People

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

john.mola[at]colostate.edu

Veronica Champine

Veronica Champine is a PhD candidate in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department. She is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and studied psychology and education at University of California, Santa Barbara. Veronica has a Master of Science in Conservation Leadership from CSU and currently studies 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

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 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

kyle.ruszkowski[at]colostate.edu