CAS Undergraduate Research Fellowship
The College of Agricultural Sciences provides a small number of undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in the annual Undergraduate Research Fellowship experience. Offered each fall semester, the aim of this experience is to allow students an opportunity to find purpose, mentorship, and community within their academic discipline or agricultural interest. We also aspire to facilitate self-discovery through research engagement and to increase access for all undergraduate students to impactful science.
Apply By April 14, 2024
How Many Fellowships Are Awarded?
14 Fellowships
Fall 2024 will support up to 14 Fellowships. Fellowships last for the entire fall semester, and are completed by the end of the semester with encouragement and opportunity to present at CSU-sponsored symposiums in March and April.
Who Gets Priority?
We prioritize applicants who don’t have any previous research experience and individuals who have experienced under-representation in their lived experience.
About the Program

Get Real Research Experience
The CAS Undergraduate Research Fellowship give you the chance to build real research skills working with a faculty advisor on one of their most wicked problems.

Get Paid to do Research
Fellowships will start in the fall semester. You will get paid $15/hour, and be allotted 10 hours per week over a 15-week semester to complete your unique project.

Present Your Work
We encourage all our Fellows to present their final project at the Multicultural Undergraduate Research Art and Leadership Symposium or the Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity Showcase in spring of each year.
Support for Project Lead Faculty
Project leaders may receive up to $300 to assist with purchasing project supplies.
What You Gain From an Undergrad Fellowship
Solve Wicked Problems Now
Our fellows get to work on the most pressing questions facing us today.
Create Connections
Participating in undergraduate research gives you a connection to your major AND the people who are doing amazing research right now!
Higher Graduation Rates
Doing undergraduate research results in higher graduation rates.
The Application Process
Application Deadline
April 14, 2024
Step # 1
Browse the available research project descriptions in different labs across the College. Choose the lab and research project that interests you.
Step # 2
Follow the link to the the Application Page and apply for the research project and lab of your choice.
Questions
When will I start my fellowship?
Fall Semester 2024
How much will I have to work?
You will work up to 10 hours per week over the 15-week semester.
How much will I get paid?
$15/hr
Contact
Addy Elliott
Assistant Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success
adriane.elliott@colostate.edu
(970) 491-6984
Available Research Project Descriptions
Robyn Roberts: Plant Doctor- Diagnosing and Managing Diseases of Field Crops
Mentors: Lukas Migliano, Matt West
Agricultural Biology
Overall Description
Have you ever wondered why your garden looked so sad? Or your houseplant looked so sick? Did you *really* want to find out what was happening so you could fix it? Then the Wheat Pathology Lab might be the right fit for you! We study diseases of the most important crop of Colorado, wheat, while supporting the environment and plant, animal, and human health. Focusing on viruses, which can’t be cured from plants once they are infected, we study the molecular mechanisms behind wheat-virus interactions and are looking for ways to fight back against viruses, all while mitigating the effects of climate change on plant diseases.
Tasks to be completed
Molecular biology techniques (PCR, DNA/RNA extraction, etc), microbiology techniques (microbe preservation and detection), inoculating plants with viruses, and science communication.
Mentoring Opportunities
Invitation to lab meetings (with opportunities to practice talking about your science), presentations at MURALS or CURC, one-on-one meetings with plant pathologists, and career planning advice.
Terry Engle: Transcriptome analysis of sheep enterocytes and hepatocytes after copper supplementation by RNA-sequencing
Mentors: Julia Baroni Alves
Animal Sciences
Overall Description
If you are interested in having fun, working as part of a dynamic and energetic team, and working with livestock, the Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory is the place for you. Our laboratory is a fun and safe place to learn. We are currently investigating the regulatory mechanism associated with copper homeostasis in sheep to better understand the nutritional needs of small ruminants. You will have the opportunity to interact with animals, gain laboratory experience, learn RNA extraction, protein identification and quantification, and participate in other research projects that we are conducting in our laboratory. This is a great opportunity to learn and explore various aspects of research while deepening your knowledge in ruminant nutrition and molecular biology.
