The Mountain Research Station: a world-class center for alpine science
Although located only 25 miles from CU Boulder’s main campus, the Mountain Research Station (MRS) offers a uniquely remote and private field environment on the Colorado Front Range. Immerse yourself in subalpine forests and alpine tundra while gaining research and educational opportunities in mountain environmental science.
Photo by Valerie McKenzie
Niwot Ridge
The MRS is also next to Niwot Ridge: a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, core site of NSF-funded National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and former NSF Critical Zone Observatory. It is also the site of the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Niwot Ridge hosts an interdisciplinary team of scientists with expertise in ecology, evolutionary biology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, and climatology, most of whom are faculty at CU Boulder.
Photo by William Bowman
Living at the MRS will expose you to a large number of internationally-recognized experts and research programs in mountain science. We will hold a series of seminars to help you discover the wide range of interdisciplinary science taking place on Niwot Ridge, as well as a variety of career paths that require experience in field science.
Photo by William Bowman
The MRS is a multi-disciplinary facility dedicated to mountain science research and education, and provides the research (e.g., labs, computer and printing services, library), teaching (classrooms, meeting center, herbarium and insect collections), and living facilities (one-and two-person cabins, a lodge, and the Wildrose Dining Hall). The cabins are rustic and charming. Large, shared bathroom & shower facilities with modern plumbing and hot water are steps away from the cabins.
The Boulder Chickadee Study
Dr. Scott Taylor’s lab at CU Boulder leads research on local populations of chickadees: see the Boulder Chickadee Study. They study hybridization between black-capped and mountain chickadees, nest parasitism, malarial parasites, behavior, and more. You will get an opportunity to learn about these projects and gain experience in field methods in ornithology.
Pika and their responses to climate change
The incredible pika is a wonderful species to learn about. Not only are they cute, these small mammals have some amazing adaptations to living at high elevation. At the MRS, you will get a chance to interface with the Colorado Pika Project and collect data on pika populations.
Plant-pollinator interactions
Dr. Julian Resasco’s lab at CU Boulder leads research on plant-pollinator interactions along elevation gradients. Climate change is impacting these systems and disentangling the various ways that biological and climatic variables influence plants and pollinators requires long-term study. You will get a chance to learn how to study these interactions first hand from the experts.
The University of Colorado Boulder, the Mountain Research Station, and the people who participate in these institutions recognize that the university sits upon land within the territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. Further, we acknowledge that 48 contemporary tribal nations are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.
