Faculty Grants

2026-27 Academic Year Faculty Project Grants

Timothy O'Neil — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:26:02 +0000

2026-27 Academic Year Faculty Project Grants Timothy O'Neil Wed, 04/29/2026 - 12:26

These inspiring faculty were awarded UROP Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects next academic year.

Projects

135

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Departments

$76,000

Funding

2026-27 Academic Year Team Grants

Integrating community science and parasite ecology to understand osprey exposure risk to Black Spot Syndrome in Florida

Mentor: Dana Calhoun
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Insect Diversity and Abundance in Apple Tree as Ecosystem Service Study

Mentor: Lisa Corwin
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Hindsight Creative Nonfiction

Mentor: Jay Ellis
Department: Program for Writing and Rhetoric

Autistic Life and Language

Mentor: Kira Hall
Department: Linguistics

Power, Participation, and Impact: Evaluating Community-Engaged Design in Medellín

Mentor: Valeria Henao Cano
Department: Environmental Design

How Breathing Shapes Speech in Cerebellar Disease

Mentor: Allison Hilger
Department: Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

�鶹��Ժ-Led Online Depository for Rosetta’s Tangible and Intangible Heritage.

Mentor: Azza Kamal
Department: Environmental Design

Using PAR to study how students experience new “all comers” policies

Mentor: Ben Kirshner
Department: School of Education, Learning Sciences & Human Development

Environmental design factors related to student experience, performance and wellbeing

Mentor: Case Lindberg
Department: Environmental Design

Forest/Road: Exhibiting the Spatial and Political Imprint of the Amazonian Infrastructures

Mentor: Zannah Matson
Department: Environmental Design

A Functional Genomics Approach to Understanding the Evolution of “Endless Forms"

Mentor: Daniel Medeiros
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

2027 Senior Showcase: Theatre & Musical Theatre

Mentor: Tamara Meneghini
Department: Theatre & Dance

Using RNA-based fluorescent biosensors to study metabolic changes in breast cancer

Mentor: Amy Palmer
Department: Biochemistry

Investigating zinc regulation in breast cancer

Mentor: Amy Palmer
Department: Biochemistry

The Middle School Ensembles Program

Mentor: David Rickels
Department: College of Music, Music Education

A Dynamic and Interactive Sensory Mapping Approach to Support Neurodivergent Sensory Experiences

Mentor: Elena Sabinson
Department: Environmental Design

Circularity in Practice: Learning from Informal Settlements in Medellín

Mentor: Jota Samper
Department: Environmental Design

Recovering Trans Latinx Disco Nightlife: The GG Barnum Room in 1970s New York

Mentor: Kristie Soares
Department: Women & Gender Studies

Impact Playback: Empowering �鶹��Ժ & Communities through Engaged Theatre

Mentor: Jim Walker
Department: Undergraduate Enrichment Programs

Details

UROP Team Project Grants support research and creative projects involving two or more CU Boulder undergraduates. Recipients have the option to promote their projects as an Open Opportunity on the UROP website. Leading up to the time projects are posted in the spring, UROP invites students to join an email list to be alerted with they can browse and apply for opportunities. 500+ students regularly add their names, hoping for an opportunity to engage.

Spring 2026 Review Cycle

Student Grants

Faculty Grants

Issue: 2026 Summer & 2026-27 Academic Year UROP Grants

These inspiring faculty were awarded UROP Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects next academic year.

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2026 Summer & 2026-27 Academic Year UROP Grants

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2026 Summer Faculty Project Grants

Timothy O'Neil — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:24:32 +0000

2026 Summer Faculty Project Grants Timothy O'Neil Wed, 04/29/2026 - 12:24

These inspiring faculty were awarded UROP Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects this summer.

Projects

�鶹��Ժ

Departments

$76,000

Funding

2026 Summer Team Grants

Mapping the Electric-Field–Responsive Landscape of Cell Surface Proteins

Mentor: Nathan Belliveau
Department: Biochemistry

Understanding How People Learn From Spherical Visualizations

Mentor: Grace Bennett-Pierre
Department: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science

Exploring Stakeholder Perspective Taking in Engineering Design

Mentor: Grace Burleson
Department: Mechanical Engineering

Insect Diversity and Abundance in Apple Tree as Ecosystem Service Study

Mentor: Lisa Corwin
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Changing Skies: Writing Through the Climate Crisis

Mentor: Jay Ellis
Department: Program for Writing and Rhetoric

Summer Internship in Contemplative Arts and Mindful Living

Mentor: Holly Gayley
Department: Religious Studies

Critical Cartographies of the San Luis Valley: Mapping Identity through Acequias and Vernacular Socio-Ecological Practices

