Spotlight Faculty Fellow

Q&A: 39 days at sea, hunting for clues in seawater’s biological detritus

Gabe Allen — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:45:00 +0000

Q&A: 39 days at sea, hunting for clues in seawater’s biological detritus Gabe Allen Mon, 04/27/2026 - 08:45

Gabe Allen

Ten months may seem like an excessive amount of time to prepare for a cruise, but it’s not for a scientist.

Julio Sepúlveda and Edgart Flores got notice that there was a last-minute opening aboard the German Research Vessel Sonne this past December. This presented an opportunity to carry out an ambitious research project that had been indefinitely postponed since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it only left them 10 months to prepare before the ship departed from Antofagasta, Chile in October.

“We had to get ready in a relatively short time, but we managed to do it, in large part because of the efforts by the chief scientists and collaborators in Germany and Chile,” Sepúlveda said.

The cruise, on the whole, was organized around investigations of the extremely arid Atacama Desert and the ocean waters that abut it. The Atacama is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, while the nearby ocean is home to a unique ecosystem that flourishes despite extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen.

Sepúlveda and Flores’ mission was at sea. They came to collect biological detritus from vast quantities of seawater in search of a deeper understanding of the ecosystem at a molecular level.

This week, INSTAAR sat down with Sepúlveda to debrief about the cruise, the research, and what comes next.

Click for caption info

One of the projects you were working on during the cruise focused on microbial communities in low-oxygen zones. Can you give us the context?

Yes, so one of the areas we visited, off the coast of northern Chile, right next to the Atacama desert, is characterized by ocean upwelling — water from below is brought up to the surface by local wind and currents. Because of this upwelling, phytoplankton are highly abundant on the surface. When that biomass sinks, it's degraded by microbes, which consume a lot of oxygen. This creates an oxygen-deficient zone. Some people call them dead zones — though that phrase is more often in reference to anthropogenically driven impacts in coastal areas. What we have here occurs naturally in the open ocean.

The problem is that these areas are expanding and becoming more intense because of warming in the ocean. There have been a few studies showing this, and they have also predicted further expansion with global warming. Low oxygen is a big stressor for marine life. So if these areas are becoming larger, that means that the habitat of certain organisms is shrinking.

But these areas are also home to some very unique microbial communities. Unlike other life forms, these organisms don’t rely on oxygen to drive their metabolisms. Instead, they gain energy by breaking down nitrogen-containing compounds into inert nitrogen gas and water. This process removes nitrogen from the ecosystem. So, these microbial communities are very important on a global scale, because they can basically control how much oxygen and nitrogen is available in the ocean.

Julio Sepúlveda logs data at a work station aboard the Sonne. (Courtesy)

What kind of data did you collect on these microbial communities and what questions are you investigating?

We're trying to understand how these communities can adapt to multiple environmental stressors, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation. How do we do this? We study the fats, or lipids, found in the cell membranes of these organisms. Why? Because organisms are able to change the chemistry of their cell membranes in order to adapt to environmental factors.

Imagine a stick of butter in a cool room, versus a bottle of olive oil. The butter is solid, because it is a saturated fat, while the olive oil is liquid, because it is an unsaturated fat. Organisms that live in warmer waters produce more butter-like fats to keep their cell membranes sturdy, while organisms that live in colder environments produce more olive oil-like fats, to keep their cell membranes flexible. If, all of the sudden, you put an organism that lives in warm waters in the Arctic, it will freeze to death unless it can adjust the ratio of fats it is producing — and the same vice versa.

So, what we do is collect large volumes of sea water at different depths using instruments known as in situ pumps. That allows us to capture a large swath of suspended particles coming from organisms in the ocean. Then we concentrate this material using large filters, freeze it, and bring it to the lab. In the lab, we can study the chemical composition of the entire microbial community at a particular water depth.

This approach is called environmental lipidomics. Basically, we’re able to see all of the fats produced in a given ecosystem. It allows us to do chemical fingerprinting, where we link certain fats back to the organisms that produce them. We also try to figure out which of these chemical signatures are unique to which systems and which signatures represent adaptations to environmental stressors.

