Utah State University researchers provide the state with informed and unbiased expertise on Utah’s shared resources to clarify the impact of past and potential actions. Here are some of the many Institutes, Centers, and Programs helping to pave the way in Land, Water, and Air research.
Land
Berryman Institute
The Jack H. Berryman Institute (BI) is an international organization housed in the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU. The BI publishes the only scientific journal, Human–Wildlife Interactions, dedicated to reporting research, management case studies, and policy perspectives designed to enhance human-wildlife interactions.
Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
The Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism was founded in 1998 through the Recreation and Tourism Research and Extension Act in Utah and focuses on: tourism and outdoor recreation use; the social and economic tradeoffs of tourism and outdoor recreation for local communities; and the relationship between outdoor recreation and tourism and public land management practices and policies. Housed in USU Extension, the Institute’s academic program offers a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Recreation Resource Management and also contributes to Environment and Society, a doctoral program offered within the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources.
Rangelands – Extension
Utah’s Rangelands, operated by USU Extension, provides resources for rangeland managers or anyone interested learning more about rangelands in Utah. It provides information and links on best rangeland management practices. Utah’s Rangelands also profiles rangeland research and demonstration projects conducted by or in cooperation with Utah State University
Utah Agricultural Experiment Station
The Utah Agricultural Experiment Station (UAES) is part of a network of researchers and facilities at the nation’s land-grant universities and is committed to improving agriculture and natural resources for the people of Utah. Experiment station research provides the science-based information used by USU Extension specialists and agents to assist people in every state in the nation.
Forestry – Extension
USU Forestry Extension delivers current forestry related news, Utah Forest Factsheets, resources for tree identification, Utah Forest Newsletters, information on biomass utilization, Learn at Lunch Webinars, Restoring the West Conferences and more.
Water
Utah Water Research Laboratory
The Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) at Utah State University has been a leader in water and environmental research for over 50 years. It is the oldest and one of the largest university-based water research facilities in the United States. The approximate 200 employees at the UWRL conduct practical research throughout the world directed at solving water-related problems, informing water policy and management, and training the next generation of water experts.
Center for Colorado River Studies
The Center for Colorado River Studies is the nexus for innovative research, teaching, and outreach that informs management of the Colorado River and other major rivers of the American Southwest. Scholars at the Center, which is housed in the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU, undertakes critical studies that informs how different parts of the Colorado River and its tributaries can be effectively managed. At the Center, future researchers and managers are trained to be responsible for tomorrow’s Colorado River. The Center for Colorado River Studies provides education and training to stakeholders to support informed and focused decision making. Because the water available to restore the Colorado River ecosystems is increasingly limited, those at the Center are especially interested in research and outreach that helps inform the very difficult decisions about priority locations and actions that provide the best opportunity for significant restoration success.
Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping
The Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL) is a research and outreach center in USU Extension designed to improve the efficient use of water for landscape irrigation. CWEL's mission is to promote water conservation through environmentally, socially, and economically sound landscape management practices.
Utah Drought Program
The Utah Drought Program operates through USU Extension and helps Utahns find ways to conserve water. Utah Drought includes various resources, including conservation at home, in the garden and on the range.
Extension Water Quality
USU Extension’s Water Quality program offers information and resources about how and why water quality matters, and how water can be protected.
Utah Water Watch
Utah Water Watch (UWW) is a water quality education and data collection program within USU Extension that seeks to increase awareness about the importance of water quality and promote stewardship of Utah’s aquatic resources. UWW’s mission is to encourage, educate, and engage volunteers in monitoring water quality by providing the knowledge, training, and resources needed to examine the health of Utah’s lakes and streams. The program is dedicated to the collection of water quality data for education and watershed management.
Air
Bingham Research Center
Scientists, technical staff, and students at the USU’s Bingham Research Center in the Uintah Basin are dedicated to energy and environmental research in Utah and around the world. The Bingham Research Center specializes in the areas of air quality, energy, and environmental science.
Utah Climate Center
Founded In the early 1890s, the Utah Climate Center is devoted to accurately documenting and sharing climate information for businesses and the public. The center facilitates access to climate data and information for experts in atmospheric science to interpret climate information in an accurate and innovative fashion for the public. The center operates 140 weather stations in Utah and surrounding border areas.
Related
Ecology Center
The Ecology Center studies how plants, animals, and other organisms interact with each other and with their environment. A broad range of subjects are studied at the Ecology Center, including biodiversity, climate change, microbes, animal migrations, deforestation, animal behavior, different habitats, changes in season, invasive species, etc. Research completed at the Ecology Center shows how society can learn more about different life-forms, the impact they have on the environment, and how changes in the environment affect them.
Utah Transportation Center
The Utah Transportation Center (UTC) is part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at Utah State University. It uses its expertise in natural hazards to research congestion chokepoints, evacuation occurrences, infrastructure renewal, and operations as it relates to multi-modal transportation. The UTC is also expanding its expertise into man-made hazards and utilizing its infrastructure testing and monitoring expertise, creating tools for asset management and decision-making processes for maintenance (or replacement) of multi-modal transportation infrastructure.
Community and Natural Resources Institute
The Community and Natural Resources Institute (CANRI) is committed to interdisciplinary research and community engagement centered on natural resource issues and environmental problems in the Intermountain West and beyond. CANRI is housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS) but brings together faculty and students from across campus in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences to foster meaningful dialogue, cultivate academic and community collaborations, and share data and resources to affect social-environmental change.
Center for Anticipatory Intelligence
Utah State University's Center for Anticipatory Intelligence is leading an evolution in university education and security thinking. CAI has led the pioneering effort in the US to establish the academic field of Anticipatory Intelligence: a multidomain approach to anticipating threats and opportunities emerging from the world’s increasingly complex security environment, oriented around the goal of reducing uncertainty and designing resilience across future scenarios. CAI's curriculum combines top-tier collaborative expertise in engineering, data science, life sciences, mathematics, ethics and philosophy, national security studies, geopolitics, and behavioral sciences to cross-train students and professionals with the skills and analytic sophistication necessary to anticipate and confront the complex, transformative, and existential challenges of the twenty-first century.