Tasks to be completed
Laboratory analysis, data interpretation, and data presentation.
Mentoring Opportunities
Time at ARDEC, weekly laboratory meetings, laboratory training, data presentation.
Devan Catalano: CRISP-3 as the signal for Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy in the Horse
Mentors: Stephen Coleman
Animal Sciences
Overall Description
To date, no one has determined the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) in the horse. In the pig, it has been suggested that the protein CRISP-3 is involved in MRP. We hope to determined its involvement in the horse.
Tasks to be completed
RNA isolation, PCR, data analysis.
Mentoring Opportunities
Invitation to lab meetings, participation in Equine Science Research Club, assistance with other projects.
Carleigh Fedorka: Evaluating the impact of seminal plasma exposure at the time of breeding on maternal immunity
Mentors: Stephen Coleman
Animal Sciences
Overall Description
We have found that how we breed our mares impacts the ability of the mare to tolerate the pregnancy. We believe that this is due to the reduction in seminal plasma in frozen semen, as well as no seminal plasma involved in embryo transfer. By addressing the impact of seminal plasma on maternal immunity, we can pursue seminal plasma as a “treatment” to improve pregnancy success.
Tasks to be completed
RNA isolation, PCR, RNASequencing, Data analysis
Mentoring Opportunities
Invitation to lab meetings, participation in Equine Sciences Research club, participation in other studies
Franck Dayan: Effect of formulations on herbicide efficacy
Mentors: Franck Dayan
Agricultural Biology
Overall Description
Fomesafen is a post-emergence herbicide that is applied on the foliage of young plants. It must penetrate the cuticle, cross the plasma membrane of cells, and reach its herbicide target site in the chloroplast envelop to be effective. One of the main limiting factors is the ability of the herbicide to penetrate the leaf cuticle and enter the plant cell. New formulations developed by a company called Exacto improve the activity of fomesafen. Our goal is to scientifically demonstrate how the new formulation enables better performance of this herbicide.
Tasks to be completed
There will be 6 different experiments to study this.
- Study 1. Imaging of pesticide droplets on leaf surfaces
- Study 2. Measuring absorption of fomesafen using LC-MS/MS analysis
- Study 3. Measuring protoporphyrin IX accumulation using LC-MS/MS analysis
- Study 4. Measuring electrolyte leakage using a conductivity probe
- Study 5. Measuring reactive oxygen species accumulation using staining methods in planta
- Study 6. Measuring membrane degradation (MDA accumulation) using a microplate reader
Mentoring Opportunities
Student will participate in weekly lab meeting, receive training by Dr. Dayan and/or graduate students with excellent laboratory skills. The students will be expected to give a presentation about themselves to the weed research group early on in their internship, then present a comprehensive report on the outcome of their activities. The student will be involved in writing a technical report to the company providing the material. Pending successful outcome of the research, the student will also contribute to the writing of a manuscript. As part of that experience, students will also be mentored in how to analyze data, generate graphs and figures and how to write a scientific paper.
Suellen Melzer: Predicting soil moisture across soil types of Colorado
Mentors: John Blackwell, Ian O’Banion, Gene Kelly
Soil and Crop Sciences
Overall Description
Colorado State University aims to expand the state’s soil moisture monitoring network, a project that will help farmers, researchers and water managers better understand drought and critical water supplies across the state. The water stored in soils is one of the world’s largest distributed pools of fresh water and has a central role in sustaining ecosystems and enabling adaptation to climate risks. In Colorado, the amount of water stored in soils is estimated to be 2.5 times as much as what flows along the surface. Existing monitoring, however, does not adequately capture Colorado’s diverse landscapes, river basins and land uses. What’s more, compared to other agricultural states, Colorado has very few soil moisture monitoring sites in relevant areas. The objective is to create a comprehensive repository of data and tools that cater to a diverse range of stakeholders, communities, managers, and scientists. To this end, our team aims to model the relationships between soil water and other soil characteristics to predict soil water budgets on the basis of soil type and mapping units across Colorado.
