The FIRED UP program brings together talented students from diverse backgrounds for a four-week immersive alpine experience during the summer before grad school begins. The goal is to help first-year grad students learn foundational field skills, as well as find their sense of belonging and community amongst their peers.
Graduate applicants accepted to the CU Boulder EBIO graduate program will automatically be offered enrollment in the FIRED UP program. We provide financial incentive packages to FIRED UP participants so that all individuals may consider joining, and remove cost as a barrier to the program. The program will run from July 17- August 12, 2022. FIRED UP is designed to enrich your graduate school experience in a variety of ways:
Discover alpine research
FIRED UP takes place at CU’s Mountain Research Station, the site of a long-term ecological research program. You will help conduct studies on the diversity, productivity and resilience of alpine ecological communities and meet world-renowned scientists to learn about careers in science.
Gain hands-on experience
You will work with faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and staff to gain experience surveying a variety of organisms, using cutting-edge environmental monitoring technology. You will also learn to work with large datasets and make sense of your findings on a collaborative project.
Build your community
We will help connect you with a supportive community through exercises connected to team-building, overcoming struggles as a scientist, and the development of your science identity. You’ll connect with peers and mentors through improvisational work, ice-breakers, and comedy.
FIRED UP is included with admission to the EBIO graduate program at CU Boulder for MA and PhD students - so there is no added cost. In fact, we will also offer financial incentive packages to admitted students to cover the costs of moving to Colorado and purchasing personal field gear needed for the stay at the MRS (backpacks, hiking shoes, outerwear, etc). It is our intention to remove any cost barriers for all students who are interested in this program.
In week one, you will join your cohort in Boulder Colorado for three days for initial ice breakers and a cookout with the broader EBIO community. We will then head up to the Mountain Research Station for an orientation that will involve wilderness first aid training, initial instruction on instrumentation, and discussions of our origins and interests in science
Week two is when we will dive into data collection. You will engage with plant and microbe sampling, explore soil nutrient cycling, and engage in discussions of the grand challenges with long-term ecological data. Mentors will also share their experiences in science, including the challenges associated with imposter syndrome and scientific failure.
Week three is when we will expand field methods training relevant to small mammals, birds, and insects. The group will share their science heroes and how to approach difficult and messy datasets. We will focus on topics of collaboration and leadership.
Week four is the last time period at the MRS. We will finish mammal observations, discuss species distributions, and start lab-based approaches. We will work on defining your own narrative for graduate school and how to ask questions using large datasets. Fun times will ensue: t-shirt designs, cookout socials, and meeting other EBIO community members.
After the summer field season, you’ll have coursework that translates your field experience into training in data management, visualization, modeling, and interpretation.
Specifically, you will participate in a collaborative learning course focused on the statistical analysis of Niwot Ridge long-term data sets (as well as NEON and NCAR data).
The course will be geared towards first-year graduate students with beginning or intermediate analysis skills.
FIRED UP also includes a science communication project. For this project, you will identify a community outside of CU-Boulder as a target audience to share your research and field experience.
Audiences could include, for example, your hometown, a program that was a formative part of your life before graduate school, or a group you intend to engage with in the future. This outreach project allows YOU to define how science is meaningful in your life and share that identity with people who matter to you.
As part of the program, you will learn advanced skills in field ecological research, including how to collect biodiversity, behavior, and climate data. Learn more about the projects and skills we’ll cover.
