MURALS First Year Scholars Academy is a guided program that connects first year and first year transfer undergraduate students interested in applied and basic research and scholarly activity to faculty/ staff/ graduate mentors that assist in scaffolding research opportunities.
Faculty/ Research Guides provide active mentorship within a student’s area of discipline/ interest, and support students through all aspects of the research/scholarly activity process; including design of activities, nurturing proper techniques, data collection and analysis, reporting, publication and presentation of research findings. Learn more here.
Students do NOT have to pick an Academy based on your major!
The deadline to apply to a MURALS FYS Academy is August 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (MST). Placements will be announced no later than September 8th.
2026-27 Academy Options
College of Agriculture Sciences
Research Guide: Terry Engle
Collaborators: Natasha Petrenko, Julia Baroni Alves, Arturo Rodezno
Department: Animal Sciences
Project Details: The students will become part of a research group where they will be able to experience hands-on research with cattle and sheep (e.g., animal handing, sample collection, laboratory analyses, etc.). However, the most important experience will be to have fun!
College of Liberal Arts
Research Guide: Blythe LaGasse
Collaborator: Kyle Wilhelm & Daniel Morris
Department: Music Therapy
Project Details: In the Music Therapy Research Academy experience, students will develop skills necessary for reading and completing music research, collaborate with peers, and explore quantitative and qualitative methods.
Requirements: Students must be a music therapy major.
Research Guide: Peter Erickson
Department: Languages and Global Studies
Project Details:
There has been no end of controversy about police officers in the United States and their use of force. This controversy has tended to revolve around particular cases: Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. We rarely get a chance to ask deeper questions about policing: How much force should police officers be allowed to use? When? And who gets to decide?
This research group takes these questions seriously. Working from primary sources, we’ll examine landmark Supreme Court decisions, departmental use-of-force policies, and police training materials, tracing how the legal and institutional frameworks governing police violence have shifted over time. The goal isn’t just to trace this history, but to question and critique it.
A central focus will be the vocabulary with which police departments speak about force. Terms like “escalation,” “the use-of-force continuum,” and “de-escalation” shape how officers are trained to think about violence——and how the rest of us are asked to evaluate it. Students will have the opportunity to work with databases tracking how this language has evolved across policy documents, training manuals, and court decisions.
Requirements:
No formal requirements.
Students should come with an open mind and be willing to engage with a range of different perspectives on policing, including ones that they may disagree with. An interest in history and the use of archives and historical sources is welcome but not necessary.
As part of the seminar, students will have a chance to develop their own interests and come up with a research question of their own. This might mean a close reading of a specific court case, a study of how police officers are trained to use force in a particular jurisdiction, or an examination of a particular problem in policing.
Number of Students on the Team: 6
Research Guide: Anthony Becker
Department: English
Project Details:
In this research academy, students will explore how writers express opinions, confidence, and identity in academic writing. Using a curated set of authentic student essays from the International Corpus of Learner English, students will investigate how language choices—such as “I think,” “perhaps,” or “clearly”—shape how arguments are presented and understood.
Students will be introduced to basic corpus-based research methods using accessible tools (e.g., AntConc) to identify patterns in real language data. Working collaboratively, they will analyze how writers use language to sound more confident, cautious, or persuasive. Students will learn how to categorize these patterns, examine examples in context, and interpret what these choices mean for effective communication.
Throughout the academy, students will be guided through the full research process, including asking questions, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings. They will also reflect on their own writing and how they can develop a stronger academic voice.
By the end of the program, students will present their findings at the MURALS Symposium, contributing to a broader understanding of how language shapes meaning and identity in academic writing.
Requirements:
No prior research experience is required. Students should be willing to actively participate, collaborate with peers, and engage in reading and analyzing short texts. Basic computer skills (e.g., using documents and spreadsheets) are helpful but not required.
Number of Students on the Team: 4
Research Guide: Yeunjae Lee
Department: Journalism & Media Communication
Project Details:
This academy explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the way students communicate, learn, and experience everyday social life. As AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) become increasingly integrated into students’ academic and social routines, this academy provides students with opportunities to examine and reflect on their own experiences with AI through hands-on research.
