The initial week of RECCS is a wrap and I couldn’t have had a better time with my amazing cohorts! The first two days consisted of introductions and learning more about our projects and then the rest of the week we were at the CU Mountain Research Station. Our time at MRS provided many team building opportunities including cooking, navigating perilous wooden beams, hunting moose carcasses and fending off a dastardly grouse. On Thursday, we were joined by members of the MRS staff to partake in a lesson on local forest ecology and hydrology (which may or may not have included drilling through trees and drinking groundwater samples). Friday’s activities brought the team to numerous burn sites from recent wildfires, giving us the chance to stretch our research legs and design sample projects with a fictional unlimited budget (hey, a scientist can dream, right?).
The coming week will usher in the start of our respective projects; I must say, I’m incredibly excited to begin! I have an exceptional pair of mentors in Katy and Greg and I am very much looking forward to working closely with them throughout the summer.
Until next time!
Jess
Drinking groundwater samples from a well near MRS