Another part of the work we did was to filter smaller volumes of sea water to analyze DNA, which basically allows us to get a better sense of who's there, and look at the genetic potential of certain organisms to produce certain lipids. Finally, we also filtered samples for RNA, which allows us to see which genes are actually being expressed.

So, now we know which lipids are present, which organisms are present, and which genes they are expressing. This allows us to look at how the entire system is adapting to change. Is the makeup of species in the community shifting, or are the existing species genetically equipped to adapt to these changes, for instance? The integration of these genomics techniques with lipidomics is called meta-omics.

Why are these important questions?

If the chemistry of these organisms changes, that influences the quality of the organic matter consumed by all of the organisms in the marine trophic web. If you, for instance, reduce the number of unsaturated fats, that will have huge implications for animals. Animals cannot produce omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, we have to get them from eating primary producers like plants and phytoplankton, or from animals that feed on them like fish. So if the composition of phytoplankton changes, that has implications for zooplankton and then fish and eventually all the way up to us. It impacts the nutritional value at the very base of the food web.

This can also have big impacts on fish physiology — fish will struggle if they don't have the right proportion of good fatty acids. It could impact reproduction and potentially even lead to the collapse of some fisheries around the world. Now, this is speculation beyond the current research, obviously, but these are things that we care about, and that's where we study how these ecosystems are changing.

The scientific crew of Expedition SO315 poses aboard the Sonne. (Courtesy)

What’s next?

One of the things that I would love to do in the near future is to team up with some biogeochemical modelers or ecological modelers or climate modelers, people we have in-house, like [INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski]. Modelers may be able to put all of this data that we’re parsing into more complex numerical models or statistical analyses that allow us to get a much more quantitative idea of what drives change in these communities —what are the lipids telling us?

The long-term objective is to use some of these chemical signatures as indicators of the status of marine ecosystems. If we can infer which organisms are present, how they are adapting, and which adaptations might occur in response to certain environmental stressors, we might be able to see when and how an ecosystem is experiencing environmental pressure, just from analyzing a water sample.

We may also be able to use these tools to power predictive models of future ecological and chemical changes. It could help us go from models of things like temperature and dissolved oxygen to the future conditions of trophic webs, ocean chemistry, and fisheries. This is really thinking a lot further in time, but I guess those are the kinds of things that get me and others in my group excited about the work we do. We're trying to make stronger connections between what we find and what's really critical for us as humanity to understand.

Lastly, we plan to apply the information gathered from the water column to study changes in microbial processes associated with the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones during glacial-interglacial cycles. Stay tuned.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Julio Sepúlveda and Edgart Flores spent more than a month aboard a German Research Cruise off the coast of Chile last fall. Now, they hope to unlock a new method for inferring ecological health from water samples.

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What does it take to make a hit podcast about science?

Gabe Allen — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

What does it take to make a hit podcast about science? Gabe Allen Thu, 03/12/2026 - 06:00

Gabe Allen

Scott Taylor posts a note to an idea board as he and Zach Karl plan the first 12 episodes of “Okay, But… Birds.” (courtesy photo)

Scott Taylor has his hands full at CU ��ý��. He is an associate professor with research and teaching responsibilities, and the director of the Mountain Research Station. Yet, he recently added another job title to the list: podcast host.

Visit the Okay, But... Birds site

Taylor’s podcast, “Okay, But… Birds,” tackles a wide range of avian topics, ranging from the status of bird flu in 2026 to the rising popularity of birding. He mostly interviews fellow academics, but has a knack for keeping conversations compelling without diving too far into the scientific weeds. And, he isn’t afraid to bring on ornithophiles from other fields. One recent episode featured Pulitzer Prize-Winning popular science author Ed Yong.

Taylor’s goal? To spark scientific curiosity in bird-curious listeners.

“A lot of people are interested in birding, which is great,” Taylor said. “Less people understand the science behind these amazing creatures.”

“Okay, But… Birds” is already making waves. In just a few short months, the podcast has published 14 episodes and amassed thousands of followers on social media. Just before its debut, Taylor was invited onto NPR’s 1A to talk about birds and answer listener questions.