Students will investigate not only how and when they use AI, but also how everyday AI use may influence their social interactions, sense of connection, and overall well-being. The program will explore questions such as whether AI supports student communication and academic confidence, and whether it contributes to feelings of isolation, reduced face-to-face interaction, or loneliness.
Students will learn the basics of communication research by designing a survey, collecting data, and participating in short reflective activities such as a one-week AI use diary. Working in small groups, they will analyze patterns in AI use and examine how students perceive AI as a tool, a collaborative “co-pilot,” or a potential challenge in both academic and social contexts. Students will also be introduced to foundational concepts and theories in communication and technology adoption.
Requirements:
No prior research experience is required. Basic familiarity with everyday digital tools or AI platforms (e.g., ChatGPT) is helpful but not required.
This academy is designed for first-year students who are curious about how AI shapes communication, social interaction, and well-being/mental health. Students should be willing to actively participate in discussions and collaborate on a small group research project.
Number of Students on the Team: 6
Research Guide: Dr. Ashby Butnor
Department: Philosophy
Project Details:
How do students experience happiness and thrive in college, and what role do belonging, purpose, relationships, and community play in well-being? In this research academy, First Year Scholars will investigate how students from diverse backgrounds experience their transition to college and the factors that support—or hinder—their happiness, well-being, and flourishing.
Drawing on contemporary philosophical and interdisciplinary theories of happiness and well-being, student researchers will examine how practices such as gratitude, acts of kindness, volunteering, relationship-building, and engagement in meaningful activities shape happiness and student life in college.
Working as a research team, scholars will help design research questions and interview protocols, collect and analyze qualitative data, and interpret findings. Participants will learn foundational research skills, including ethical research practice, qualitative methods, thematic analysis, and communicating research to diverse audiences.
The project will engage first-year students in the CLA Vida Living-Learning Community and students who previously completed a Green & Gold seminar on happiness as research participants, allowing scholars to examine how understandings of happiness evolve across the college years.
Requirements:
Students must be first-year undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts or Exploratory students. No prior research experience is required. This academy is designed to expand access to undergraduate research opportunities for CLA students, including those who may not typically have such opportunities. Students should be interested in questions of well-being, belonging, and the college experience and willing to engage in collaborative qualitative research, reflection, and weekly group meetings throughout the year.
Number of Students on the Team: 6
College of Natural Sciences
Research Guide: Nancy Levinger
Collaborator: Albert Ochoa Castillo
Department: Chemistry
Project Details:
This MURALS FYS opportunity introduces students to an interdisciplinary project combining concepts from chemistry, biology and physics, while they explore how plant cells interact with various molecules and solutions. This research focuses on plant cryopreservation, i.e., the treatment and storage of plant material at ultracold temperatures. We use chemical and physical methods to explore model plant systems and investigate how they respond to chemical exposure.
Each area of the overarching project challenges students to develop basic research skills, i.e., read scientific literature, develop critical thinking skills, use standard laboratory equipment, follow lab safety protocols, maintain a laboratory notebook, prepare/present research updates and posters. Additionally, students attain transferable skills i.e., prepare culture media, follow aseptic techniques for handling sterile cultures, propagate plant tissue cultures, collect brightfield and fluorescence microscopy images and analyze images, among several other essential laboratory procedures. In three related projects, “Cell wall inhibition in rice callus cells”, “Optimizing mint callus cell cryopreservation” and “Developing microtome parameters for mint callus cell clusters”, students gain additional specialized skill.
Requirements:To thrive in this research opportunity, students must show enthusiasm, willingness to learn and take criticism, and reliability. We understand that students have busy schedules but we need students to honor time and effort commitments that they make. Safety is of paramount importance; students must follow all safety protocols, keeping themselves and those around them safe. We encourage students to develop independence and curiosity as they gain expertise.
