People
Principle Investigator
Ryan St Laurent, PhDÌý
Ìý &
Graduate Students
Sophia Anderson
Hello! I’m a masters student in the Museum and Field Studies program with a focus on collection management and field studies. I received my bachelors in biology and environmental studies from Macalester College. During this time, I worked in Dr .Sarah Boyer’s lab specializing in biodiversity and biogeography through the study of mite harvestmen. After graduation, I worked for three years at the University of Minnesota Insect Collection as a curatorial assistant. I helped care for over four million specimens while learning the logistics and ethics of museum work through hands-on experience. I also participated in outreach and tours to help educate the public and teach children about career paths in science. In this masters program, I plan to meld my background of biogeography and museum studies. I’m excited to continue my academic career and work with specimens in the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History!
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Christian Couch, MS
Hello! I'm a first year PhD student studying the diversity of nocturnal pollinators in the Rocky Mountains. I plan on comparing how seasonality and elevational gradients have affected understudied pollinators and their plant-insect interactions. Using pinned specimens from the University of Colorado's Museum of Natural History, and fresh, field-caught specimens, I will observe the effect of increasing temperatures on the diversity of these important moths in Colorado.I have over five years of laboratory experience working in an academic lab at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and one year working in industry for an environmental sequencing company. I received my masters degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Florida, where I also received my bachelors degree in biotechnology. My masters thesis work dove into the evolution of feeding behavior in hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) and their gene expression in gustatory receptors. With my background in entomology, molecular biology, and ecology, I look forward to continuing my research in a future that guides new scientists and develops novel molecular methodology.
Email: christian.couch*at*colorado.edu
Google Scholar
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý