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Chico State

Science and Environment

The sun sets behind a line of dairy cows as they snack on hay on a University Farm

Chico State’s CRARS Awarded Nearly $6 Million to Address Climate Priorities

Chico State’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems has received a California Climate Action Seed and Matching Grant totaling approximately $6 million to support state climate priorities.

Kendall Hall with spring flowers in the foreground

California State University Honored with Innovation Award for Faculty Learning Community Led by Chico State Professor

Geography and Planning professor Mark Stemen has been honored by a national organization for his tireless work to bring sustainability to more than just science classes.

Joseph James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe (right) speaks as and Arthur Garcia, Cultural Resource Manager and Tribal Elder of the Wintu Tribe, looks on. The Kapusta 1B project, a new Sacramento River side channel approximately ½ mile long (2,365 feet) created for salmanoid spawning habitat is behind them.

New Channel Teeming With Fish Thanks to Impressive Teamwork

The Kapusta Open Space Side Channel is teeming with tiny fish thanks to a massive team effort spearheaded by Chico State Enterprises and managed by the North State Planning and Development Collective.

Professor Garrett Liles holds samples of soil in each hand. He is standing at a table inside the soil sampling area of the regenerative agriculture lab.

Inside the ‘RAD-Lab’: Looking to the Ground for Solutions

The Regenerative Agriculture Demonstration (RAD) Lab began as an idea in grad school, and is now full service lab analyzing soil and carbon health.

Claire Kooi wears a lab coat and smiles as she leans on a counter in a lab

Earth and Environmental Sciences Grad Student Driven by Social Issues

Graduate student Claire-Marie Kooi loves studying the Earth because "everything impacts something else." Kooi is making quite an impact as well in her work at UC Berkeley, and in the field of environmental justice.

Raquel Krach sits on a rock wall with trees and shrubs in the background.

Grad Student Farmer Grows Case for Marrying Agriculture With the Natural World

With her master’s thesis—a collaborative effort to study the effects of agroecology on her almond farm—Chico State graduate student Raquel Krach confirmed what the birds have been telling her. It’s working!

Zion Brigham on a bridge over Big Chico Creek with lush greenery behind him.

Life of Hard Work Pays Off for Agricultural Business Major

Zion Brigham says coming to Chico State: “felt like going from a black and white TV to full color.” He graduates in May with an agricultural business degree and a clear vision for what’s ahead.

Irene Duran poses in high visibility safety gear and a hard hat on Iselin Dock in Woods Hole.

From Northern California to Ocean Engineer

Gridley native Irene Duran (Mechatronic Engineering, '20), moved to Cape Cod after graduating with one mission: an engineering job.

Hands hold down a piece of fossilized bone.

Students, Faculty Embrace New Fossils from Ever-Growing ‘Miocene Zoo’ Site

Chico State continues to lead the way in making scientific determinations from the findings at a Northern California site.

Professor Jesse Engebretson is standing on a rock overlooking a valley of trees. He is addressing a group of students during a field trip.

New Study Explores Drivers of Homelessness and Impact on Public Lands

Jesse Engebretson’s research aims to uncover ways state and federal governments can better serve unhoused communities who are increasingly pushed out of urban areas.

Distinguished alum, CEO, and scientist, Thomas Butler

Distinguished Alum, Scientist, and CEO Thomas Butler

Thomas Butler found his passion in a Chico State lab. Today, he's the CEO of a company creating medicines designed to attack cancer and diabetes.

Two museum visitors interact with a new museum exhibit

Gateway Science Museum Exhibit Takes Visitors on a Water Drop’s Extreme Journey

The Gateway Science Museum's newest exhibit, "Water's Extreme Journey," explores the water cycle, while water cycle works, while asking critical questions about the choices we make in our everyday lives.

A drone shot of a canyon and creek

Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve Partners with CalTrout, Mechoopda for Native Fish Passage Restoration Project in Bidwell Park

The University's Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is partnering with agencies, such as CalTrout and the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, on a native fish passage restoration project in Bidwell Park.

Expanding Collaborations in Latin America: Dean of College of Agriculture Visits Chile

College of Agriculture Dean Patricia Stock visited several academic and research institutions to exchange knowledge about the myriad challenges agriculture is facing in Mediterranean climate regions—like those in California and Chile.

Ben Chang stands on rocks and smiles because he likes it so much

Wildland Management Master’s Student Driven to Preserve Natural Spaces

Alum and current wildlands management master’s student Ben Chang is dedicating his life to battling climate change and mentoring the next generation of environmental stewards.

Low-lying clouds hover over a green valley amid a sunrise in Sri Lanka

‘Beauty in the Chaos’: Fulbright Scholar’s Focus on Gemstone Trade in Sri Lanka

Anthropology faculty Brian Brazeal navigated the global pandemic and political unrest as he went to Sri Lanka to document the country's gemstone trade as part of his Fulbright Scholar Award.

Professor Mark Stemen poses for a photo with Chico State President Gayle Hutchin as they hold the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Campus Sustainability Achievement Award.

Chico State Professor Helps Reshape How CSUs Teach About Climate Change

Chico State Professor Mark Stemen's Faculty Learning Community earns coveted sustainability award for helping CSUs integrate climate change topics in classrooms.

A college faculty and his students pose and smile standing in a lush green field.

Fulbright Experience Helps Agriculture Faculty Deepen Roots Across the World

Whether it was teaching his students, learning from colleagues, or endearing himself to local food vendors, College of Agriculture faculty Lee Altier's Fulbright experience in Turkey was a memorable one.

Cole Schmitt, a white cisgender male student, is perched on a log in the creek that runs through Chico State campus.

