2026 Sustainability and Ecosystem Science Conference

Student Capstone Presentations - Breakout Room Schedule

Jump to: Yellow Room  |  Blue Room  |  Green Room  |  Red Room

Yellow Room

Moderator: Dr. Ian McCullough

TIME PRESENTER TITLE
9:30-9:45 Alexandra Clarke Determining Stability of Mineral Springs in Downtown Steamboat
9:45-10:00 Don Archibald Are Green Buildings Really that Green? LEED Modeling Versus Actual Energy Performance
10:00-10:15 Cassie Konley Garfield County’s Energy Future: Prioritizing Electrification, Efficiency, and Local Production
10:15-10:30 Jorge Pérez Díaz Chávez College Dormitory Recycling Behaviors: Do Students Dispose of Their Waste Properly?
10:30-10:45 Andrew Williams Comparison of Bacterial Content on Manmade vs Natural Snowpack in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
10:45-10:55 Dr. Ian McCullough Discussion

Blue Room

Moderator: Dr. Emily Schultz

TIME PRESENTER TITLE
9:30-9:45 Delphine Farr Does Use of TEK Implicate Colonialism? Thought Questions for Sustainability Practitioners
9:45-10:00 Lily Leyva Information Dissemination and Enforcement by National Parks Improve Visitor Led Conservation
10:00-10:15 Luke Plummer Seasonal Cattle Grazing Impacts on Vegetation Structure and Plant Community Composition in High-Elevation Montane Rangelands of Central Colorado
10:15-10:30 Ronan K. Stevens Harnessing the Power of a Permaculture Site: Equitability and Accessibility
10:30-10:45 Melody Reeves Evaluating the role of beavers (Castor canadensis) and low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) on groundwater storage at Fourmile Creek in Chaffee County, Colorado
10:45-10:55 Dr. Emily Schultz Discussion

Green Room

Moderator: Dr. Tina Evans

TIME PRESENTER TITLE
9:30-9:45 Yubelli Y. Salas Merino Planting Knowledge, Growing Habits: Teaching Sustainability through Children’s Gardening
9:45-10:00 Raven Reville Impact of Habitat Variability on the Herbivory Relationship Between Tephritid Flies and Cirsium funkiae
10:00-10:15 Jennifer Smith Education Helps Destigmatize Hemp: Rediscovering a Sustainability Champion
10:15-10:30 Riley Cronin Connection Drives Sustainability: The Role of Outdoor Education
10:30-10:55 Dr. Tina Evans Discussion

Red Room

Moderator: Dr. Kevin Hillmer-Pegram

TIME PRESENTER TITLE
9:30-9:45 Cassadie Mefferd Stories Help Shape Solutions: Balancing Human-Beaver Relationships to Build Resilient Watersheds
9:45-10:00 Izzy Pace Plant community and soil property variation in riparian gradients along the East Fork of the Arkansas River
10:00-10:15 Austyn Kline We can Increase Drought Resilience in the West by Abandoning our Addiction to Growth
10:15-10:30 Lyan Faina Sanchez Assessing Thermal Habitat Availability for Native Trout Populations in the Roaring Fork River Under Increasing Temperature and Drought Conditions
10:30-10:55 Dr. Kevin Hillmer-Pegram Discussion