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.

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.