People
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.
Carrie Kipp (she/her)
Carrie is a project manager for the nature, aging and virtual reality project and 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!
Nyxie Bennett (they/them)
Nyxie is a second-year student at CSU studying psychology with a concentration in clinical counseling with a minor in philosophy. They aspire to help their community through helping individuals who are suffering from mental illness. They are particularly interested in how emotion affects cognition to better understand how thought processes work in people who have trouble regulating their emotions. Outside of the lab, they are a circus and pole artist and enjoy reading and generally being outdoors.
Valyn Highley
Valyn is a junior undergraduate in wildlife biology, and she is very excited to help out in the RAAIN lab. She loves sewing, spending time in nature, playing guitar and singing, and hanging out with her friends and family! She hopes to earn a Ph. D after graduating with her bachelor’s.
Sofia Ambriz
Sofia is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology. With unending curiosity, she hopes to go on to graduate school and focus her research on avian behavior and conservation. She truly enjoys an interdisciplinary approach and integrating various perspectives to management solutions. In her free time, Sofia loves hiking, climbing, reading, and hanging out with others, especially her dog Maggie!
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:
Lab Alumni
Sharde Johnson (she/her)
Then: Sharde was the lab manager for the RAAIN Lab and a project manager for cNISP from 2023-2025. 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.
Now: Sharde is currently pursuing her PhD in psychology at Brandeis with a focus on cognitive aging:
About Sharde: 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)
Then: Sara-Ashley graduate with her MS from the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department at Colorado State University in 2025. She graduated with a bachelors of science in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience from the University of Georgia in 2023.
Now: Sara-Ashley is pursuing her PhD in herpetology at the University of New Mexico.
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.
Amelie Guinee (she/her)
Then: Amelie recently graduated from CSU with 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.
Now: Amelie Guinee is currently a PhD student in the department of psychology at CSU under the supervision of Dr. Emily Merz
David Martinez Juarez (he/him)
My name is David Martinez Juarez. My first language is Spanish and I come from a city in Mexico named, Torreon, Coahuila. I am 4th year student, majoring in psychology with a concentration in Clinical and Counseling at CSU. I am very sportive and supportive; I do a lot of weightlifting. I enjoy happiness, empathy, resilience, among other things that make me feel joyful.
Sierra Solomon-Gavin (she/her)
Sierra is an International Baccalaureate student at Poudre High School. She plans to pursue a psychology and neuroscience undergraduate degree. She has a particular interest in cross-cultural psychology. In her free time, she competes in equestrian events, enjoys volunteering with different organizations in the community and traveling.
Henry Reichle (he/him)
Henry is a rising Junior at Colby College, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. He is fascinated by neuroscience, especially age-related neurological disorders. He is excited to discover how these neurological disorders progress and what we can do to slow them. In his free time, he loves running and being outdoors!
Matthew Chiang (he/him)
Matthew is an undergraduate student from Colby College majoring in psychology with a neuroscience concentration and minoring in environmental studies. He is particularly interested in the use of neuroscience and fields like health psychology to promote well-being. Matthew has also always loved nature, making him interested in ways to promote human and environmental health simultaneously.
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.
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.
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.
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.