Dr. Sara LoTemplio (she/her)

Dr. LoTemplio is an Assistant Professor in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the director of the RAAIN lab (she also co-directs CNISP) She is particularly interested in the restorative effects of natural environments on attention and mood. She uses a variety of behavioral measures as well as psychophysiological measures such as ECG (heartrate) and EEG (brainwaves) in her research. She is also interested in how emotion affects cognition, and basic research into attention and cognitive control, and is a strong enthusiast of science communication and community engagement with science. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time outside, reading, cooking, and hanging out with her husband and dog.

Sharde Johnson (she/her)

Sharde is the current manager of the RAAIN Lab and a project manager for cNISP. She received a master’s degree in sport management from Colorado State University and her bachelor’s in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience from Colby College. Sharde is fascinated by the ways in which spending time in nature offers cognitive and affective benefits throughout the lifespan. She also has a strong interest in studying relationships among emotions, behavior, and one’s environment, in addition to being interested in emotion and stress regulation implications for mental health. In her free time, Sharde enjoys hiking, trying new foods, and trivia.

Sara-Ashley Collins (she/her)

Sara-Ashley is a masters student within the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department at Colorado State University. She graduated with a bachelors of science in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience from the University of Georgia in 2023. Sara-Ashley is interested in how human interactions with nature affect both human and natural resource health. She is particularly interested in how natural stimuli influences fear, stress, and cognitive aging and how these connections may be drawn upon to inform natural resource management practices. Apart from being a graduate student, she enjoys camping, backpacking, foraging, and fishing.

Jordan Rivera (she/her)

Jordan is an undergraduate student pursuing her bachelor’s in Conservation Biology in Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources. Passionate about the natural world, Jordan is fascinated by the impact humans have on the environment as well as the effects that nature has on the health and well-being of people. When she isn’t studying, Jordan loves trail running, camping, and is always down to jump in an alpine lake.

Joshua Hofecker (he/him)

Josh is an undergraduate, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at Colorado State University. He is fascinated by how nature connects to our emotions, our mental health, and all other positive influences over our well-being. Bringing nature therapy to every corner of underrepresented communities is another area of interest for Josh. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time outside with friends hiking and biking, playing bingo, and baking.

Ellie Lutz (they/them)

Ellie is an undergraduate student getting a degree in Conservation Biology with minors in History, Anthropology, and Diversity and Inclusion in Natural Resources. They are interested in Human-Environmental interactions and its implication as well as how this interaction differs from culture to culture and people to people. Ellie is also interested in pollination ecology and how it relates to humans. Outside of the lab, Ellie serves as the Lead Ambassador for the Warner College DEI office, holds multiple positions in clubs around campus, and is a Chair and Senator in ASCSU. In their free time, Ellie enjoys hanging out with friends and adding to their numerous collections, which includes a coin collection that spans 2,000 years of history and peoples.

Amelie Guinee (she/her)

Amelie is an undergraduate student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in data science. She is interested in neuropsychology– specifically in how mental health is impacted by different environments and stimuli. In her free time, Amelie enjoys reading, climbing, and weightlifting. She has published two novels and is currently working on her third.

Carrie Kipp (she/her)

Carrie is an undergraduate pursuing a degree in Neuroscience under the Cognitive and Behavioral concentration. She has always been fascinated with the process of thinking and how the world around us influences our brains, whether it be caused by natural or social influences. Outside of the lab, she loves to write, learn, read, and explore.

Brooklyn Matt (she/her)

Brooklyn is a neuroscience undergrad focusing on the cognitive and behavior concentration. How the mind works and affects our behavior has always been interesting to her. In her free time, she loves to play with her cat, Richard, read, and do crosswords! 

Brent Stone (he/him)

My name is Brent Stone (he/him), and I am a 3rd year psychology student pursuing a degree in clinical counseling. I am originally from Indiana but came to CSU for the quality psychology department. I am pursuing a minor in Spanish and play club volleyball for CSU!

This could be you!

This photo could be of you, but right now it’s just Patsy. Join the lab and work on cutting-edge science and important community outreach.

Collaborators

We work with a large group of collaborators across institutions! Below is a non-exhaustive list:

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Kathryn Mechaley (she/her)

Kat is an undergraduate student from Colby College pursuing bachelor’s degrees in environmental policy and English, with a concentration in literature and the environment. She is interested in the justice dimensions of environmental problems, particularly in terms of climate change. Kat is also fascinated by how storytelling can be utilized to transform the way in which people view and interact with the natural world. In her free time, Kat enjoys reading, thrifting, spending time outside, and playing soccer.