Biology Student Among First to Research Fish’s Unusual Schooling Pattern

Cole Schmitt has been working with the National Systemics Laboratory and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, studying the vertical schooling behavior of the cutlassfish.

A valley oak tree spreads its branches as the sunlight filters through

The Princeton Review Honors Chico State as One of its Green Colleges

The Princeton Review recently listed Chico State on its 2023 Guide to Green Colleges.

A college student drives a tractor beneath a sign that says Chico State University Farm

Chico State University Farm Celebrates 60th Anniversary on November 5

As Chico State's University Farm marks its 60th anniversary, it will host a free event to the public to celebrate its impact of serving the North State on Saturday, November 5.

Kids look on as a pumpkin drops to the ground in physics display

Messy Science: Pumpkin Drop Set for Halloween Day

Put on by the Society of Physics Students the 33rd Chico State Pumpkin Drop demonstrates physics to elementary students in a creative and explosive way.

Farhan Rehman and Esteban Teran adjust the lasers that work to cool the atoms.

Ultracold Atom Lab Attempting to Cross ‘Unreachable’ Threshold

With the ultra-high vacuum chamber up and running, the University's ultracold atom chamber is ready to cool atoms to near absolute zero so they display their true quantum nature.

Nicholas Esparza looks through the high vacuum chamber in the ultracold lab.

Student Researchers Share Insight into Summer Projects

CSC² has supported nearly 300 students in undergraduate research projects across the three colleges.

A grid of diamond-shaped images shows students engaging in various kinds of research, from looking through a vaccum chamber to attaching wildlife cams to trees to working with mushrooms, to looking through a container filled with zebrafish.

Multimillion-Dollar Grants Provide Undergraduate Research Opportunities to Underserved Students in STEM

Since 2016, the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative has provided academic and other support services to historically underserved students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture.

An eclipsed moon in a starry sky between two academic buildings

Civil Engineering Faculty Awarded $1 Million Grant to Study Lagoon Wastewater Treatment

Civil Engineering faculty Pablo Cornejo was one of two recipients nationally to receive a $1 million grant to study wastewater treatment systems.

A screenprint of a logo that says "Earth Month"

Chico State Earns Coveted Top Spot in Prestigious AASHE Sustainability Rankings

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recognized Chico State for its environmental practices, honoring it as the top performer in its Master’s Institutions category.

Wearing a labcoat and safety goggles, Anna Vo reaches for a test tube while another student works in the lab behind her.

Natural Sciences Students Put Themselves Under the Microscope During Summer Research

The College of Natural Sciences’ Summer Research Institutes provide students with hands-on experience with a research topic in their field of study.

Karina Haddad walks through the woods in fall with a drip torch and shovel to conduct a prescribed burn.

Innovative Program Strives to Protect the Wildlands of the West

The first of its kind in the CSU, the interdisciplinary master's degree in wildland management is graduating students from its inaugural cohort.

David Hassenzahl stands behind a dais speaking into a microphone

College of Natural Sciences Dean Recognized with Environmental Lifetime Achievement Award

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences has recognized College of Natural Sciences Dean David Hassenzahl with its William R. Freudenburg Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kendall Hall with spring flowers in the foreground

Chico State Students to Present Research at Statewide Competition

Ten Chico State student delegates will compete against scholars statewide at the California State University’s 36th annual Statewide Research Competition.

Maurice Ledoyen stands in a white coat in a lab with equipment in his hands.

Student Fly-Fisherman Casts His Line into Researching Local Creeks

Ten years after leaving college, Maurice Ledoyen returned and is conducting research studying metal accumulation in aquatic organisms in creeks downstream of the Camp Fire.

Photo of Kendall Hall seen through the branches of bloomed flowers.

Faculty Showcase Offers Chance to Be ‘Inspired’

Three faculty members who published amid the pandemic share their passions and stories of persistence.

A student pulls a sample of wastewater from a large jug.

Poop Sleuths: Student Researchers Track COVID-19 in Residence Halls

Two biological sciences faculty and eight students are conducting complex wastewater monitoring in the residence halls to research the virus that causes COVID-19.

Cindy Daley leans into a cattle pen.

Office Hours: Regenerative Agriculture Leader and Professor Cindy Daley

Professor Cindy Daley honors her roots through regenerative agriculture education and carbon-smart solutions to fight climate change.

An all-electric street sweeper is parked outside an academic building.

Making CSU History: Chico State Adds All-Electric Street Sweeper to Fleet

In its push to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, Chico State became the first CSU campus to purchase and use an all-electric street sweeper.

Constantin Raether, wearing a mask and squeezing a syringe, works in the RAD Lab and Soil Preparation Area at the University Farm.

Seeding the Future: Center for Regenerative Agriculture Receives $1 Million Gift

Looking to improve communities one at a time, Bruce Burnworth discovered Chico State's Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems—and found it worthy of a $1 million donation.

Angelica Rodriguez collects water samples along a stream in the mountains.

Multimillion-Dollar Grants Ensure Hands-On Research Continues for STEM Students

Chico State was awarded a pair of multimillion dollar grants, ensuring that STEM students in three different colleges will be able to continue receiving hands-on research opportunities with faculty.

Sunshine breaks through the tops of trees over a ranch-style setting.

Where Education Meets the Land

The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is a living laboratory for students of all ages, ground-breaking research, and innovative land management practices.

A rock decor inscribed "Home Sweet Home" is placed at a destroyed home from the Camp Fire along Newman Avenue in Paradise.

Paradise Continues to Rebuild and Evolve Three Years After the Camp Fire

Three years after the Camp Fire scattered the residents of Paradise, the town continues its rebuilding process—while also evolving.