Fall 2025
COVER STORY
RESTORING THE FOREST
Students help examine best practices in reforestation
It’s a challenge to replant a forest after wildfire: These days, trees don’t always grow where and how they used to. CSU students are jumping in to help examine which tree species will survive in future forests and where seedlings should be planted to maximize forest resilience to wildfire. It’s a prime example of undergraduate student research at Colorado State, where students contribute real solutions to real problems.
FEATURES
Walking Ecuador
Each summer, a group of Colorado State University undergraduates visits Quito, Ecuador, where they work with a nonprofit to build and deliver prosthetic legs for locals who need new limbs. The program exemplifies the service-learning opportunities available to CSU students who strive to make an impact in the world. Their own lives are changed in the process.
Hands-on at CSU Pueblo
Undergraduate students at CSU Pueblo have a wide range of hands-on research opportunities, from fundamental to applied science. And although CSU Pueblo focuses chiefly on teaching, the school’s leaders and faculty increasingly view student research experiences as central to the instructional mission.
Artificial intelligence
Employers increasingly expect university graduates to be competent in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning – and CSU System campuses are responding by developing new coursework, credentials, and guidelines for the use of emerging technologies that will transform business and learning environments.
PERSPECTIVES
Real problems — real solutions
Guest columnist Cassandra Moseley, CSU vice president for research, writes that problem-solving and knowledge sharing are at the heart of the land-grant tradition at Colorado State University. Here, researchers devise innovations that strengthen the nation and improve the lives of ordinary people.
STATEWIDE
From the president
CSU President Amy Parsons describes record-breaking successes with research activity and fundraising as Colorado State welcomes one of its largest and most academically accomplished freshman classes. The achievements are especially meaningful amid financial challenges at the state and federal levels.
CSU Spur Start
A new program at the CSU Spur campus in Denver allows local first-year students to start classes near home before transitioning to the main campus in Fort Collins to complete their degrees.
Avian influenza virus
A CSU veterinarian describes the spread of bird flu not only across the country but also to a variety of species – most notably, dairy cattle and housecats. The university’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories have a key role in monitoring the virus.
Grandin documentary now streaming
Audiences worldwide can now learn about University Distinguished Professor Temple Grandin’s extraordinary life and influence through a documentary film, An Open Door, which is available on popular streaming platforms.
Lesnar makes history
Mya Lesnar, a recently graduated CSU student-athlete, made university history last summer when she became the first Rams thrower in program history to win an indoor and an outdoor national championship.
CSU Volleyball celebrates 50 years
The storied CSU women’s volleyball program celebrates its 50-year anniversary during the season that kicked off in August. The program has made 32 trips to the NCAA Tournament and has garnered 27 conference championships – more than any other sport at CSU.
Welcome to college — no need to apply
In August, CSU Pueblo welcomed 143 freshmen who came to campus through a new direct admission program that is the first in Colorado to automatically accept high school seniors who meet university admissions criteria – without the need to apply.