REAL PROBLEMS – REAL SOLUTIONS

Research is a core mission at CSU and other land-grant universities

By Cassandra Moseley | Sept. 23, 2025

On the edge of Colorado State University’s Foothills Campus, the morning sun falls on the field site of the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center, known as METEC. It is a stretch of open, dry land that feels at once rugged and purposeful.

Here, CSU researchers and students move through what they jokingly call a “Hollywood set” – a carefully constructed mock oil and gas facility designed not for film crews, but for science. CSU engineers and atmospheric scientists track methane emissions with precision, making invisible leaks visible and providing data that can help industry, regulators, and communities curb pollution.

This is METEC’s mission: to create real-world conditions where new tools and methods can be tested and solutions refined. It’s a space where the oil and gas sector, environmental organizations, and the federal government meet on common ground because gas leaks benefit no one – they waste resources, degrade air quality, and pose harm to communities. Yet, those leaks remain notoriously difficult to find and fix. METEC bridges that gap, combining engineering ingenuity with public service and training students – the next generation of professionals – in the process.

Students and researchers at CSU’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center use advanced detection equipment to measure and analyze methane leaks. Many international graduate students participate in research at the center. Photo: Ron Bend / CSU.

That blend of hands-on problem-solving and knowledge sharing is at the heart of the land-grant university tradition. Established by President Lincoln under the Morrill Act of 1862, land-grant institutions like Colorado State University were built to expand access to higher education, especially in practical disciplines such as agriculture and engineering. Their mission was not only to preserve knowledge, but also to create and apply it – to devise innovations that would improve the lives of ordinary people and strengthen the nation.

Land-grant universities were rooted in the idea that education should serve the public good, producing graduates with the skills and insights to feed, build, heal, and advance their communities. And, from the beginning, these universities have been open to all learners with the intelligence and drive to earn college degrees – regardless of background. Over time, land-grant universities became not just teaching institutions but research engines, driving discovery, knowledge, innovations, and solutions across nearly every field.

After World War II, universities became the research and development partners of the federal government, conducting fundamental and applied research that underpins the nation’s economic development and national security.

Today, CSU is among the top research universities in the country – and our research reaches from the fields of the Great Plains to the farthest corners of the globe. On campus, you’ll find work underway to improve the collective and interconnected health of animals, people, and the planet; develop drought-resistant crops; pioneer veterinary treatments for companion animals; enhance extreme weather forecasting; and tackle urgent public health challenges. In laboratories and at field stations, students work alongside faculty to solve real-world problems. In this way, CSU students learn not only the theory but the practice of their professions.

The gravel at METEC may crunch underfoot like it does at any other worksite, but also what happens here reverberates far beyond Colorado. The research conducted at this simulated oil and gas facility exemplifies how university-led innovation serves the public interest – informing national policy, driving industry standards, and protecting the health of communities.

CSU’s commitment to rigorous, applied research is a testament to the enduring promise of the land-grant mission: that science and education make life better for people.

Cassandra Moseley is Colorado State University’s vice president for research, overseeing the research, discovery, and creative artistry portfolio at the university. CSU is ranked among the country’s top-performing research universities, and its research enterprise has increased by about 50 percent in the past decade. Moseley earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and government from Cornell University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from Yale University.

Photo at the top: Ron Bend / CSU.