Henry Arndt

Henry is a native of Fort Collins and currently attends Front Range Community College. He is a foodie and loves to fish. His greatest passion is the ocean, and he loves to research it, watch the waves, swim in it, and learn the absolutely extraordinary facts about it. His favorite book is The Handy Ocean Answer Book!

Henry is one of the pioneering students in the new Associates of Applied Science in Geospatial Studies and is on track to graduate in the spring of 2018. While at Front Range, Henry established the GIS club. He plans to transfer to one of three schools: University of Maryland College Park, University of Alaska in Anchorage, or University of Louisville in Kentucky to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Geographic Information Systems. Henry is excited to work hard in a professional career in a field that taps into his best skill and greatest passion alike.

Research Project: The Gold Standard of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing. Mentor: Kristy Tiampo, CIRES.

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Kara Garcia

Originally from Virginia, Kara now lives in Colorado and attends Front Range Community College (FRCC). She is currecntly exploring which courses she needs to obtain an AS with a Degree of Designation in Biology.

Kara's original plan when she started community college two years ago was to transfer to CSU Fort Collins for a major in horticulture and eventually establishing a large, organic and sustainable greenhouse for produce as to grow year round in this region. She is now interested in pursuing a major in environmental studies and forest ecology at CU Boulder. Over these last couple of years her interests have evolved into a much bigger picture, what that picture is exactly, she is still configuring.

Project Title: Hydraulic Conductivity Among Varied Elevation Gradients within Boulder Creek CZO & Niwot Ridge LTER. Mentor: Ryan Webb, INSTAAR.

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Lady Grant

Lady is currently enrolled at the Community College of Denver and plans to transfer to a 4 year institution next fall for biochemistry and soil science. Her passion for growing food and her growing concern for soil fertility is what inspired her to get into research. Her goal is to work with large-scale farmers to begin producing better farming methods that have a lower impact on the environment by incorporating knowledge of the biogeochemical pathways within soils, as well as the microbial communities that populate these systems. She hopes to find a way to move away from chemically unavailable soil additives and fertilizers to a more holistic approach.  

Project Title: Aluminum Phosphate Solubilization of Fungal and Bacterial Communities in Tropical Soils. Mentors: Tess Brewer and Noah Fierer, CIRES.

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Alex McPherson

Alex is from a family of Colorado natives. He enjoys spending time outdoors and is a fly fishing aficionado.

Unsure of what to do after high school, Alex took a gap year and lived in Puebla, Mexico. Upon his return to the states, he attended the University of Denver and majored in Sociology and Spanish. It wasn't until his senior year that Alex took another science class, which he loved (and thought "Oh no, I've studied the wrong thing!"). He then taught kindergarten and special education in a charter school and after five years, feeling that teaching was not his life calling, he enrolled at the Community College of Denver to study STEM while still teaching part-time. This fall, Alex will attend the University of Colorado Denver in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
 
Alex's philosophy is “take your opportunities when they come”!

Project Title: Developing data analysis techniques for observed aerosol optical properties and wind direction at Mauna Loa Observatory. Mentors: Patrick Sheridan and John Ogren, NOAA.

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Joseph Miotke

Joe grew up in the town of Laporte, Colorado. He enjoys being outdoors—mountain biking, hiking, and camping. He also has martial arts training in Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu.

Joe attends Front Range Community College and is working towards an Associate of Science degree. While at FRCC, Joe gained field research experience through his involvement in an invasive species and ecosystem restoration project. In the fall of 2018, Joe plans to attend Colorado State University and major in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. After that, he is interested in pursuing a graduate degree at CSU, with a specialization in human and environment interactions. Joe is also interested in a career in field research and possibly teaching in the future.

Project Title: Quantifying the Role of Phosphorus from the Crater Gulch Watershed in Grand Lake Transparency. Mentor: Jimmy McCutchan, CIRES.

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Anjelique Morine

Anjelique is a Colorado native from San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado. She currently lives in Denver, but spends as much time as possible in her beloved hometown. Through her education, she hopes to give back to her community. She has always been fascinated by the physical geography of the San Luis Valley, and even though not in her initial plans, the land has called her back.