This week, INSTAAR sat down with Taylor to pull back the curtain on “Okay, But… Birds.”

The show is so polished. Your written intros are punchy and immediate, the sound design, set design and video are crisp and attractive. Who is working on this aside from yourself?

My partner, Zach Karl, is the producer and editor. He’s a business consultant, and he’s also an RnB artist — he’s been doing sound design and production for years. It’s been amazing to have him thinking through design and filming and editing. The podcast felt like a really cool way to take my love of talking to the public about science and birds and combine that with my partner's love of production and media.

Take us through the show format. How is it structured?

We start with a sizzle reel — something memorable from the episode. Then there’s a monologue at the beginning, usually a storytelling monologue where I relate the topic back to a personal anecdote. Then the main segment is an interview with someone who is either an expert in the science of birds, or someone for whom birds really matter — we call it “talk birdy to me.” Then we have a segment called “that’s BS,” which stands for “bird stuff,” where we basically debunk a myth — like if you touch a baby bird it won’t be rejected by its parents. We end with a fact, for the listeners that want to come away with a conversation piece. The episodes are typically 30 minutes — not too long.

Who do you have on? Is there a vetting process?

At the beginning we came up with 12 topics that we thought would be really interesting to our audience. We started by just asking, who do we already know, but thinking carefully about career stage and life experience. So we’ve had a lot of people on who I have a direct connection to and some where the connection is less direct. For instance, there’s Linda Macaulay, who is the namesake of the world's largest and oldest scientific archive of wildlife recordings. We were really excited to have her on the show, and the episode turned out great because we could pull from a vast catalogue of her field recordings.

As we progress past the initial list, we’re considering a lot of things like topics our listeners are suggesting, and representation. Recently we filmed with Doug Tallamy, a renowned entomologist who is widely known as a thought leader in yard naturalization and who founded Homegrown National Park. That episode is great and we’re excited for it to air.

You are such a skilled storyteller. How did you develop that aptitude?

I was a really shy kid. I always really loved nature, and I spent a lot of time walking around in the woods where I grew up in Ontario. But, I haven’t always been comfortable with public speaking. The year after I finished high school, I got a job as a naturalist at McGregor Point Provincial Park. It was everything from leading wildlife walks to dressing up as a turtle and singing campfire songs. That’s when I really started to get into the idea that you can be animated and show people how much you care about these things. I did that job for five years, while I was in school studying science in a serious way for the first time. Finding ways to talk about science that were really inspiring was a part of my job, and it really served me well.

Scott Taylor kneels by a newly-constructed backdrop for “Okay, But… Birds.” (courtesy photo)

The paint dries on the backdrop for “Okay, But… Birds” in Scott Taylor and Zach Karl’s garage. (courtesy photo)

For people new to the show, what is a good episode to start with?

People should start with the question that seems most interesting to them! The podcast is called Okay… But…” because each episode is centered around a big bird question. The first episode, “Okay, but is bird monogamy just PR?” breaks a lot of myths and our recent episode “Okay, but why is a bird’s world more colorful?” is a really fun and approachable topic. I think all of the episodes have something for everyone. Science is a journey, and we take people along and try to keep it really understandable.

What is a moment from an interview that stands out to you?

Linda Macaulay told some crazy stories. She was recording bird calls in West Africa with a former British spy who had used bird watching as his cover. One day, they went back to the hotel for lunch and saw all of these people with machine guns in the woods outside. Later, they were having dinner at the hotel and two tables over was Charles Taylor, the Liberian rebel warlord. Then, they saw some American guys in suits drop a metal briefcase with him — probably CIA operatives.

It’s also just fun to see where people’s excitement about their work comes from. Everyone has a different reason for loving birds, and often it comes from personal experiences.

Even though I’ve spent my career studying birds, there’s so much I still don’t know. For instance, I didn’t realize that avian influenza is the biggest outbreak in wildlife ever. I learn something new each episode.

What advice would you give to another academic who wants to start a podcast about their field?

