Colorado Mountain Research
Are you a biology nut who wants to roll up your sleeves and do a little field research? Check out University of Colorado’s Mountain Research Station, where you will spend a week working on research projects in areas like ecology, entomology and climate science. This is a really unique opportunity to work with scientists and university students, and could be the foundation for a really interesting long-term science project.
Come spend a week living and working as a scientist at 9,500 feet! In this five-day residential field course for high school students, we'll stay at CU’s Mountain Research Station (MRS), an active field research station located near Nederland. Throughout the week, we will work with CU faculty and undergraduate and graduate student researchers on a variety of research projects that span disciplines such as ecology and evolutionary biology, entomology, geosciences, limnology, plant ecology and climate science. We'll also attend evening presentations given by MRS scientists. The Mountain Research Experience is the perfect way to get a taste of scientific research while living, working (and playing volleyball!) with CU field scientists! Students should enjoy spending long days outside, getting dirty, working hard, and learning about what it’s really like to do research in the field.
How do I get started? Click here.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Looking for ways to continue some of the great work you did over the summer? Consider a local environmental project or experiment that promotes science research and or sustainability. For example:
Make sure to leave your time at Colorado Mountain Research with a long-term plan for continuing your research (and, ideally, also a mentor to help oversee and troubleshoot your work). Identify one of the big science fairs (like Regeneron STS) and shoot high!
Start a Tulip Test Garden and advance our understanding of how climate change is impacting the cycles of perennial flowers
If are a girl, consider spending a fascinating summer doing research on a glacier with Girls on Ice
Engage in urban beautification through Guerrilla Gardening or Incredible Edible
Take you interest in biology to outer space when you send a science experiment to the International Space Station through Cubes in Space or Dream Up
HOT TIP: It’s not often that teens are able to do serious research alongside scientists and graduate and undergraduate students. Use the opportunity to learn more about what it’s like to study and work in science at a higher level. This is also a great opportunity for you to develop a mentoring relationship and connect with other peers interested in your field of study. It’s also potentially a pretty interesting experience to write about in an essay Don’t waste the moment!