Project Title: Are 'Downscaled' Climate Models Good Enough for Pikas? A Test with Data from American Pika Habitats on Niwot Ridge

Mentors: Chris Ray and Airy Peralta, CU Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Bio: Crystal moved to Colorado after living in Mexico for most of her life. First-generation and first female to attend university in her family. Currently, Crystal is studying her bachelor’s in architectural engineering with a minor in Management and Construction at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Where she is also is part of the AEI (Architectural Engineering Institute) club as a treasure. She is part of the Ball Sisters, The Access and inclusion peer mentor & mentee, and TRIO programs in CU at Boulder. 

During last year before transferring to Boulder, Crystal completes her Associate in science in Community College of Aurora.  Crystal worked to compete in the Wearable Quest Challenge where she researched building a glove suitable for use in space that will also communicate the biological statistics of the wearer back to Earth. Crystal has also worked with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium to build robotics and participated in NASA’s annual Robotics Challenge in her first year of college. Additionally, Crystal has experience as a student engagement ambassador in a student life office and a teaching assistant in the robotics lab.

Crystal is the former President of the LatinX Student Alliance, former Student Government Association, and member of the State Student Advisory Council. Upon degree completion, her main goal and dream are to focus on creating sustainable systems for new and old structures that will benefit the environment and sustain a better quality of life to help combat our global warming issues.

View Crystal's elevator speech, poster, and oral presentation.