Hi, I'm Heron Lenz, a master's student at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

 About Me: 

My name is Heron Lenz, and I am a graduate student at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. I received my bachelor’s degree in biology from Northwestern University, and am currently pursuing a master’s degree in biology and a graduate certificate in geographic information science at UCCS. My graduate research focuses on ant-aphid mutualisms in alpine ecosystems and the impacts that increasing temperatures have on these relationships. During my time as a graduate student, I have instructed organismic biology labs as well as a conservation biology lab. Additionally, I have participated in research regarding aspen tree population dynamics as a field research assistant for the University of California, Berkeley. 

In addition to my academic experience, I also hold professional experience in the fields of biology and chemistry. I worked as an analytical chemist for Bajaj Medical, a pharmaceutical startup in Chicago, and have held executive positions at multiple environmental nonprofits. I currently sit on the board of 350 Colorado, a local chapter of the national nonprofit 350.org. Following graduation, I hope to continue my professional experience by producing research that informs conservation policy with regard to how we mitigate the impacts of climate change. Specifically, I hope to find ways to incorporate spatial data analysis methods in insect ecology, which currently lags behind other ecological fields in the spatial realm. 

Geovisualization Projects

Contact: hlenz@uccs.edu