The latest buzz: CSU Spur’s Wiz Kid has the scoop on all things pollinators
Colorado State University Spur’s Wiz Kid is back for a second season! Join CSU’s perpetually curious educational host as she showcases the wonders of science alongside researchers from Spur, the main campus in Fort Collins, and partners from across the state. The first episode focuses on the importance of pollinators.
CSU Spur Start will allow students to complete first year in Denver
Starting in fall 2025, there will be another pathway for students to start their CSU education thanks to CSU Spur Start, a program that will bring a cohort of first-year students to the University’s innovative campus just north of downtown Denver at the National Western Center and allow them to complete the first year of their CSU degree at the satellite campus before completing the rest of their bachelor’s at the flagship Fort Collins campus.
Photos: Colorado GROW Youth Institute empowers local students to solve world’s greatest problems
Dozens of high school students came to CSU Spur for the Colorado GROW Youth Institute on April 8. Now in its second year, the event empowers Colorado students to propose solutions to problems involving food insecurity in the countries of their choice. Their ensuing research papers are eligible for scholarships from the CSU College of Agricultural Sciences, and the top students have the opportunity to represent Colorado in Des Moines, Iowa, at the World Food Prize’s Global Youth Institute.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack plans CSU course on helping small farms survive, thrive
During his first stint with CSU, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack played a central role envisioning CSU Spur as a new kind of university campus that would engage learners of all ages in problem solving and discovery related to food, water, and human and animal health. Now Vilsack is returning to CSU, this time to establish a unique course that will provide students with insight and experience to counter a challenge he knows well from his time as Agriculture Secretary: the steady disappearance of small to mid-size farms.
4 takeaways from the 2024 Water in the West Symposium
The 2024 Water in the West at CSU Spur brought together more than 150 stakeholders representing everything from the state and federal government to academia and tribal nations. One common theme rang through: progress through collaboration isn’t always easy, but it is possible. Here are some other key takeaways.
In good taste
Helping entrepreneurs develop products and find markets is among the ways that CSU Spur supports innovation and drives economic development. The Food Innovation Center, based in CSU Spur’s Terra building, includes the Ardent Mills Teaching and Culinary Center commercial kitchen, a sensory testing lab, the soon-to-open Leprino Foods Dairy Innovation Center, and other multi-purpose labs.
Drone camp at CSU Spur supports lofty career ambitions
Sumer drone camp, offered for free to Colorado high school students and select educators, is designed to reach a broad audience while exposing young people to careers ranging from drone-assisted research or photography to commercial aviation. The week-long program mixes intensive flying lessons and a behind-the-scenes airport visit with finely tuned test-prep sessions focused on the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 exam, which must be passed by those wishing to receive compensation for operating a drone.
‘Eye-opening’ research experience at CSU Spur provides more than a taste of lab work
Eleven CSU System undergraduate students joined a summer research program at the CSU Spur campus in Denver, offered through CSU’s Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry, or OURA. After an initial two-week immersion in lab techniques from Gram staining to pipetting, the students, representing a range of majors and two campuses, spent six weeks embedded in one of the labs at Spur.
Administrative management of Spur shifts to CSU campus
The CSU System Board of Governors has voted to transfer operational oversight of CSU Spur from the CSU System Office to the flagship campus in Fort Collins, with continued funding by the CSU System. The administrative shift will have minimal impact on Spur’s core mission and day-to-day operations. It also will not impact salaries and reporting lines for Spur staff.
The Denver Post: CSU’s “Wiz Kid” brings children’s educational programming to YouTube with Bill-Nye-meets-Taylor-Swift energy
CSU this month launched a new YouTube series, Wiz Kid, based out of the Spur campus near the National Western Complex. In the series, Wiz Kid explores the free, interactive educational center and questions in-house experts and researchers on kid-friendly topics.