The culmination of a Museum and Field Studies student's program is the Master's thesis or project. The thesis may be of research, expository, critical or creative nature, and typically focuses on a more traditionally academic topic related to museum work. A project should be an original development of materials, procedures, programs, or other practical information relevant to the student's specialty discipline and intended for direct museum application.

For more information, visit:

M.S. Thesis Requirements
M.S. Project Requirements

Please discuss whether you are interested in a thesis or project with your prospective advisor before applying to the program.

What Topics Do Students Study?

Following is a list of the Project and Thesis titles submitted to the graduate school over the past听several years. An all-inclusive list of titles is available in the Museum and Field Studies office.

2021 Graduates

  • Mariah Green, Evaluating 2D and 3D Imaging Modalities to Estimate Bite Force in Modern and Early Paleocene Mammals (thesis)
  • Jessica Mullins, Weathering the Storm: Wild Bee Community Response to an Extreme Flood (thesis)

2020 Graduates

  • Mikayla Costales, Decolonizing Theory and Praxis: Principles for Collaboration between Native American Communities and Government Run Recreation Sites (thesis)
  • Alexandra Elliott, Getting the Odd Beetle Out: An Integrated Pest Management Investigation of Odd Beetle (Thylodrias contractus) Activity at the CU Museum of Natural History (project)
  • Jessica Mailhot, Seeing the Story: Making Data Visualization Accessible to Natural History Collections Through the Creation of Custom-made Dashboards and Resources (project)
  • Ashley Muggli, Identifying Unassociated Funerary Objects in Museum Collections (project)
  • Alexis Newton, Is the Mission the Message? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Museum Mission Statements (thesis)
  • Jordan Swenson, Diatoms of the Esteros del Ibera A Taxonomic and Ecological Comparison of Historic and Contemporary Collections (thesis)
  • Justin Williams, Taxonomy, Nomenclator, and Review of Stenogyne (Lamiaceae) (thesis)

2019 Graduates

  • Erin Barbeau, Novel Hostplant Effect on Defensive Behaviors of White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) Caterpillars (thesis)
  • Julie Byle,听The Science of Nature Based Learning: Evaluating the Nexus of Leadership, Agency, and Positive Emotions on Student Experiences through Participative Decision Making on Curriculum Intervention (thesis)
  • Trevor Ganske, Collaborative, Interpretive and Spatial Development of the Far View Visitor Center at Mesa Verde National Park (project)
  • Baylee Hughes, Engaging With African American Communities Through Critical Race Theory and Indigenous Decolonizing Methodologies in the Anacostia Community Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (thesis)
  • Sydney Marshall, Students Helping Students: Co-Creating Programs in the CU Museum of Natural History (project)
  • Kelly Martin, Utilizing Molecular Phylogenetics to Assess Genetic Diversity of Western United States Physa and Helisoma Snails (thesis)
  • Jennifer Modzel, Stepping Out: 10,000 Years of Walking the West:听Decolonizing Strategies at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (thesis)
  • Jane Richardson, Developing Tribal Museum Collection Policies and Plans: Museum Toolkit and Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation Report (project)
  • Sophia Warsh, A Floristic Inventory of Two Boulder County Open Space Parcels: Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch, Colorado, U.S.A. (thesis)

2018 Graduates

  • Andrea Blaser, Space Assessments for Museum Collections Planning (project)
  • Emma Noffsinger, Preparing Collections for Consultation (project)
  • Reid Sweetkind, Phenomenon-based Curriculum in a Mammals Kit for Fourth Grade Classrooms (project)
  • Tara Templeman, New Earliest Paleocene (Puercan) Multituberculates from the China Butte Member of the Fort Union Formation, Great Divide Basin, Wyoming (thesis)

2017 Graduates

  • Clint Hofeldt, Master's Project: An Interpretive Plan for the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station (project)
  • Sarah Robertson, Additional Perspectives: Creating a Kit for the Mathematical Exploration of Art (project)

2016 Graduates

  • Jesse Dutton-Kenny,听Preserving Ethnographic Basketry Collections听(project)
  • Kerrie Iyoob,听Evaluating Microclimates Within Fluctuating Environments in Museum Collections (project)
  • Nicole Ridgwell,听Rare Direct Evidence of Angiosperm Consumption by Dinosaurs Based on Coprolites from the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah听(thesis)