Tasks to be completed
Soil moisture monitoring will be inventoried and a gap analysis performed across the state of Colorado. This analysis will be coupled with available soil pedon data that will be located using digital soil mapping products and analyzed via ARC GIS, HYDRUS, and other statistical tools. Soils at key locations will be sampled and include characterization of dynamic soil properties (organic matter, soil structure, infiltration rate, bulk density, and water and nutrient holding capacity). Models built to establish the relationship between soil type (mapping units) and soil moisture will be tested in Colorado watersheds that are underrepresented with soil water monitoring stations.
This project included the following tasks: database management, spatial modeling, data analysis, field and laboratory soil characterization, and field sampling.
Mentoring Opportunities
Investigators will be trained to build databases, use digital soil mapping products, and be trained and accompanied in the field for pedon sampling. Access to mentorship from Soil and Crop Sciences professors and graduate students has already been established and will include weekly to biweekly meetings to provide support and keep the investigators on task and the project on target.
Caitlin Cadaret: Reproductive Management of Adult and Replacement Ewes
Mentors: Caitlin Cadaret
Animal Sciences
Overall Description
Sheep are short day seasonal breeders, meaning that they are only cycling and receptive to the ram during the fall months. Since this time frame is limited, accurate and efficient detection of puberty, ovulation, and pregnancy are important to maintaining a high pregnancy rate and eventual lamb crop. This project will focus on maintaining high pregnancy rates between ewes that are estrous synched and naturally serviced while monitoring for attainment of puberty in the growing ewe lambs. This fellow will specifically be involved in the implementation of estrous synching protocols, pregnancy detection, blood collections for puberty attainment, and body weight monitoring.
Tasks to be completed
The selected fellow will have the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the research they are interested in. This includes opportunities to gain experience with animal husbandry, feeding, weighing, health analysis, blood collection, vaccinating, and lamb processing. The specific tasks this fellow will be responsible for are those related to ewe and ewe lamb animal body weight, body condition score, and blood and tissue collection. Additionally, this fellow will be highly involved in the implementation of estrous synchronization and pregnancy detection of breeding ewes including application of synchronization hormones, blood pregnancy testing, and ultrasound.
Mentoring Opportunities
The fellow will get to spend a lot of time at CSU’s ARDEC facility doing on the farm handling work under the direct mentorship of Dr. Cadaret and/or graduate students. They will have the opportunity to be involved in weekly lab meetings and discipline specific seminars with other undergraduate and graduate student and faculty in the department. At the end of their fellowship, they will present their finding at an on-campus research fair with the potential of traveling with the lab to societal and industry meetings to present their research there.
Punya Nachappa: Examining the adaptive roles of plant defensive chemistry on pest resistance in Cannabis sativa
Mentors: Jacob MacWilliams
Agricultural Biology
Overall Description
This project focuses on a better understanding of plant – pest interactions with a focus on the role of cannabinoids. There are multiple hypothesis on the evolution/development of cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa including as a form of pest resistance. We have access to 250 different hemp genotypes that vary in their cannabinoid profiles. This project will look to see which genotypes are most susceptible and most resistant to the one of the major Cannabis pests, cannabis aphids. Once genotypes of interest are identified, the metabolites of those genotypes will be measured to identify the source of resistance. With this knowledge there is a potential to breed naturally more resistant plants to cannabis aphids.
Tasks to be completed
Plant 250 different hemp genotypes, screen aphids on 250 different hemp genotypes, collect tissue after screen, help assist in sample extraction for metabolite quantification.
