartphone addiction, rather than specific types of smartphone usage. Other research indicates that using a social app on a smartphone reduced psychological distress in people who felt ignored and excluded. This suggests that it might not be the smartphone itself that is problematic, but what people do with their phones. The purpose of this study is to examine how psychological wellbeing is impacted by different types of social smartphone usage.

Student Outcomes: In the fall, students will work together to determine what kinds of smartphone interactions we will measure. Students will also complete ethics training for human subjects research. Once the survey design has been finalized, students will assist in preparing an IRB application for approval.

In the spring, students will collect data from CSUP students using the methods developed in the fall semester. Following data collection, students will assist in preparing data for analysis, including coding of “Screen Time” information. After analysis, students will be mentored in creating presentations for submission to Student Research Week and, if scheduling allows, the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association annual conference.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Strickler, Assistant Professor of Political Science

Project Details: This study explores how cross-party empathy can foster support for voting rights, free speech, minority protections, and other legal norms important to democracy. These norms are integral to fair governance and electoral competition, but with rising polarization and partisan vitriol, their support amongst the public is at a nadir. I argue that encouraging good faith empathic concern – imagining and sympathizing with the mental state of individuals across party lines – bolsters support for democratic norms, even when violating these norms would benefit one’s own party.  Part political philosophy and part social psychology, this project points to the role that empathetic disposition and perspective taking can play in preventing authoritarianism in the United States.

Student Outcomes: This project will rely partly on an original experiment that students will help design and implement. It will also rely on statistical analysis of nationally representative survey data. As such, students will gain experience with experimental design as well as survey data analysis and visualization. In addition, students will play an integral role in all aspects of the research process, from literature review, to theory building, to writing and revising a manuscript. In sum, students will receive well-rounded and robust training in social science research methodology.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Heidi Reynolds-Stenson, Assistant Professor of Sociology    

Research how Black Lives Matter Protests have affected Police Reform

Project Details: We will be able to test whether police departments in communities that have seen higher levels of BLM mobilization are more likely to subsequently adopt reforms, after controlling for other local factors which are likely correlated with BLM mobilization and police reform (e.g. city population, racial makeup, political climate, etc.). Creating this first nationally-representative dataset of police reform, and merging this with available data on police-caused deaths (from the Fatal Encounters dataset), will also allow us to test the effect of various police reforms on subsequent changes in the number of police-caused deaths in these localities in a way that is more systematic and rigorous than previous attempts at determining such effects (like those undertaken by the ""8 Can't Wait"" campaign). Finally, qualitative case studies will be conducted on select representative and anomalous cities identified through the quantitative analysis.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Rees, Professor of History   

Learn the history of Pueblo with Dr. Rees 

Student Outcomes: Students will explore local archives for primary sources on subjects that interest them. They'll curate those sources, scan. them and interpret them. Then they'll publish them online using a program called Scalar so that the world can see them. This helps the archive because studies have shown that the more of their documents and photos that are available online, the more this drives visits to the physical archives or museums. This helps the students because they will have a permanent URL which they can show to anyone (including potential employers) that will demonstrate the quality of their work. This will also demonstrate their computer skills. The deliverable is obviously the project online. However, it is worth noting that the best projects I've been involved with have lasted multiple semesters, the later semesters building on previous work so some of these projects may not be done in a semester or a year, but they will be more than presentable after 14 weeks.