Mountain Scholar

Mountain Scholar is an open access repository service that collects, preserves, and provides access to digitized library collections and other scholarly and creative works from Colorado State University and the University Press of Colorado. It also serves as a dark archive for the Open Textbook Library.

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Colorado State University, Fort Collins 28311
Explore the Colorado State University community’s scholarly output as well as items from the University at large and the CSU Libraries.
Open Textbook Library Archive 25
A limited number of titles are available here. To see all OTL titles, please visit the Open Textbook Library at https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks. Only Open Textbook Library staff have access to all OTL Archive titles held in Mountain Scholar.
University Press of Colorado 1088
Access is limited to University Press of Colorado members. Non-members: to purchase books, please visit https://upcolorado.com/.

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
The native sand sage vegetation of eastern Colorado
(1972) Daley, Richard Halbert, author; Dix, R. L., advisor; Cringan, A. T., committee member; Berg, William, committee member; Ward, R. T., committee member
The native sand sage (Artemisia filifolia Torr.) vegetation in eastern Colorado has only received brief mention in the literature, and has never before been quantitatively studied. Consequently, this study was undertaken to provide a quantitative phytosociological description of the native sand sage vegetation. In addition, the vegetational-environmental complex was examined, and the relationship of this vegetation with other examples of sand vegetation in the North American grassland is suggested. This study is of timely importance because the land-use practices in eastern Colorado will likely destroy the last remnants of the native sand sage vegetation within a few years. Colorado's sand sage vegetation appears to be a climax edaphic variant of the mixed-grass prairie. Furthermore, based upon species composition differences between northeastern and southeastern Colorado stands, the possibility of a tension zone between the northern and the southern Plains through central Colorado is suggested. In addition to Artemisia filifolia, the most important species are Sporobolus cryptandrus, Bouteloua gracilis, and Helianthus petiolaris. Changes in species composition within each area are primarily a function of changes in slope and exposure. Significant differences in species importances between the northern and the southern stands are noted. Stipa comata and Calamovilfa longifolia, which are quite common in the northern stands, do not occur in quadrats in the south. These differences are accounted for by differences in substrate stability and climate. Substrate stability differences are hypothesized to account for the growth-form differences between the two Colorado study areas, which are similar, and the "stabilized dunes" of Saskatchewan and the sand sage vegetation of Nebraska, which are similar.
Access status: Open Access ,
The economics of food rescue: deriving the value of variable food donations
(2026-05) Eisenreich, Mallory, author; Kroll, Stephan, advisor; Seidl, Andrew, committee member; Chenarides, Lauren, committee member
The emergence of food rescues in recent decades has filled a need to divert food waste from the landfill and distribute it for human consumption. This study aims to assign a dollar value to a year's worth of captured food waste by one food rescue in Colorado. Economic valuation of food waste has mainly been done from the supermarket's perspective. Other analyses of the value of food rescues are derived from the social value the resource itself provides, rather than the specific valuation of the goods it captures. This research provides a new and preliminary method to standardize food dollars across donor source types to create an approximate dollar value for food intake records. One food rescue in Northern Colorado was able to save $5.8 million worth of food from the landfill over one year by working with a variety of partners across the state. This method may provide a new means for food rescues to assign value when drafting reports for various stakeholders, and it may also offer a means of value estimation for communities looking to start a food rescue.
Access status: Open Access ,
Socioeconomic and environmental correlates of traffic accident hotspots: a spatial analysis of Denver County's road safety
(2026-05) Mia Krause, Mia, author; Guan, Yawen, advisor; Kasper, Victor, committee member
Traffic accidents remain one of the most preventable sources of injury and death in American cities, disproportionately affecting neighborhoods that receive the least amount of attention and resources. This study analyzes the spatial patterns of traffic crashes in Denver, Colorado from 2014 to 2024, examining how socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental characteristics relate to crash frequency, severity, and pedestrian involvement. Using spatial autocorrelation, cluster detection, and spatial regression modeling, this study evaluates whether lower-income and minoritized neighborhoods experience elevated crash risk and identifies the roadway and environmental conditions most strongly associated with severe outcomes. Results show that lower-income communities experience significantly higher traffic accidents, including pedestrian-involved crashes, reflecting a lack of safe road infrastructure in these vulnerable areas. Additionally, the share of minoritized residents exhibits a positive but marginally significant association with pedestrian crash risk. Environmental factors such as lighting conditions and roadway type strongly influence crash severity, with dark conditions and major roads associated with substantially higher odds of severe crash outcomes. These findings highlight persistent disparities in transportation safety and emphasize the need for targeted, equity-focused infrastructure investments. By identifying where risks are concentrated and which communities are most affected, this study provides evidence to support more equitable and effective transportation planning in Denver County.
Access status: Open Access ,
Fluid intracavity laser diode (FILD) sensor
(2005) Kumar, Dhiraj, author; Lear, Kevin, advisor; Rocca, Jorge, committee member; Henry, Charles, committee member
Laser based microfluidic devices, especially ones in which a microfluidic channel is an integral part of the laser cavity, are very attractive for biomedical diagnostics applications. The fluid intracavity laser diode (FILD) sensor constructed in this research work is an electrically pumped vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) based microfluidic device. It has the potential to detect different biological cells in a fluid. The FILD sensor was constructed by attaching a bottom emitting VCSEL above an external dielectric mirror with an intervening ~10 ?m thick photoresist spacer which forms the sidewall of the fluidic channel. The VCSEL contained a complete top DBR mirror and gain region, but only a partially reflecting bottom mirror so that the external dielectric mirror completed the resonator cavity. The external dielectric mirror was made on a BK7 polished substrate with a high reflective coating (~99%) at the laser wavelength (980nm). The sensor was assembled by heating the dielectric mirror with patterned photoresist at 125 °C and attaching the VCSEL die to the softened photoresist. The result was a closed fluidic cavity formed between the dielectric mirror and the VCSEL diode. This closed fluidic channel allowed fluids and other biological samples through the reservoirs to the cavity of the laser. Lasing operation of FILD sensors were observed under CW and pulsed input current conditions. Output power vs. input current characteristics of various FILD sensors were measured under pulsed, room temperature conditions, for different fluids inside the fluidic cavity. The majority of the sensors exhibited a trend of increase in slope efficiency and decrease in threshold current with increase in fluid index of the fluidic cavity. Spectral measurements of a FILD sensor were also performed, which showed ~1nm wavelength shift with change in homogeneous fluid index from 1 to 1.33. Modulation of transverse confinement of laser beam was also observed when 10 ?m diameter polystyrene spheres, used as prototype biological cells, were flown inside the FILD's fluidic cavity. Several theoretical phenomena were investigated to explain the modulation trends of FILD's output characteristics due to change in fluid index. Complete qualitative and quantitative analysis of these phenomena are presented in the form of a thesis chapter and appendices.
Access status: Open Access ,
Angler workshop report: improving equity and participation in recreational fishing in Colorado
(2026-05) Lavoie, Anna, author; Teumer, Meghan, author; Colorado State University, publisher
On February 9, 2026 we held a workshop that brought together 13 participants from state agencies, nonprofits, community organizations, and recreation stakeholders to discuss barriers and opportunities related to increasing participation in recreational fishing among women and other underrepresented communities in Colorado. Workshop attendees worked in groups to identify barriers and solutions to inclusivity and access. Across groups, participants emphasized that barriers to participation are deeply interconnected, spanning structural, cultural, economic, informational, and institutional dimensions. Participants also identified collaborative and community-centered solutions that could improve long-term access and belonging.