John M. Mola
Lab PI – Assistant Professor, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship
John (he/him) completed his PhD at the University of California Davis and a postdoc at U.S. Geological Survey. John grew up in Connecticut/Florida and is a first-generation college student. His favorite bee is a frisbee.
Faculty Webpage | Medium Blog | Personal Webpage
john.mola[at]colostate.edu
Lab Associates
Veronica Champine, PhD
Dr. Veronica Champine is a research associate in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she studied psychology and education at University of California, Santa Barbara. Veronica has a Master of Science in Conservation Leadership from CSU and recently finished her PhD at CSU on how social psychology influences pro-environmental behaviors in urban conservation and education contexts. She is the lead social scientist on the Plants for Parks, Pollinators, and People project in the Mola Lab.
social psychology, pro-environmental behavior, landscape preferences, native plant gardening
veronica.champine[at]colostate.edu
Nathan Comai
Nathan Comai is a Research Associate for both the Mola Lab as well as Seth Davis’ Forest Health Lab in the Warner College of Natural Resources. Nathan graduated with a B.S. degree in Wildlife, Conservation, Fisheries, Biology with a minor in Entomology at Colorado State University in 2019. Nathan works as a sort of floating helper for students and faculty in the lab. He has worked on many different projects, from native bee identification and collection/curation (his favorite), to DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis with Bark beetles. In his free-time Nathan most enjoys playing soccer, wildlife photography, and nature excursions with his dog.
nathan.comai[at]colostate.edu
Graduate Students
Nicki Bailey
Nicki (she/her) is a Master’s student in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, co-advised in the lab of Dr. Gillian Bowser. Her thesis research addresses the relationship between pollinator biodiversity and neighborhood equity in Denver city parks. In her previous work, she studied native bees, citizen science, and butterflies from Michigan to California, but primarily in National Parks and on public lands. She graduated with a B.A. in Biology in 2021 from Kalamazoo College. In her free time, she likes to do art, see live music, and take pictures of every insect she sees while hiking.
nicki.bailey[at]colostate.edu
Sophia Gulutzo
Sophia is a Master’s student in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology interested in pollinator, forest, and restoration ecology. Sophia grew up in the foothills of the Ozark and Ouachita mountains and graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Central Arkansas in 2022. In the Mola lab, she will be working to close knowledge gaps concerning the life history of threatened and endangered bumble bee queens, especially regarding non-foraging life stages. In the wild, Sophia can often be found rock climbing, playing disc golf, hanging out with her bearded dragon, Root, or playing music.
bee ecology, overwintering, forest ecology, phenology and inter-species associations
sophia.gulutzo[at]colostate.edu
Laura Lukens
Laura (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology interested in understanding how anthropogenic change influences population dynamics and species interactions, with a special interest in endangered species conservation. Laura completed her BS at the University of Minnesota in 2015 and before attending CSU, studied monarch butterflies and grassland ecology at the University of Minnesota and Monarch Joint Venture. In her free time, Laura enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog and loved ones (camping, hiking, gardening, canoeing), cooking, and doing pottery.
Colostate email coming soon. Laura starts officially in Fall 2023.
Kyle Ruszkowski
Kyle (He/Him) is a PhD student co-advised in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Bousselot. He is interested in plant-pollinator interactions, with a focus on native plants and bees. His past work focused on plant phenology and floral nectar resources on green roofs. His current work continues to focus on the plant-pollinator interface within urban ecosystems and the surrounding areas.
green Infrastructure, phenology, pollinator visitation, floral resources
k.ruszkowski[at]colostate.edu
Undergraduates
Ava Tolbert
Ava is a Restoration Ecology Major minoring in Entomology and Plant Health. She is helping out as a technician with the Plants for Parks, Pollinators, and People project! Her favorite hobby is mountain biking and her favorite plant is maidenhair fern.
Nancy Bartholomew
Nancy’s background is in education, and she is now working on a second bachelor’s degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. She grew up in Wyoming, but lived in Arizona, El Salvador, Oregon, and Ecuador before settling in Colorado. She joined the lab as an CSU Summer Extension Intern helping with the Plants for Parks, Pollinators, and People project in the summer of 2023. She’ll be continuing on to do an independent research project!