Mentoring Opportunities
Working in greenhouse environment, working with plants, working with insect, molecular work, invitation to lab meetings, opportunities to present their research including at CURC 2025
Chad Miller: Effects of Production Methods on Phytochemical Compositions of Edible Flowers
Mentors: Makenzie Lee
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Overall Description
Edible flowers, in addition to their aesthetic appeal in creating visually attractive food, are gaining awareness for their positive impact on human health and nutrition. Edible flowers and edible ornamentals can be used in a diverse range of consumables, for example, teas, ice cream, cocktails, and baked goods. This wide range of usage is important to food product manufacturers and crop producers who provide consumables for wholesale and retail food supply outlets and restaurants looking to add unusual, novel, and intriguing menu additions.
One of our research project objectives is to evaluate the influence different production methods have on the flower yields and phytochemical content (e.g., antioxidants and other secondary metabolites) of some edible flower crops. The research will look at controlled environment versus conventional production systems, along with different cultivation systems within the controlled environment, such as hydroponic versus traditional container growing. This will be the first comprehensive study of controlled environment conditions for edible flower phytochemical content.
Tasks to be completed
The student fellow will assist with greenhouse and laboratory-based research activities. These activities would include research plant maintenance (i.e., watering, fertilizing, measuring pH and salt levels of the media, etc.) and assisting with data collection (i.e., counting flowers, plant growth characteristics, etc.). Additionally, the fellow would assist with harvesting flowers and the metabolite analyses, using prepared and guided instructions.
Mentoring Opportunities
The student fellow will be included in weekly lab meetings with Makenzie to discuss the research project. Makenzie will also provide guidance on data collection and data management by having the student fellow contribute to the lab notebook. They will be engaged in research on the CSU main campus in Fort Collins in the Horticulture Center and/or in Nutrien Ag Science Building. They may have the opportunity to also participate in research trials being conducted at the Metropolitan Agricultural Research Center (MARC) at the SPUR campus. The mentors will also work with the student fellow to prepare a poster or other appropriate information to present through campus events (e.g., MURALS, CURC, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Student showcases). In addition, there would opportunities to present information and research at professional meetings, both state and national venues (e.g., ProGreen, American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, NACTA Teaching Conference, etc.)
Joshua Craver: Poinsettia Trials at the CSU Horticulture Center
Mentors: Dr. Chad Miller and Mike Hazlett
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Overall Description
Colorado is a leading horticulture and floriculture production state. One important floriculture crop has been poinsettias, which are marketed around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Plant breeding companies continually develop and market varieties for specific areas of the United States, based upon growing conditions as well as a variety of quality traits (e.g., color, size, flowering time). The goal of this project is to grow ~45 different varieties of poinsettia, demonstrating feasibility of those selections for Colorado horticulture industry professionals who may be interested in growing this crop.
Tasks to be completed
The research fellow will be tasked with assisting the mentors with taking plant growth data. These data will assist in producing market quality poinsettias. The fellow will also assist with general plant care and maintenance, including watering, fertilizing, soil analyses (e.g., pH and electrical conductivity), and maintaining proper growth parameters (e.g., photoperiod control).
The fellow will also assist with the industry-centered poinsettia trial open house. The event will attract ~50 to 75 industry professionals, from Colorado and national companies cooperating with this event.
Mentoring Opportunities
The student fellow will be included in weekly lab meetings to discuss the progress of the poinsettia crops. The student fellow will also be heavily engaged with the open house activity, and have ample opportunity to engage with Colorado horticulture stakeholders, along with other industry professionals. The student fellow will have the opportunity to develop professional speaking and presentation skills, presenting results of the project at a professional horticulture conference or tradeshow (e.g., ProGreen Expo) and also opportunities on campus through undergraduate research events. We will also look to provide opportunities for the student fellow to contribute to professional and trade publication communications, as appropriate.
Vamsi Nalam: Exploring Rhythmic Gene Expression in the Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid
Mentors: Daniel Kunk, Jinlong Han
Agricultural Biology
Overall Description
This project contributes to our understanding of gene expression dynamics in aphids, specifically Rhopalosiphum padi. By uncovering temporal patterns in the expression of a variety of genes, we can better understand how aphids are adjusting their biology over the course of the day in response to light regimes, their host plants, and other environmental factors. Knowledge gained from this project will be crucial for understanding how the plant-aphid relationship changes over the course of a day with the hopes to create more effective and sustainable pest control strategies.