Number of Students on the Team: 3
Faculty Guide: Dr. Aramati Casper
Department: Biology
Project Details: Are you an Amplify Student? Have you ever been curious about how trees live through different changes over time, particularly when insect damage predicts they will die? Are you curious to understand why biology is sometimes described as very queer? Would you like to learn about fascinating plant and insect lifecycles that do not fit into cisgender or heterosexual norms? Join me, Dr. Aramati Casper, to work on my long-term hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) study, which I started as an undergraduate student in 2002! Together we will a) read papers to learn about about eastern hemlock tree and HWA biology and what others have found about how eastern hemlocks are surviving or dying from HWA in the northeastern U.S.; b) learn about plant, adelgid (an insect) lifecycles and other amazingly diverse lifecycles, and c) use this information to help us analyze and interpret data about the health, survival, and presence of HWA on trees, comparing data collected in 2002, 2004, and spring 2025 (we will be working with already collected data, not collecting new data). We will use this information to work on writing a peer-reviewed journal article, which FYS will have the opportunity to be a co-author on. We will perform basic statistical analyses in Excel and RStudio. No prior statistics knowledge or skills reading peer-reviewed journal articles are required, but an interest in learning these skills is important. We may sometimes hold meetings via zoom.
About me: I am a white genderqueer lesbian forest ecologist and science education researcher and use she, they, or ze pronouns. I am excited to collaborate with FYS to continue working on research I started when I was an undergraduate. Students interested in forest ecology, the amazing complexity and variation in sex and reproduction in different types of organisms (i.e., “queer biology”), and who are particularly fascinated about the vast biological diversity of sex and reproduction in plants, invertebrates, and other animals are particularly encouraged to apply!
Requirements:
- Must live in the College of Natural Sciences Amplify community.
- Have an interest in learning/improving skills finding and reading peer reviewed articles and basic statistical analysis skills in Excel and RStudio
- Be willing to meet on Zoom for some meetings
Number of Students on the Team: 4
Faculty Guide: Dr. Zoe D’Agostino
Department: Biology
Project Details:
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of animal cognition and behavior research through hands-on participation in ongoing domestic mammal research projects. Students will learn how researchers design studies, collect behavioral data, analyze findings, and communicate scientific results while developing skills in critical thinking, observation, teamwork, and scientific communication.
Projects include studying learning, decision-making, communication, enrichment, or behavioral responses in domestic mammals using observational and ethical experimental methods. Students will receive guided training in research ethics, animal welfare, behavioral observation techniques, data collection, data management, and interpretation of findings while contributing meaningfully to active research projects.
This is designed to be accessible to students with little or no prior research experience. Learning will be scaffolded through written protocols, demonstrations, collaborative discussion, and hands-on practice. By the end of the program, students will have contributed to a collaborative research project and will present their work at the MURALS Symposium.
Requirements:
- No prior research experience is required. Students should demonstrate curiosity, professionalism, accountability, proactive communication, and a willingness to learn. Participants will be expected to complete onboarding activities and foundational training designed to prepare them for successful participation in the research environment.
Number of Students on the Team: 4
Faculty Guide: Dr. Jill Robinson
Department: Chemistry
Project Details:
This first-year research experience will provide an authentic scientific investigation while building foundational skills in chemistry and collaborative research. The first-year participants will be paired with an experienced, senior-level chemistry major, creating a near-peer mentoring environment that supports both academic development and a sense of belonging in the scientific community. Students will contribute to the Distributed Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab, a global citizen science initiative, focused on addressing the urgent public health challenge of substandard and falsified medicines in low- and middle-income countries. Through this project, participants will engage directly in the analysis of doxycycline antibiotic capsules found to contain less than half of the labeled active pharmaceutical ingredient. Their work will focus on identifying the unknown substance used to adulterate or “cut” the medication. Students will receive hands-on training in both wet chemical techniques and instrumental methods of analysis, including sample preparation, qualitative and quantitative testing, and data interpretation. They will develop critical laboratory skills such as accurate measurement, safe chemical handling, proper documentation, and communication of scientific results.
Requirements:
- Students should have a strong science background from high school and have declared a STEM major. Ideally students will have completed 2 chemistry courses in high school. Students should be concurrently enrolled in an introductory STEM course in their first term at CSU, such as General Chemistry, General Biology, or Introductory Engineering.