2015 Graduates

  • Jacquelyn Bonavia,听Preparing Private Antiquities Collections for Museum Acquisition: The Gell-Mann Pottery Collection Case Study听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Elisa Dahlberg,听A New Earliest Paleocene (Puercan) Fauna from the Denver Formation in Colorado's Denver Basin听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Marcus Espinosa,听An Analysis of Basketmaker III Seed Jar Ratios for the Basketmaker Communities Project听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Meredith George,听Accountability and Transparency in Nonprofit Campaigns: A Case Study on the Museum of Science Boston听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Alissa Gigliotti,听East of the Divide: The Native Fishes of Colorado, An Exhibit Plan听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Antonette Hrycyk,听Visitor Interpretation of Gender Within a History Museum Exhibition听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Emily Lannoye, A听New Middle Paleocene Mammalian Fauna from the Fort Union Formation, Great Divide Basin, Wyoming听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Keelin MacCarthy,听Remember Each Snowflake: Creating a Process for Program Development (project)
  • Aubrie Reed,听A Study of School Group Social Interaction at the History Colorado Center (thesis)
  • Alison Vitkus,听Unusual, Fossiliferous, Concretions from the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation in St. George, Utah, USA: Implications for Ancient Fish Mass Mortalities听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Lindsay Walker,听Diversity of Eocene Coleoptera in Colorado During a Global Cooling Event (thesis)
  • Katherine Wolfson,听Citizen Science: A Tool for Scientific, 麻豆视频y and Influencing Science Attitudes in Museums听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)

2014 Graduates

  • Richard Levy,听Dispersal Potential Impacts Size Clines of Grasshoppers Across an Elevation Gradient听(thesis)
  • Katherine McComas,听A New Puercan Arctocyonid Genus from the Great Divide Basin, Wyoming听(thesis)
  • Alison Seeberger,听Museum Volunteers 2.0: Examining Motivation in the Era of Citizen Science (thesis)

听2013 Graduates

  • Danielle Forte,听An Interactive Colorado House Spider Identification Guide听(project)
  • Jessica Holm,听Intergenerational Groups & Emerging Science: How Can Museums Facilitate Learning?听(thesis)
  • Kayla Kramer,听OBJECT BIOGRAPHIES: A Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation Buckskin and Quillwork Outfit, a Nez Perce Woman's Buckskin Dress, a Ramos Polychrome Jar, and a Navajo Man's Military Style-Jacket听(thesis)
  • Karen Malone,听The Who, What, Why, How, & When of Accessible Hands-On Programming: A Guidebook for Museum & Informal Educators听(project)
  • Chistine McClellan,听An Assessment of Student Exhibitions for the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History; the University of Colorado at Chimney Rock & the Archaeoastronomy of Chimney Rock听(project)
  • Robert Rutherford,听Past the Edge of the Canvas: A Holistic Approach to Creating Educational Web Content听(project)
  • Sarah Snow,听Memories of GAMES: Exploring the Long-Term Impacts of After-School Museum Programming on Girls' Attitudes Towards Science听(thesis)
  • Deborah Wagner,听Mamallian Body Size Change During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming听(thesis)

2012 Graduates

  • Rachel Asquith,听Factors Predicting Visitor Satisfaction in U.S. Museums听(thesis)
  • Irina Fartushnikova,听Cultural Representation in Museums: Assessing Changes in Museum Practice in Representation of Native American Cultures and Their Impact on Museum Visitors (thesis)
  • Taormina Lepore,听Tissue-bearing Theropod Coprolites from the Laramie Formation (Maastrichtian) of Colorado听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Gillian McGinnis,听Ceramics and Visitor Evaluations Project Summary听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Jennifer Seitz,听Small Wonders: Developing a Beetle Exhibit听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Claire Wilbert,听NAGPRA Consultation Workshop听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Kathryn Zullo,听Engaging Senior Citizens at the CU Museum of Natural History听(project)

2011 Graduates

  • Michael Poltenovage,听Colorado Museum of Natural History Paleoasys Collections Management System User Manual听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)
  • Heather Robeson,听An Observational Biodiversity Database for the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Janell Thoene,听Taphonomy of Insects from the Florissant Formation, Colorado听(迟丑别蝉颈蝉)
  • Rhonda Wright,听Setting the Standard: Creating an Archival Databasing Protocol Based on the Earl H. Morris Papers at the CUMNH听(辫谤辞箩别肠迟)