Welcome!
|
The E&B Lab at the University of Colorado uses mixed methods and diverse data to examine the social and behavioral dimensions of environmental change. Our research addresses three overarching research questions:
We use a range of methods, but rely most on surveys, experimental methods, and quantitative approaches. 
|
|
Check out the latest from our team
(For more news and updates, see here)
|
August 2025 - Natalie Bennett published her MS thesis in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. This paper examines how effective Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) have been in helping rural Colorado communities adapt to the growing threat of wildfire. Drawing on interviews with key informants, the study explores how CWPPs influence the development of “fire-adapted” communities in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The findings show that CWPPs work best in communities with specific characteristics that support or demand their success, emphasizing that wildfire adaptation planning must be tailored to local contexts rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
|
|
May 2025 - Ashley Miralles was awarded through the Patricia Sheffels Undergraduate Research Fund in 2025 to cover expenses related to the SPSP Conference 2026 where she plans to present her research. The fund supports Environmental Studies (ENVS) undergraduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder in conducting independent or honors-related research. Made possible through the generosity of donor Patricia Sheffels, the fund provides up to $3,000 per student to cover legitimate research expenses such as equipment, software, and travel to field sites or conferences where students present their work.
|
|
|
May 2025 - Ashley Miralles was awarded a UROP Assistantship Grant in 2025 for her work with Amanda Carrico on the History of Conservation Appeals Project, where they are analyzing the content and frames of conservation messages in US magazines from 1960-2019. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program offers flexible funding options for undergraduates and faculty to facilitate engagement in original research, creative projects, and scholarly work alongside one another. The program enhances academic and professional development, which fosters CU Boulder’s commitment to hands-on, experiential learning and innovation.
|
January 2024 - E&B researchers received a $15,000 seed grant from the CU Population Center to examine the impacts of heat waves on child and infant health. Climate models predict that, by the end of this century, about one-third of the world’s population will be exposed to severe heat waves at least every five years. This pilot project, led by PI Amanda Carrico, will examine which forms of heat stress most strongly associated with infant health outcomes in Bangladesh, and the household and community factors that exacerbate or mitigate the effects of heat stress? PhD students Arup Paul and Samina Islam are participating in this work, along with collaborators from Georgetown and Ohio State universities.
|
July 2023 - This report, published by the North Central Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NC RISCC) network, focused on the perceptions and information needs of practitioners who work with invasive species in the North Central region (CO, WY, MT, ND, SD, NE, KS). We surveyed 69 land managers and researchers to assess their general location, roles/sectors, priorities and challenges for management/research, use of climate information in invasive species management/research, and interest in a variety of resources that the NC RISCC could provide. Main conclusions included: management and research priorities for invasive species differ and the informational products that each group preferred were different; practitioners spend most of their time on current invasive species and not future ones; and most practitioners report a moderate level of knowledge of how climate may impact invasive species but significant challenges remain to incorporating this knowledge into practice.
|
|
|
November 2021 - Jeremiah Osborne-Gowey successfully defended his dissertation on November 9 and will graduate this winter. His thesis is titled, The Effects of Social Capital and Migration on Agricultural Practices and Well-Being among Farmers in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh: Evidence from Household Surveys. Jeremiah used data from two household surveys and diverse statistical approaches (multilevel models, hazard models) to examine the factors that support resilience in agricultural communities. Congratulations Jeremiah!
|
|
November 2021 - The 20th century saw historically unprecedented rates of economic growth throughout the world. Yet, macroeconomic forecasts suggest that growth rates in developed democracies are likely to slow in the 21st century. Our new paper in Nature Human Behavior considers the potential consequences of a future of slow growth within the world's high-income democracies. We draw on research from economics, psychology, political science, and other fields to consider implications for inequality, civic participation, social capital, and well-being.
|
|
|
October 2021 - Amanda Carrico is co-PI on a new grant from the National Science Foundation to study the public's values and priorities regarding how we manage public lands in Colorado. This $3.6M award will support research over 5 years into the effects of climate change and population pressure in mountain headwater systems, as well as the use of surveys and choice experiments to understand public perceptions. Funding comes from the NSF's new Growing Convergence Research program. Read more about the project here and here.
|
June 2021 - Urooj Raja wins the AESS Best Student Paper Award, recognizing "the potential in graduate student research to create new insights and impact in environmental science and studies, and to engage with environmental policy, practice, and education." Her submission was recently published in the journal Environmental Communication and examines the subjective experience of learning about an environmental problem through the medium of virtual reality.
|
May 2021 - Congratulations to Dr. Urooj Raja for successfully defending her dissertation, Bridging Psychological Distance: Engaging the Public on Climate Change and Broader Environmental Problems. Urooj's research uses mixed methods to examine how emergent media technology and message frames shape the perceived immediacy and relevance of environmental problems, and how this translates into pro-environmental behavior and civic engagement. Urooj will be heading to Loyola University - Chicago in the Fall of 2021 to start a position as Assistant Professor in the School of Communications.
|
|