Number of Students on the Team: 3
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Faculty Guide: Dr. Keara Boss
Department: Clinical Sciences, Flint Animal Cancer Center
Project Details: Our team studies the dynamics of immune and vascular response to radiation therapy in head and neck cancer. We are a group within the CSU Flint Animal Cancer Center. Our research utilizes in vitro laboratory assays, animal models for head and neck cancer research, including performing clinical trials in veterinary patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. A student involved with our group would gain experience in cancer research, advanced imaging (CT scans, fluoroscopy), radiation therapy (laboratory based and clinical radiation oncology), and laboratory assays (cell culture, clonogenic assay, cytokine quantification, RNA extraction, flow cytometry).
Requirements: None
Number of Students on the Team: 2
Walter Scott Jr., College of Engineering
Research Guide: Dr. Steven Conrad
Collaborator: Dixie Poteet, Naomi Michael, Susan Weckler
Department: Systems Engineering
Project Details:
In this program, first-year students will explore how sustainable systems engineering supports water systems, environmental monitoring, and smart infrastructure. Students will work in small teams to investigate a real-world challenge, such as understanding how systems respond to changing conditions or how data can improve decision-making. Activities will include working with simple datasets, mapping how systems interact, and developing basic models or visualizations.
No prior experience is required. The program is designed to introduce students to systems thinking, problem-solving, and research in a supportive, structured environment. Students will participate in weekly meetings with faculty and graduate mentors, complete guided project work, and build skills in teamwork and communication. Throughout the experience, students will receive step-by-step guidance and feedback.
By the end of the program, students will present their work at the MURALS symposium and gain confidence in applying engineering concepts to real-world problems. We aim provide a unique experience bring systems engineering undergraduate students interested in sustainability and city infrastructure that can lead to future opportunities such as internships, research, and advanced study in systems engineering.
Requirements:No prior experience required. Students should have an interest in learning about engineering, sustainability, cities and be willing to participate in weekly meetings and team activities.
Number of Students on the Team: 6
Warner College of Natural Resources
Research Guide: Dr. Yanghua Duan
Collaborator: Shengjie Zi
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Project Details:
Wildfires can release toxic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, into soils. After rainfall or firefighting activities, these contaminants may move through soils and enter rivers, reservoirs, or groundwater, creating risks for drinking water sources.
In this project, students will help investigate passive soil-based barriers that use engineered materials, such as biochar, activated carbon, mineral sorbents, and polymeric resins, to capture contaminants as water flows through amended soil layers. The goal is to evaluate whether these materials can help intercept pollutants before they reach water resources.
Students will gain hands-on research experience by preparing filtration materials, building small soil-column systems, running controlled flow experiments, and analyzing contaminant removal data. Through these activities, students will learn basic concepts in environmental chemistry, materials science, experimental design, and data interpretation while contributing to research connected to wildfire recovery, water protection, and climate resilience.
Requirements: Students do not need prior research experience to participate. Students should have a basic understanding of chemistry and physics, along with an interest in environmental science, engineering, or hands-on research. Curiosity, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn safe laboratory practices are the main requirements.
Number of Students on the Team: 3
Research Guide: Hailey Tharp
Collaborator: Ally Lewis
Department: Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
Project Details:
The long-term chronic drying experiment termed the Panama Rainforest Changes with Experimental Drying (PARCHED) project seeks to understand how below ground processes shift with experimental drought. Drought is predicted for tropical rainforests amidst climate change and as the largest terrestrial carbon sink it is crucial to understand changes in carbon dynamics in these ecosystems. Students will develop a hypothesis surrounding either below ground carbon, roots, or adjacent topics. Our lab has the capacity to support students through various interests. Through this experience, students will learn laboratory processing skills of soil samples, basic data analysis using Excel and/or R, and scientific communication skills with the option of publishing their work. Students are welcome to work with other students on their project or individually depending on the interest in this academy.
Requirements:
Students must have a basic understanding of systems thinking in terms of ecosystems and ecology. This means beginning to grasp the concept of pools and fluxes in ecosystems and how they connect at an ecosystem scale. Otherwise, this is largely a learning experience suited for first year scholars and I am happy to provide foundational knowledge on soil and ecosystem processes to inform project development and basic ecological knowledge.