Science was not her original area of study, but after being exposed to the sciences at Red Rocks Community College along with a great instructor, she changed her course of studies. She will be attending CU Denver this coming fall to pursue a degree in urban planning, as well as a certificate in urban sustainability. She is currently working at NOAA with the Geomagnetism team to better understand the magnetic field specifically in Boulder, CO. Though a small scale in comparison to the world, she hopes to model this data as an example for future use.

Project Title: Can We Correctly Identify Magnetic Anomalies Through the Crowdmag Application In Order to Better Navigate? Mentors: Rick Saltus and Manoj Nair, NOAA.

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William Radmacher

While at Front Range Community College (FRCC) in Fort Collins, William was the president of the Students for Sustainability and Horticulture Clubs. As a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success program, William received an Engaged Leader Award for a student community service project that he and some of his peers collaborated on to create raised-bed gardens to supplement FRCC’s existing sustainable garden. The food grown by this project contributed to the college’s “Food for Thought” food pantry for students.
 
This year, William received an Associate of Science degree with Horticulture and GIS certificates. Next fall, he will attend the University of Northern Colorado to study Environmental Earth Science. William’s future plan is to attend graduate school and pursue a career in climate change research.

Project Title: The Effect of Climate Variability on Drought in the Great Plains. Mentors: Candida Dewes and Imtiaz Rangwala, CIRES.

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Rebecca Holmes

Rebecca is currently a community college student from Newport News, Virginia. She recently received an Associate’s Degree in Social Science, graduating summa cum laude from Thomas Nelson Community College. However, she has changed her path and will now pursue a second Associate’s Degree in Applied Science.

Rebecca plans to transfer to CU Boulder to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology. Currently, she is working with the geophysics department at CU Boulder to help better understand the seismic character of earthquake events in Greeley, CO. Although this region is not usually associated with earthquake events, induced seismicity has been occurring from the injection of wastewater after oil drilling practices. This project will help establish better mitigation efforts for those regions that are affected by induced seismicity.

Project Title: Induced Seismicity in Greeley, Colorado: The Effects of Pore Pressure on Seismic Wave Character. Mentor: Kyren Bogolub, Geological Sciences.

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April Schroeder

April grew up fishing, camping and mushroom picking in Michigan. As a teenager, she was introduced to the beauty of mountains when her family moved to Utah. After graduating from high school, she joined the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman with hopes of helping people and traveling the world. She now lives in Denver with her husband, son, and two cats. They enjoy hiking, camping and traveling.

She currently attends Community College of Aurora where she plans to graduate with her Associates in Science with a concentration in Biology. April later hopes to attend Colorado State University for further education in ecological restoration.

Project Title: Quantifying Human Influences in the Boulder Creek. Mentor: Ted Stets, USGS.

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Sheena Skinner

Sheena is originally from New England and has lived in several places throughout the country, finally settling in Denver, CO with her husband and two brothers four years ago. She lives for the outside and spends her time hiking, camping, getting lost and exploring the mountains with her border collie Max. Her favorite places are national parks and forests, and these interests are what led her to the educational path she is on.

Sheena attends Red Rocks Community College, pursuing a geology degree, and plans to attend University of Colorado in Boulder to complete her Bachelor's Degree with a focus on geology and climate change studies. Sheena feels extremely lucky for the experience she has had at RRCC and specifically for Dr. Camann, and her ability to help students develop and enhance their interests in science.

Project Title: Effects of wind speed, atmospheric and sea surface temperature on calving events at Helheim Glacier. Mentor: Tasha Snow, Geography.

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Jason Swain

Originally from California, Jason moved to Colorado Springs when he was 12 years old. He has a passion for backcountry skiing and backpacking. Jason earned the rank of Eagle in the Boy Scouts and for his Eagle Scout Project he replaced dilapidated birdhouses throughout his school's property with sturdy, weather-proof birdhouses. He also enjoys iron and woodworking.

Jason currently attends Colorado Mountain College in Keystone, CO and is pursuing an Associate of Science degree. He has a dream of studying in Iceland to learn more about alternative energy projects in Europe and to apply this knowledge back in the US. In the fall of 2018, Jason plans to transfer to Colorado State University and major in Geology. He eventually aims to earn a Master's degree in Geophysics.

Project Title: Quantifying the Influence of Mountain Elevation on Colorado Weather Forecasting Inaccuracies. Mentor: Juliana Dias, CIRES.

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