We built a really solid pitch deck — basically a presentation that covers the show’s concept, mission, and target audience. We didn’t actually end up pitching it to any networks, but it was a really useful way to really think carefully about personas, audiences and branding. It’s my partner’s job to do that sort of thing. It's really important, and Zach is really amazing at it.

I’m a good storyteller, but that alone is not enough to do this successfully. We’re really lucky that, within our partnership, we have all of the skills we need to do this well. There’s little things, like we have a tech kit that we send out to interviewees. At the end of the day, it’s really just two guys in a garage, but together we have really complimentary experience that makes the show what it is.

What’s next?

We have 24 episodes already planned out for season one and two. Right now we’re focused on producing those and getting them out there. We also want to engage with our followers more, perhaps by bringing in listener questions or commentary to the show.

One thing we would like to do in the future is have a featured slot on the podcast as an award for a graduate student speaking at a conference. I want to find ways to use the show to encourage scientists to engage with a wider audience and encourage people to engage with science.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

At the end of last year, Scott Taylor launched a new podcast called “Okay, But… Birds.” The ornithology-focused podcast has already attracted thousands of followers and the attention of a national radio program.

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'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert (CU ��ý�� Today)

David J Lubinski — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:48:47 +0000

'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert (CU ��ý�� Today) David J Lubinski Wed, 02/11/2026 - 16:48

Researchers at the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program have spent more than three decades studying ecosystems in one of the world’s most hostile environments. Diane McKnight and Mike Gooseff discuss the importance of the research, its challenges, and its rewards.

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Research highlight: Dr. Keith Musselman and the EcoTram (MRS News)

Gabe Allen — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:53:42 +0000

Research highlight: Dr. Keith Musselman and the EcoTram (MRS News) Gabe Allen Wed, 01/14/2026 - 09:53

INSTAAR fellow Keith Musselman and collaborators have constructed an "EcoTram" that continuously measures hydrological and ecological variables across a 400-foot transect high in the Indian Peaks. The system provides a wealth of data for investigations into shifting mountain systems.

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Embracing excellence: CU ��ý�� honors postdocs and mentors during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Postdoctoral Affairs)

David J Lubinski — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:55:06 +0000

Embracing excellence: CU ��ý�� honors postdocs and mentors during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Postdoctoral Affairs) David J Lubinski Mon, 09/22/2025 - 11:55

Among a select group to receive awards were two INSTAARs: Nathalie Vriend was selected as a CU ��ý�� Outstanding Postdoc Mentor of the Year and Edgart Flores won an honorable mention as an Outstanding Postdoc. Congratulations to both of them!

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INSTAAR welcomes two new faculty fellows

Gabe Allen — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:31:58 +0000

INSTAAR welcomes two new faculty fellows Gabe Allen Tue, 08/26/2025 - 15:31

Gabe Allen

INSTAAR has hired two new faculty fellows, Laura Sunberg and Zhi Li. Both Sunberg and Li will join the department of civil, environmental and architectural engineering as assistant professors in addition to conducting research at INSTAAR.

Though Sunberg is new to her position, she is not new to INSTAAR. For the past two years, she has studied how microplastics circulate through the ocean during an NSF-funded postdoctoral position at the institute. Starting last year, she also served as the postdoc representative on the INSTAAR directorate, the institute’s governing body. As a faculty fellow, she will now rejoin the directorate as a voting member.

Sunberg will join a small, but growing cohort of INSTAAR researchers with expertise in environmental fluid mechanics. Institute leadership hope that her appointment will spark new collaborations and expand the institute’s focus on emerging environmental hazards.

“Dr. Sunberg’s novel laboratory and numerical modeling studies of microplastic and firebrand transport will expand INSTAAR’s research portfolio into new areas of growing environmental concern,” INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski said.

Zhi Li comes to INSTAAR after wrapping up a postdoctoral position at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. He is an expert in surface water modeling, with a particular focus on refining flood prediction methods. At INSTAAR, he also plans to establish a “collaboratory” aimed at understanding the overlapping impacts of climate change and flooding on agriculture, infrastructure and public health.