Mentor: Juan Grisales
Department: Environmental Design

Student-Driven & Constructed Community in Development Applications

Mentor: Michael Hannigan
Department: Mechanical Engineering

SWIMS: An Animated Film

Mentor: Tara Knight
Department: Critical Media Practices

Effects of chronic psychosocial stress on hippocampal neuroinflammation and behavioral coping style

Mentor: Christopher Lowry
Department: Integrative Physiology

Mountaintop animal responses to climate change

Mentor: Christy McCain
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Canaries in the coal mine: maintaining long-term research in Colorado’s mountain lakes

Mentor: Isabella Oleksy
Department: Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Using RNA-based fluorescent biosensors to study metabolic changes in breast cancer

Mentor: Amy Palmer
Department: Biochemistry

Defining how zinc regulation is altered in breast cancer

Mentor: Amy Palmer
Department: Biochemistry

Moth pollination in the Rocky Mountains

Mentor: Ryan St. Laurent
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; Natural History Museum

Anticipating climate effects in Boulder grasslands: conservation and restoration in a changing world.

Mentor: Katharine Suding
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

The seeds for fire-smart grassland restoration: training the next generation of community-engaged ecologists through community partnerships

Mentor: Katharine Suding
Department: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Machine learning Assisted Vascular Materials Design

Mentor: Wei Tan
Department: Mechanical Engineering; Bioengineering

Impact Playback Ensemble: Summer Outreach Residency and Program Development

Mentor: Jim Walker
Department: Undergraduate Enrichment Programs

Details

Spring 2026 Review Cycle

Student Grants

Faculty Grants

Issue: 2026 Summer & 2026-27 Academic Year UROP Grants

These inspiring faculty were awarded UROP Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects this summer.

Off

Zebra Striped

2026 Summer & 2026-27 Academic Year UROP Grants

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2025-26 Academic Year Faculty Grants

Timothy O'Neil — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:20:00 +0000

2025-26 Academic Year Faculty Grants Timothy O'Neil Thu, 04/24/2025 - 23:20

These inspiring faculty were awarded Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects next Academic Year.

Open Opportunities

Each spring, UROP invites CU Boulder undergraduates to join a team of students working with faculty on projects in many majors. Leading up to the time projects are posted, UROP invites students to join an email list to be alerted with they can browse and apply for opportunities. 500+ students regularly add their names, hoping for an opportunity to engage. We invite faculty to consider applying for a Team Grant in next year's application cycle to join the movement!

Team Grant Recipients & Project Titles

Team Grants

$4,000 each

Caitlin Charlet
Online GIS Mapping of Global Temperature Changes, Climate Regions, and Natural Materials for Accessible, Local and Sustainable Building.

Laura Conway
Give Us the Camera! : An Open Access Digital Humanities Publication on Equity in Media Arts

Joshua Correll
Encouraging broader participation in eye-tracking research

Lisa Corwin
Social Networks and Student Outcomes in Residential Field Courses

Jay Ellis
Hindsight Creative Nonfiction

Valeria Henao
Evaluating comprehension of complex tridimensional systems such as recycling using 3d models with stakeholders, The case of the city of Boulder.

Azza Kamal
Climate Change Risk: A documentation of Rosetta's Cultural Heritage, Egypt.

James Walker
Impact Playback - Empowering �鶹��Ժ & Communities through Engaged Theatre

Pui Fong Kan
The Effect of Speech Practice on Word Learning in English-Speaking Monolinguals Across Multiple Languages

Joseph Maclennan
Experimental Investigation of Fluid Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Films and Filaments

Suzanne Magnanini
Storytelling and Ways of Knowing: Curating a digital and in-person exhibit

Joshua Manning
The effects of species interactions on social and movement behavior in bicolor damselfish on Caribbean coral reefs

Zannah Matson
Voices for Territory: Supporting Colombian Land Defenders through Digital Humanities Research

Tamara Meneghini
2025 Senior Showcase Experience

Terri Wilson
Private Choices, Public Goals: Exploring Parents’ Experiences with Open Enrollment

Angela Thieman Dino
"Street-Smart" Engineering Leadership: Learning from Alumni Outreach Inquiry

Bhuvana Narasimhan
Investigation of the Conceptual Foundations of Early Number Development

Amy Palmer
How nutritional zinc affects breast cancer cells

Anthony Pinter
Developing peer mentorship structures in undergraduate engineering programs

David Rickels
The Middle School Ensembles Program

Elena Sabinson
Designing Neuro-Inclusive Campuses: Mapping Sensory and Social Barriers

Jota Samper
The permanence observatory: Documenting morphological spatiotemporal occupation of informal settlements

Natasha Shrikant
TRANScending Family: Management of Identity and Moral Dilemmas through Talk among Transgender Participants Discussing Religious Family in a Gender-Diverse Community Brunch Space

Scott Taylor
Comparing the spatial memory abilities between two species of food-caching chickadee and across elevations in the Rocky Mountains

Spring 2025 Review Cycle

Student Grants

Faculty Grants

Issue: 2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

UROP offers flexible funding options (grants) for undergraduates and faculty to form partnerships for projects in all majors, fields of study and professional practice; hosts engaging events for students, staff and faculty to connect and grow; celebrates and enables mentorship; supports student-led campus publications; collaborates broadly throughout campus; and works with national and global partners to advance best practices.