Tasks to be completed
During this project the student will cultivate and maintain experimental plants and insect colonies. Additionally, the student will manage their lab space by performing essential housekeeping duties, including autoclaving equipment, preparing media, and cleaning used materials. Furthermore, they will learn and execute RNA extractions from insect samples. Finally, the student will learn and perform quantitative PCR (qPCR), measuring the expression levels of genes of interest. These hands-on experiences will deepen their understanding of molecular biology and contribute to the broader scientific community’s knowledge of aphid biology and temporal gene regulation.
Mentoring Opportunities
Dr. Vamsi, the Principal Investigator (PI), can hold weekly meetings with the student. These sessions serve as a platform for general guidance, where they can discuss project progress, scientific questions, and broader research directions. Dr. Vamsi will also provide instruction on lab techniques, ensuring the student gains proficiency in experimental methods.
Daniel, the graduate student mentor, will provide hands-on training. He will teach all laboratory methods used in the project. Specifically, Daniel will guide the student on maintaining aphid colonies, performing RNA extractions, and conducting qPCR experiments. Beyond training, Daniel will offer valuable advice on navigating paths to graduate program if interested.
Dr. Jinlong, the postdoctoral researcher, will also be available to provide assistance in lab techniques and interpretation of results.
In addition to these opportunities, the student will be able to present their research in weekly lab meetings as well as have the opportunity to present at local undergraduate research showcases.
Tanja Hess: Time budget of horses used in the Temple Grandin Equine Center for Equine Assisted Services
Mentors: Jessica C Seabra
Animal Sciences
Overall Description
Equine assisted services (EAS) involve the use of equine-related activities to contribute positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of humans. Horses used in EAS usually come to be therapy horses as a second career. Many of those horses are older and present preexisting health problems that can affect their wellbeing. On the other hand, factors like housing, diet, and general health conditions have also been shown to influence equine welfare directly. Recent studies revealed that restricted access to roughage can directly influence equine behavior and has been associated with health problems in horses, like gastric ulcers and colic, in addition to the emergence of stereotypes and abnormal behaviors. Due to the average age of these horses, dental abnormalities such as missing teeth are a common problem among animals engaged in Equine Assisted Services. Therefore, the use of forage substitutes and forage mashes are a common practice that could lead to alterations in the time-budget and emergence of stereotypes and abnormal behaviors. Ambulation difficulty due to joint degeneration (osteoarthritis), or equine asthma (allergies to dust from forages) are also common problems that affect the feeding management for these horses.
Time-budget is a term that can be defined as the daily amount of time an animal engages in behavioral activities. Researchers used direct observations of feral horse populations to construct the natural “time-budget” of this species. Domesticated horses will display time budgets similar to those of feral horses when given the opportunity. Therefore, domesticated horses are often compared to feral individuals from the same species. With that in mind, differences in the time-budgets of domesticated horses compared to feral conspecifics are currently used to reveal welfare impairment. The analysis of the time budgets of EAS horses will allow us to identify abnormal behaviors in EAS horses, and associate these with common feeding management practices used at TGEC. The identification of the time budget associated management abnormal behaviors will help help other EAS centers to manage their own horses and improve their horses’ wellbeing. The results of the time budget analysis will not only allow us to find the best management practices for EAS horses but also for the older horse population in general.
Tasks to be completed
The selected student will be trained to perform behavioral assessments in horses, recognizing normal and abnormal behaviors in this species, analyzing half of the total video recordings for the study, and analyzing the time budgets of horses used in EAS. The student will also help with data analyses and presentation of the results. At the end of the project, the student will have her/his name included in any publications associated with the study.