This summer, Li was quoted in multiple stories covering flash flooding across the U.S., including this New York Times article. Li will join a growing number of INSTAAR members studying climate-related extremes and hazards, an emerging focus area for the institute.

“Dr. Li will elevate INSTAAR’s research on climate-related extremes by bringing additional expertise on hydrology and flood impacts,” Lovenduski said. “His numerical modeling research will complement the CSDMS program, and his community efforts will enhance INSTAAR’s public engagement.”

Laura Sunberg, an expert in marine microplastic transport, and Zhi Li, an expert in flood modeling, are INSTAAR’s latest faculty members. Both researchers are also beginning professorships in the department of civil, environmental and architectural engineering.

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Report paints grim picture of how nuclear war could impact oceans (CU ��ý�� Today)

Gabe Allen — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:48:40 +0000

Report paints grim picture of how nuclear war could impact oceans (CU ��ý�� Today) Gabe Allen Wed, 07/30/2025 - 09:48

In a Q&A, INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski talks about her contributions to a report on the environmental impacts of a hypothetical nuclear war. Lovenduski was tasked with modeling impacts in the world's oceans, which could be global and long-lasting.

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Rainy spring may be bad news for fire season. Here’s what you can do about it (CU ��ý�� Today)

Gabe Allen — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 19:13:19 +0000

Rainy spring may be bad news for fire season. Here’s what you can do about it (CU ��ý�� Today) Gabe Allen Tue, 06/17/2025 - 13:13

Grassland fires are becoming more frequent and more dangerous across the country. Ecologist Katharine Suding has spent her career understanding the ecosystems that produce them. She shares insights in a Q&A.

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A brief history of Katharine Suding's groundbreaking career in restoration ecology (The Franklin Institute)

Gabe Allen — Mon, 05 May 2025 20:25:36 +0000

A brief history of Katharine Suding's groundbreaking career in restoration ecology (The Franklin Institute) Gabe Allen Mon, 05/05/2025 - 14:25

The Franklin Institute recently gave INSTAAR senior faculty fellow Katharine Suding the Bower Award for achievement in Science citing her transformative contributions to the field of restoration ecology. This mini-documentary tells her story.

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New faculty fellow Nathalie Vriend brings avalanche expertise to INSTAAR

Gabe Allen — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 18:00:00 +0000

New faculty fellow Nathalie Vriend brings avalanche expertise to INSTAAR Gabe Allen Wed, 04/23/2025 - 12:00

Gabe Allen

This month, INSTAAR welcomed associate professor of mechanical engineering Nathalie Vriend to the institute as a senior faculty fellow. Vriend’s research aims to deconstruct the physics of granular flows in nature. In particular, her work provides insight into the physics of avalanches and migrating sand dunes.

As a senior faculty fellow, Vriend will become a voting member of the INSTAAR directorate while continuing her teaching and research in the Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering and Applied Science. She is also eager to explore new collaborations with other INSTAAR scientists.

“Nathalie is an outstanding scientist who will enhance our interdisciplinarity, deepen our expertise in fluid mechanics, and expose INSTAARs to novel laboratory techniques for the study of geophysical phenomena,” INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski said, adding that her appointment will strengthen ties between INSTAAR and the Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering and Applied Science.

In light of her recent appointment, INSTAAR sat down with Vriend to talk about her career, research interests and aspirations for future collaborations at the institute.

Q: Why were you interested in joining INSTAAR?

A: When I came to CU ��ý�� two-and-a-half years ago, I heard about the different institutes, but I wasn't really aware what the mechanics or benefits of joining were. More recently, I struck up a conversation with INSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski, and I realized that INSTAAR’s focus overlaps with at least half of my work, because snow and avalanches occur in the arctic and alpine.

After talking with Nikki, I saw great potential in connecting with people that do field work in these environments. I’m in mechanical engineering and barely any of my colleagues actually go out into the field. INSTAAR’s logistical support, storage facilities, and experience in applying for field grants and executing field campaigns—those things were big selling points for me.