Enable Transformative Learning

UROP represents an opportunity to enable student-centered education that makes the most of CU Boulder’s global leadership in research and creative production. With well-documented benefits from persistence to postgraduate success, engagement in the research and creative life of the university can clarify career paths and prepare students for the future of work. Donations support empowering opportunities in all fields of study. Give Now.

These faculty were awarded Team Grants ($4,000) to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects next Academic Year. Many will be promoted as Open Opportunities and provide entry-level experiences for students. We invite you to celebrate with us!

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2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

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2025 Summer Faculty Grants

Timothy O'Neil — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:20:00 +0000

2025 Summer Faculty Grants Timothy O'Neil Thu, 04/24/2025 - 23:20

These inspiring faculty were awarded Team Grants to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects this summer.

Open Opportunities

Team Grant Recipients & Project Titles

Team Grants

$4,000 each

Karen Bailey
Understanding Plant Composition Impacts using a Small Bison Herd in Colorado

Grace Bennett-Pierre
How Do Children Learn About Earth Science Through Interactive, Spherical Visualizations?

Megan Blanchard
Pollinator inventory and management in Colorado and Dinosaur National Monuments

Sophie Chien
Design As Protest Collective Chapbooks: Learning from our Design Justice Demands

Pat Clark
Eyes of Freedom VR and the Future of Virtual Memorials

Laura Conway
Give Us the Camera Presents : An Open Access Digital Humanities Publication on Equity in Media Arts

Lisa Corwin
Insect Diversity and Abundance in Apple Tree as Ecosystem Service Study

Laura Dee
Trees for a cooler Boulder: finding the best species for heat reduction

Jay Ellis
Changing Skies: Writing Through the Climate Crisis

James Walker
Impact Playback Theater Ensemble - Summer Outreach Leadership Training & Residencies

Jessica McLaughlin
Design of a Customizable Neck Brace for Diverse Body Types

Isabella Oleksy
Warmer, greener mountain lakes: what are the consequences for carbon cycling?

Amy Palmer
Characterizing the effect of zinc on breast cancer cells.

Colleen Reid
Research into the health implications of wildland fires within Colorado

Shawhin Roudbari
White Space Study

Stacey Smith
Exploring the biochemical connections between flower and fruit color diversity across flowering plants

Barbra Sobhani
Extreme environment testing for the Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone distributed sensor network

Ryan St Laurent
Cerurinae (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae) of Colorado and adjacent states

Katharine Suding
Aerial Insights into Boulder Grasslands: Investigating Climate Change Impacts on Grassland Ecosystems

Katharine Suding
Anticipating climate and grazing effects in local working grasslands: Introducing students to ecological change research

Anne Gold
Development and Building of Community Exhibits around Water topics in the Four Corners Region

Anne Gold
Enhancing Community Resilience through Scenario-Based Role-Play Games

Abby Hickcox
Affordable Housing: Barriers and Effective Policies

Eve-Lyn Hinckley
Creating a Statistical Framework to Identify and Map Spatiotemporal Ecosystem Control Points Across a Heterogenous Alpine Terrain in the Colorado Front Range

Eve-Lyn Hinckley
Evaluating Mercury Impacts on Water Quality from Beaver Activity in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Kai Larsen
The Nomological Network: Integrating the Psychological Sciences

Katharine Suding
Hidden Partnerships: Can fungi help alpine plants survive climate change?

Katharine Suding
Reducing grassland wildfire hazard in Boulder: looking into the past to inform future management

Wei Tan
Evaluations of vascular stent coatings

Scott Taylor
Investigating Songbird Breeding and Adaptation Across an Elevational Gradient

Spring 2025 Review Cycle

Student Grants

Faculty Grants

Issue: 2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Enable Transformative Learning

These faculty were awarded Team Grants ($4,000) to support teams of CU Boulder undergraduates on a wide range of projects this summer. Many will be promoted as Open Opportunities and provide entry-level experiences for students. We invite you to celebrate with us!

Off

Zebra Striped

2025 Summer & 2025-26 Academic Year UROP Grants

White