Mentoring Opportunities
Mentoring opportunities will consist of presence advisor/s during therapy sessions at the TGEC Mentor(s) will help with the analysis of time budget videos, help in the statistical analysis of time budgets, help in the preparation of the poster for presentation at CURC, and help to prepare an oral presentation at the Equine Science Society symposium that will be at CSU in 2025.
Bjorn Willige: Testing beneficial bacteria in crops
Mentors: Paola Saldierna Guzman
Soil and Crop Sciences
Overall Description
Bacterial endophytes are microorganisms that live inside plant tissues without deteriorating their hosts’ health. Instead, these endophytes can be beneficial for plants. For instance, endophytic bacteria can provide nutrients to their host thus reducing the need for exogenous fertilizer application. Therefore, these bacteria could be a great tool to keep high crop yields, while accomplishing a more sustainable agriculture. However, little is known how these bacteria function inside their plant hosts.
Tasks to be completed
The student will grow different crops and will inoculate the plants with a bacterial strain using hydroponic systems. By this means the student will be able to test if this bacterium can promote growth of different crops and provide information how versatile the bacterium could be utilized. Additionally, the student will learn and apply molecular biology lab techniques that will help to understand how the bacterium is functioning inside their hosts.
More information about the bacterium we are studying can be found in this publication:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.687971/full
Mentoring Opportunities
We hope that this research experience will provide a great introduction to plant biology, microbiology, and molecular biology. We will teach a new technique first by explaining the concept and the individual steps. Then we will demonstrate the technique, since in our experience most students appreciate a visual learning approach. Afterwards, we will allow the student to make their own hands-on experience under our direct supervision. Once all steps of a method are learned, we will give the student space to apply the technique on their own without direct supervision. Here, students might run into problems. However, making mistakes is essential for any learning experience and Paola or I will always be available in the laboratory and will help to troubleshoot until the student gained the ability to use a lab technique independently.
Daniel Burcham: Climate change adaptation in urban forestry: Cold hardiness tests for novel tree species in Colorado landscapes
Mentors: Jonathan Martin, Freddie Haberecht
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Overall Description
The extensive tree canopy shading many Colorado communities, sometimes called “forest towns”, reflects people’s deep and longstanding affinity for trees, and there is a enduring appreciation for the many ways trees improve people’s lives today. Interestingly, nearly all of the trees growing in Colorado’s towns and cities were imported from elsewhere, and many are concerned about the suitability of existing trees for future conditions amid a changing climate. In a region with limited water resources, the importance of drought and heat tolerant trees is clear, but the semi-arid regional climate regularly experiences drastic temperature fluctuations with severe cold snaps. Although drastic freezes will moderate slightly, they will continue to happen, and it will be important to consider the cold hardiness of trees alongside other important characteristics. This project will characterize the cold hardiness of several tree species imported from warmer climates to help communities select appropriate trees for future conditions. Specifically, the undergraduate fellow will help develop and validate the use of differential thermal analysis (DTA) for determining the temperatures associated with lethal freezing of vegetative buds.
Tasks to be completed
The student will help conduct cold hardiness measurements of vegetative buds extracted from multiple tree species using differential thermal analysis (DTA) during the early months of the 2024-2025 winter season. As part of the tests, the student will assist with sample preparation, instrumentation, data acquisition, and the analysis and interpretation of measurements. To confirm the identification of lethal freezing events in specific tissues, the student will validate and complement DTA measurements using separate oxidative browning and electrolyte leakage tests. Ultimately, the student will measure early-season cold hardiness, validate test procedures, and identify tissue damaged by lethal freezing events in vegetative buds. The student will summarize their work using interactive RMarkdown or Quarto documents containing a written summary of their work alongside code for data analysis and graphical summaries.
Mentoring Opportunities
The student will receive individual training and mentorship for all aspects of their project. The student will also participate in regular collaborative meetings related to a broader research project investigating climate adaptation in urban forestry involving measurements of drought tolerance, water use, and cold hardiness in trees; and the student will interact with professionals directly affected by the research in the green industry.