Q: Tell us about your research on avalanches.

A: It goes back to my very first research job after my PhD, where I studied avalanches in Switzerland. In essence, my research has always focused on moving snow. So we're not talking about fracturing or the initiation of a snow avalanche, which is a completely different topic. But, if a snow avalanche has already started and is moving along, how fast does it go? What kind of pressures are exerted on it? What's the reach? What's the run out? I’m interested in the physics of avalanches.

Then come the implications. Where could you build infrastructure safely? What kind of defensive structures could you build to divert an avalanche out of the path of greatest danger? How can we model avalanches, so that we can predict where they might go?

I recently gave a guest lecture on snow avalanche field work and one of the students was like ‘Wow. You went and built this experiment and recorded three artificial releases of snow throughout the winter and that’s all the data you could collect?’ Yeah. Field work with avalanches is just hard because you’re dependent on factors you can’t control. And, if an avalanche goes, you have to get the data there and then. If something fails, you’re out of luck.

So, because of those factors, I moved more into the lab. It’s much more controllable. We can repeat it. We can change certain parameters to nudge behavior in a certain direction. In my lab right now, we’re specializing in a technique called photoelasticity. It creates these fantastic images that are not only beautiful, but hold a lot of quantitative information.

Q: Fascinating. I know you also do research on sand dunes. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

A: Sand Dunes were my first scientific love. It’s what I did my PhD on, which was 15 years ago mind you, I guess I’m getting a bit old. I looked at the booming sand dunes or the singing sand dunes. Basically, if you create an avalanche on a sand dune it creates a very musical tone. We explained that using geophysical methods, acoustics and some, you might say, granular mechanics.

It creates such a magical, mystical sound, and there were a ton of TV news segments about the research—PBS, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel. It was 15 years ago, and PBS even asked me to do an interview a couple of years ago. They keep coming back to it.

Since then, I’ve done several field trips to Qatar and White Sands National Park here in the U.S. to investigate the structure of sand dunes—how they are layered and what that tells us about their history.

When you cut a cross-section of a tree you get tree rings. You can count them, measure them and see which years the tree was growing slow or fast. The same thing happens to sand dunes. As they migrate, they continuously avalanche and form layers. Depending on the width, you can see how fast it was moving.

Q: Why does your research matter? Why is it important?

A: It’s very simple in both cases. For sand dunes, we’re living in a drying world. We have a loss of agricultural resources. Rivers are drying up. Playas are drying up and creating more sand and more dust. So sand dunes are really important.

I visited places in Qatar where dunes were engulfing roads. In the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott, a dune field is slowly encroaching on the city. It's just engulfing houses, and there's nothing they can do about it. And, closer to home, we have Lake Michigan. They have a row of villas next to these sand dunes and, one by one, they are getting overtaken. They’re trying to get them out with bulldozers, but, of course, it isn’t working. So one by one, you can see your neighbors losing your house, and you know you're next.

Sand dunes can have a huge impact on human infrastructure, so we need to understand how sentiments move, and how we can adjust their behavior. Can we stabilize them? Can we divert them?

The rationale is very similar for avalanches. We might have been able to rely on historical data in the past, but with climate change avalanches may be bigger. They may be happening in different areas. Their impact may be much, much more significant. So we really need to understand how avalanches move, and how other debris flows and landslides move.This might allow us to predict their behavior and plan for it. I approach that through physical modeling.

Q: What kind of collaborations do you envision might be possible within INSTAAR?

A: I’ve been talking with Julia Moriarty, who does coastal research. She does a combination of sedimentology, fluid dynamics and coastal oceanography. We had been talking about potentially applying for an NSF grant, but in the end we split the project into separate proposals with the postdoc involved. Nonetheless, we know we have a common research interest that could lead to further collaborations.

There’s also a very clear overlap between my research and Irina Overeem’s work. She works with glaciers and ice streams and sediments.

Finally, Bob Anderson has worked on geomorphological problems that I’m interested in. There might be something there.