Number of Students on the Team: 3
Research Guide: Dr. Dan Preston
Collaborator: Danny White, Jackson Bates
Department: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Project Details:
This experience offers students a unique opportunity to engage in both field and laboratory research focused on understanding how wildfire affects stream–riparian connections. The project is highly hands-on, allowing students to build skills in a wide range of ecological field and lab methods.
Primary responsibilities include trapping, sorting, and identifying both aquatic and terrestrial insects. No prior experience is necessary—students will work closely with primary investigators to learn insect identification and essential research techniques.
Additional opportunities may include using Google Earth to analyze reach-scale geomorphological features, participating in electrofishing, collecting and analyzing fish stomach contents, and conducting other stream assessment methods.
Requirements:
1. Curiosity
2. Enthusiasm
Number of Students on the Team: 6
College of Health and Human Sciences
Faculty Guide: Dr. Yan Vivian Li
Grad Student: Mahboube Piryaee & Md Tusar Akon
Department: Design and Merchandising
Project Details: Students participating in Sustainable Textile Innovation research will gain hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research focused on sustainable materials, biomaterials, advanced textile technologies, and AI-driven textile innovation and development. Research opportunities may include developing mycelium-based composites for textiles and footwear design, producing SCOBY-derived fibers and materials, extracting nanocellulose from agricultural wastes, and exploring nanotechnology for textile applications. Students may also participate in projects involving nano-enabled textiles, nanofiber-based biosensors, smart wound dressing materials, and AI-assisted approaches for material design, product development, and textile innovation. Through these experiences, student will learn laboratory techniques, material fabrication and characterization methods, data analysis, scientific communication, and collaborative research skills. Student will have opportunities to contribute to innovative research projects, present their work at research symposia or conferences, and engage in sustainability-driven solutions that connect textile science, material science, design, engineering, and emerging technologies.
Requirements: None
Number of Students on the Team: 3
Faculty Guide: Dr. Elaine Tan
Department: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Project Details:Colorado is the seventh major producers of dry beans in the United States (U.S.) according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the commonly produced pulses are red kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, and navy beans. Pulses are rich in micro-minerals (e.g., iron, potassium), high in dietary fiber, and high in protein; they are nutrient-dense food source that can be used to address the caloric and nutritional needs of humans. Typically consumed in the form of soups and stews, pulses could also be extracted into valuable fractions such as protein isolate/concentrate, flours, and dietary fibers that can be incorporated and used in a variety of food products (e.g., bakery items, plant-based meat alternative products, and plant-based dairy alternatives). The benefits of using these local crops are two-fold: 1) identification of new avenues for using the pulses could potentially increase the revenues for local producers, and 2) the use of these crops could help to promote a sustainable food production systems. In this experience, students will work in the laboratory to extract valuable components (e.g., proteins, dietary fibers) from the pulses and used them to make innovative food products such as plant-based cheese or high-protein bread.
Requirements:
1. Interest in food science and to work in a chemical and food-grade laboratories.
2. Willingness to commit ~10 h in laboratory works.
3. Openness to share and disseminate research findings to local and/or nation-wide communities.
Number of Students on the Team: 2
Faculty Guide: Dr. Paul Yoo
Department: Occupational Therapy
Collaborator: Joe Barrett
Project Details:
Students will gain hands-on experience applying the Child Community Health Inclusion Index (CHILD-CHII) in real-world community settings, directly informing how facilities can become more inclusive for children with disabilities. Through structured site visits, students will administer the CHILD-CHII and engage in meaningful dialogue with facility and organization staff – exploring the environmental, social, and structural factors that enable or hinder community participation for children with disabilities.
Beyond application, students will contribute to the ongoing psychometric validation of the CHILD-CHII, making them active participants in measurement research. By collecting real-world data and engaging in reliability and validity testing processes, students will contribute to meaningful measurement development, community-engaged research, and evidence-based practices that are formative and relevant to their growth as scholars.
Requirements:
No prior research experience required, training on the CHILD-CHII and data collection procedures will be provided before students enter the field. Comfort engaging with facility/organization staff. Ability to travel and conduct site visits at community facilities in the Fort Collins area (off-campus).
Number of Students on the Team: 4