Research Experiences for Community College Students

April 2025

RECCS is a summer student research program for Colorado community college students funded by the National Science Foundation and coordinated by CIRES CEEE, Niwot Ridge LTER and INSTAAR.

Welcome to the monthly RECCS newsletter. This month's issue includes a highlight of recent achievements from our RECCS alumni and an alumni spotlight ! You can find current job openings and internship opportunities at the bottom. 

Research Achievements

Photo Credit: Jae Robinson, 2021 RECCS Cohort


Congratulations to Jae Robinson who is one of twelve recipients of the GRFP! Twelve CU Boulder students have been awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. This award supports exceptional graduate students in STEM fields with funding and professional development. This fellowship gives students a stipend, financial support, professional development, and research opportunities.

 


Congratulations to Leah Shipley on being selected for the 2025 SAO/NSF Solar Physics (REU) at the Center for Astrophysics! This prestigious 10-week program immerses undergraduates in cutting-edge solar and heliospheric research, offering hands-on experience in data analysis, computer modeling, and instrumentation. The program also includes seminars to enhance scientific communication and programming skills, preparing students for future careers in astrophysics and space science.

 

Photo Credit: Leah Shipley, 2024 RECCS Cohort

Employee of the Year Celebration

Photo Credit: Karla Citlali Lemus Gordillo, 2022 RECCS Cohort

Congratulations to Karla Lemus, who was recognized as the overall student employee of the year runner-up and the winner in the Diversity & Inclusion category. Through her roles at the CIRES CEEE and the Center for Inclusion and Social Change, she has led over 21 workshops impacting nearly 750 students and has spent time working with RECCS through mentoring and recruitment. Her leadership in programs like PEEPs and RECCS has fostered inclusive environments and supported underrepresented students.

 

Congratulations to Abby Schmidt, the student employee of the year winner in the category for Critical Thinking. Abby has been praised as “one of the most impressive students” by her mentors, she has demonstrated exceptional analytical skills in the Gil Lab, leading her own Honors thesis on reef fish behavior and mentoring fellow undergraduates. Her contributions have significantly advanced research methodologies and lab processes.

Photo Credit: Abby Schmidt, 2023 RECCS Cohort

We want to see and showcase any achievements you have had! As we enter graduation season, we also want to highlight you at your graduation! Send us pictures at to our email or fill out the alumni survey. with your information. We hope to get plenty of submissions for the May Newsletter!!

 

Alumni Spotlight: Anna Zerkle

Picture credit: Anna Zerkle - RECCS Cohort 2024

 



Anna Zerkle (she/her) was a part of our 2024 RECCS cohort. She is a passionate advocate for environmental conservation and animal ecology, and is currently in her final semester of the Environmental Science program at the Community College of Denver. After graduating, she hopes to transfer to the University of New Mexico in fall 2025. Anna hopes to continue her studies in environmental sciences and eventually pursue a graduate degree

If you would like to be featured on our alumni spotlight please fill out this survey.

Job Openings

Internship & Fellowship Opportunities

If you are a community college and are interested in summer REU's, visit this spreadsheet.

Join RECCS on Linkedin!


  1. Create or update your Linkedin profile (view the how-to video)
  2. Connect with us on Linkedin!


We post job listings and other opportunities on our page.

What is going on with RECCS?

Applications for RECCS 2025 are now closed. We are prepping and getting everything ready for our 2025 cohort!

RECCS Team


Alicia Christensen, Christine Okochi, Anne Gold (RECCS PI), Madison Payne, and Karla Citlali Lemus Gordillo

 

Contact us at reccs@colorado.edu or visit our program page at https://cires.colorado.edu/ceee/reccs

RECCS is funded by the National Science Foundation Grant Award Numbers:

EAR 1757930, EAR 1461281, DEB 637686, EAR 1331828, AGS 1839741

https://cires.colorado.edu/ceee/reccs


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