Alumni, Donors, and Students Come Together

Students Impact Families

Networking Events

Graduate Programs Recognized

Colorado Governor
Endorses CSU Venture

Professor Conducts Louisiana Research

CSU Commits to a Green Powered Future

Colorado State University, already a worldwide leader in developing and disseminating clean and renewable energy solutions, has committed to developing the CSU Green Power Project, a pledge to convert the entire use of campus energy to 100 percent wind power.

The Colorado State University Research Foundation or CSURF, the private, non-profit advocacy arm of the University, recently finalized a partnership with Wind Holding LLC to develop the wind farm. It will be constructed on the university's 11,000-acre Maxwell Ranch near the Wyoming border.

Wind Holding LLC has two years to begin construction and up to eight years to complete the CSU Green Power Project, which would include a minimum of 65 megawatts or about 25 wind turbines with the potential of up to 200 megawatts. At peak demand, Colorado State currently uses about 16 megawatts of power.

The wind farm strengthens the University's dedication to practicing, researching, and developing clean-energy solutions and environmental stewardship. It also provides unsurpassed opportunities to study both energy and environmental systems that encompass a variety of University departments and societal interests.

For the complete story, read the CSU press release.

Spring Events Bring Alumni, Donors and Students Together

The Development Office, in conjunction with the Academic and Student Affairs Office, hosted the annual Scholarship Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, March 29 in the Lory Student Center. Over 250 guests were present to honor the 2006-2007 student recipients and their donors. The luncheon featured student speakers and scholarship donor speaker, Dr. Neil Grigg, professor and alumnus of the Department of Civil Engineering.

Two days later, the College of Engineering hosted its Annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 31 at the Fort Collins Hilton. Student emcees led the program, while guests enjoyed an elegant dinner, faculty/staff interaction, and alumni memories.

The 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are:

Visit the College of Engineering events website for more information and a list of past award recipients. Nominations for the 2008 award recipients are being accepted now.

The Development Office would like to thank those who attended the events and supported student scholarships and alumni achievements!

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Networking Events Continue Into Summer

Colorado State University invites you to attend the annual Denver Executive Luncheon on May 15 at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. This year's keynote speaker is Joanne Maguire, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Maguire, one of the highest ranking women at the company and one of Fortune Magazine's 50 most powerful women, will speak on "The Evolving Workforce and the War for Talent."

The Denver Executive Luncheon brings together alumni, corporate leaders, friends and parents who have an interest in Colorado State and would like to hear about current trends in business.

Reservations are required and space is limited. Individual seats are $100, and table sponsorships are available for $750 and $1,500 (tables of eight). To purchase tickets for the luncheon, contact the University Events & Protocol Office in Fort Collins at (970) 491-4601 or via
e-mail at events@ua.colostate.edu.

For more information, visit the May 15 Denver Executive Luncheon site.

CSU alumni in the northern California area are invited to a Team CSU and wine tasting event on June 2, featuring Professor Paul Hudnut. Mr. Hudnut is the founder of the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise Program at CSU and teaches entrepreneurship classes at the College of Business. He is also the co-director of CSU's Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health and Environment.

Team CSU is an alumni group that focuses on building a brand for the University that embodies the values of education, entrepreneurship and enterprise.

Alumni and guests will come together from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Paraduxx, 7257 Silverado Trail in Napa Valley, California. For questions or to RSVP, please contact Shannon Mosness at 970-491-7028 or smosness@colostate.edu by May 28.

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COE Graduate Programs are Recognized in National Report

CSU programs continue to shine in national rankings. The latest is U.S. News and World Report's 2008 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," which ranks Colorado State University among schools with the top graduate programs in the nation. Graduate programs in five colleges were ranked, including several in the College of Engineering.

As a whole, the College of Engineering ranked 55th, up from 61st last year. Within the college, four of the five department programs received a spot on the list.

Four other CSU colleges made it to the top graduate school list: veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences, applied human sciences, natural resources, and natural sciences.

View the complete list on the U.S. News and World Report website.

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Colorado Governor Ritter Supports New CSU Research Venture

In late March Colorado State University made another step towards global renewable energy solutions with an investment in Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2).

C2B2, announced at the state Capitol with the endorsement of Governor Bill Ritter and members of Colorado's delegation, is a research venture between businesses and the newly formed Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory (background).

C2B2 will perform world-class research to develop new biofuels and biorefining technologies and transfer these advances to the private sector. It will also work to create new technologies for the production of transportation fuels and other valuable products from plants.

Companies participate in C2B2 as a sponsor by paying a membership fee. These fees will fund research, and sponsors have the opportunity to participate in the discoveries and patents generated by the shared research, with the goal of commercializing the new technologies.

Ken Reardon, a chemical engineering professor and C2B2 liaison at Colorado State, supports the new venture..."Colorado State, with its land-grant heritage, is well poised to contribute enormous expertise in all aspects of crop sciences and plant biotechnology, which will be critical for the development of the biofuels industry," Reardon said. "In addition, Colorado State brings excellence in engineering, ecology, and many other disciplines. More than 60 faculty members at Colorado State are eager to help industry find solutions in all areas of biofuels and biorefining research and development - from crops to engines."

For more information on C2B2, visit the College of Engineering website.

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COE Professor Takes Part in Louisiana Research

CSU Civil Engineering Professor Chester Watson recently received media attention for an article in Science magazine, which describes the impact human activity has had on the on the natural processes that form the Mississippi Delta - changes that could cause even more damage and loss of human life when another intense hurricane hits the U.S. coastline.

Watson is the only river engineer - and the only Colorado representative - on a national panel of biologists and other scientists that recommend major improvements to Louisiana's devastated marshlands in the wake of 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In the Science article, the panel recommends reconnecting the river to the deltaic plain, using dredged sediments to create and restore wetlands, restoring barrier islands by pumping offshore sands and restoring hydrological processes by removing spoil banks, backfilling canals and protecting interior shorelines against erosion.

The group concluded that restoring the coastal ecosystems would help the impact of hurricane damage along Louisiana's coast. Over the years, building levees and oil and gas exploration has decreased fresh water and sediment flow in marsh areas, reducing plant life and allowing sediment to wash away.

Studies show plant life is critical to the health of coastal Louisiana, which is home to 70 percent of the Mississippi River Valley's migratory waterfowl and supplies the United States with 27 percent of its oil.

"We're still seeing the effects of things we've done to the Mississippi River 75 years ago," Watson said. "We really won't know for 25 or 30 years how the natural system is going to adapt to what we construct today."

Watson obtained his doctorate from Colorado State University. Prior to joining Colorado State as a civil engineering professor in 1990, he worked as a water engineer in private industry, most recently as principal investigator of Cottonwood Research LLC in Fort Collins.

To read more about Watson and the studies done on the Mississippi Delta, visit the CSU website.

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