As part of a new effort to educate federal legislators and their staff about the university's research that addresses California's greatest challenges and opportunities, the California State University's
Office of Federal Relations held its first “Lunch-n-Learn" event in Washington, D.C., September 9, which focused on agricultural research.
The Office of Federal Relations plans to host a series of similar events on Capitol Hill to showcase the work being done by the university's ten multi-campus collaborations—also known as affinity groups—as well as other university entities, on a breadth of topics from agriculture and biotechnology to desert and ocean life. During the 2022-23 academic year, the CSU had $510 million in federally funded sponsored program expenditure to support research efforts.
During the first “Lunch-n-Learn," David Still, executive director of the
CSU Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), shared a presentation about the applied research the CSU conducts to ensure the health and sustainability of California agriculture and its impact on the state and nation.
CSU campuses are located in regions that collectively generate $32 billion of agricultural production, making the surrounding areas a living laboratory, of sorts, for agricultural researchers. Four CSU universities have colleges of agriculture—Chico State, Fresno State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo—and 12 CSUs are certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Hispanic-Serving Agricultural College and Universities.
ARI conducts applied research through university-industry partnerships in collaboration with the four colleges of agriculture, two associate campuses—Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal State Monterey Bay—and allied disciplines across the CSU system. Its mission is to positively impact California agriculture, natural resources and food systems while cultivating the next generation of leaders in these fields.
Since its launch in 1999, ARI has awarded $212 million in funding for 1,240 projects in the areas of advanced agricultural technologies, farming and ranching, food science, natural resources, plants and more.
Among the ARI-funded projects Still shared with congressional staff during the “Lunch-n-Learn" were how CSU researchers are:
A key element of ARI's work is involving students in faculty-led research, offering them opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. Over the last five years, 92% of all ARI projects provided scientific training and mentoring to 1,200 students for a total of 250,000 hours of paid internships. More than 17,000 students are studying agriculture or natural resources in the CSU and stand poised to be the next leaders in their fields.
In January 2024, the ARI
received a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture NextGen competitive grant program. With the NIFA NextGen grant, the number of students invited to engage in ARI-funded projects is expected to increase by 30%, fostering a more extensive network of students contributing to the cutting-edge research they desire to do.
Learn more about the
CSU Agricultural Research Institute (ARI).