As a research-intensive program, the Department of Biology depends on external grant funding to support laboratory and field studies.  Much of the funding goes to support those who do much of the hard work: the fabulous post-doctoral researchers, talented research associates, graduate students gaining their degrees, and our undergraduates working as hourlies and/or Honors thesis students.  In addition, faculty provide their own salaries from grants during the 3 summer months when they spend more of their busy time on research projects than during the academic year while more classes are in session.  Research expenditures in the biology department in the last fiscal year were $7.7 million, slightly less than the ~$9M of the previous two years.

We are happy to report recent funding successes by eleven of our faculty, noting that these grants were awarded to biology in times when funding for research has become increasingly competitive (success from individual programs is often as low as 5% of submissions being funded!).  Further, the richness and breadth of research in biology spans from molecular biology and biotechnology to evolution, physiology and behavior, to ecosystem studies.

Mike Antolin, Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, “Evaluating Oral Plague Vaccines for Black-footed Ferrets,” 3 years.

Lisa Angeloni:  National Park Service, “Wildlife Sensory Ecology Research: Responses to Noise and Light Pollution,” 3 years.

Meena Balgopal:  National Science Foundation, “CSU Noyce Phase II: Empowering Scholars and STEM Teachers,” 5 years.

Cameron Ghalambor:  National Science Foundation, “An Integrative Approach to the Ecological and Evolutionary Causes of Geographic Range Limits,” 4 years.

Chris Funk: U.S. Fisha and Wildlife Service, “Application of Modern Genomic Techniques to the Conservation of the Great Basin Columbia Spotted Frogs, a Candidate for Listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act,” 4 years.

Alan Knapp and Melinda Smith:  National Science Foundation,  “Integrating NEON ANPP Data with Existing Long-term and Spatially Extensive Data Sets – Providing Context and Testing Theory,” 2 years.

June Medford:  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Department of Defense: “Synthetic Biological Desalination,” initially one year.

Lianne Pilon-Smits:  National Science Foundation, “Mechanisms of Selenate‐Specific Transport and Selenium Hyperaccumulation and Tolerance in Stanleya pinnata ‐ Hypothesized Key Genes SpSultr1;2 and SpAPS2,” 3 years.

Diana Wall:  National Science Foundation, “Water Availability Controls on Above-Belowground Productivity Partitioning: Herbivory versus Plant Response,” 3 years.

Colleen Webb:  Department of Homeland Security, “U.S. Animal Movement Model (USAMM) and Disease Outbreak Simulation (USDOS): Incorporating Premises Heterogeneity and Consequences for Control,” 3 years.




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