I still want to reach out to Mountain Research director Scott Taylor and the people in charge of cold rooms to explore more possibilities. I’ve talked with Nikki and some others about the possibility of doing some small experiments in the cold room, because some of my work could definitely benefit from a cold environment. We’re still investigating whether our cameras, which are quite fancy, could deal with minus 10 degrees.

I will also be giving a talk at the Mountain Research Station summer seminar series (see our events page for more info).

Vriend, an expert in avalanches and sand dunes, will join INSTAAR as a senior member of the directorate. Institute leadership hopes her appointment will strengthen ties with the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

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Spotlight Faculty Fellow

Q&A: 39 days at sea, hunting for clues in seawater’s biological detritus

One of the projects you were working on during the cruise focused on microbial communities in low-oxygen zones. Can you give us the context?

What kind of data did you collect on these microbial communities and what questions are you investigating?

Why are these important questions?

What’s next?

Related Articles

What does it take to make a hit podcast about science?

The show is so polished. Your written intros are punchy and immediate, the sound design, set design and video are crisp and attractive. Who is working on this aside from yourself?

Take us through the show format. How is it structured?

Who do you have on? Is there a vetting process?

You are such a skilled storyteller. How did you develop that aptitude?

For people new to the show, what is a good episode to start with?

What is a moment from an interview that stands out to you?

What advice would you give to another academic who wants to start a podcast about their field?

What’s next?

Related Articles

'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert (CU ��ý�� Today)

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Off

Embracing excellence: CU ��ý�� honors postdocs and mentors during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Postdoctoral Affairs)

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INSTAAR welcomes two new faculty fellows

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Report paints grim picture of how nuclear war could impact oceans (CU ��ý�� Today)

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A brief history of Katharine Suding's groundbreaking career in restoration ecology (The Franklin Institute)

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New faculty fellow Nathalie Vriend brings avalanche expertise to INSTAAR

Q: Why were you interested in joining INSTAAR?

Q: Tell us about your research on avalanches.

Q: Fascinating. I know you also do research on sand dunes. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Q: Why does your research matter? Why is it important?

Q: What kind of collaborations do you envision might be possible within INSTAAR?

Off

Spotlight Faculty Fellow

Q&A: 39 days at sea, hunting for clues in seawater’s biological detritus

One of the projects you were working on during the cruise focused on microbial communities in low-oxygen zones. Can you give us the context?

What kind of data did you collect on these microbial communities and what questions are you investigating?

Why are these important questions?

What’s next?

Related Articles

What does it take to make a hit podcast about science?

The show is so polished. Your written intros are punchy and immediate, the sound design, set design and video are crisp and attractive. Who is working on this aside from yourself?

Take us through the show format. How is it structured?

Who do you have on? Is there a vetting process?

You are such a skilled storyteller. How did you develop that aptitude?

For people new to the show, what is a good episode to start with?

What is a moment from an interview that stands out to you?

What advice would you give to another academic who wants to start a podcast about their field?

What’s next?

Related Articles

'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert (CU ������ý���� Today)

Related Articles

Research highlight: Dr. Keith Musselman and the EcoTram (MRS News)

Off

Embracing excellence: CU ������ý���� honors postdocs and mentors during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Postdoctoral Affairs)

Related Articles

INSTAAR welcomes two new faculty fellows

Off

Report paints grim picture of how nuclear war could impact oceans (CU ������ý���� Today)

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A brief history of Katharine Suding's groundbreaking career in restoration ecology (The Franklin Institute)

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New faculty fellow Nathalie Vriend brings avalanche expertise to INSTAAR

Q: Why were you interested in joining INSTAAR?

Q: Tell us about your research on avalanches.

Q: Fascinating. I know you also do research on sand dunes. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Q: Why does your research matter? Why is it important?

Q: What kind of collaborations do you envision might be possible within INSTAAR?

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'Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert (CU ��ý�� Today)

Embracing excellence: CU ��ý�� honors postdocs and mentors during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Postdoctoral Affairs)

Report paints grim picture of how nuclear war could impact oceans (CU ��ý�� Today)

Rainy spring may be bad news for fire season. Here’s what you can do about it (CU ��ý�� Today)