Fossils, Bones and More! Touring the CSU Anthropology and Geography Labs

What did early humans eat millions of years ago? How did wildlife adapt following the meteor impact that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? CSU Anthropology and Geography runs world-class teaching and research labs and research centers with state-of-the-art technology and bone, fossil, and cast collections that showcase the evolution of our own species and our interactions with wildlife and environments through time. On this tour, guests will visit our Human Osteology Lab, 3D Imaging Lab, and Primate Origins Lab, see bone, skull, and fossil materials and collections, and hear about faculty and student field and lab research.

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8

Campus Connections (CC) Youth Mentoring

Campus Connections (CC) Youth Mentoring program is a service-learning class for undergraduate students and a community outreach program serving youth (ages 10-18) who have experienced adversity. Since 2010, CC has served over 3,200 youth in Larimer County, operates three nights a week serving about 80 youth a semester, and many return for multiple semesters. Together pairs participate as part of a mentoring community and engage in structured schedule of activities on the CSU campus each week for 12 weeks. Unique features of the CC program include whole family involvement and integrated mental health therapy. Therapy services are offered by graduate students in Marriage and Family Therapy and are embedded in CC to meet the mental health needs of the youth mentees. The CC program has received national and international attention because of its unique design and impressive outcomes. CC is also licensed and offered at other universities in Colorado (CSU-Pueblo, University of Northern Colorado, and University of Colorado – Colorado Springs), the University of Wyoming, and at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Come see CC in action to learn more about how the program benefits youth mentees and students.

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Date: October 15, 4:30-5pm

Temple Grandin Equine Center 

Please join us for a tour of the Temple Grandin Equine Center (TGEC) at Colorado State University.  The TGEC is CSU’s initiative that focuses on integrating research and education in Equine-Assisted Services (EAS).  EAS utilizes horses and the horse environment to provide activities and therapies for the benefits of humans.  During a visit to the TGEC at the Foothills Campus, you will tour the new TGEC complex, watch an EAS appointment, where an individual with special needs will be working with their therapist, some volunteers, and of course the horses, and be able to spend some time interacting with a few of the horses. 

• Duration: 1 hour
• Dates: October 8, 10-11am

Rocky Mountain Student Media

This is your opportunity to visit Rocky Mountain Student Media! As the college student voice of Colorado State University and the city of Fort Collins, Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp (RMSMC) exists for two main purposes: To give CSU students the opportunity to gain valuable on the job training to help them develop the skills to be successful in their post college careers; and to provide news, entertainment, and other content to the CSU and Fort Collins communities. At the heart of our media production is six award winning, student-run media outlets: The Rocky Mountain Collegian, CSU’s daily newspaper and website; KCSU 90.5 FM radio station; Collegian TV; College Avenue Magazine; Tree Stump Films; and CSU Life, a monthly publication for faculty and staff. In addition, RMSMC has 2 video production units (Student Video Productions and OnSpec Video Training Team). Come see what we are all about!

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Dates: October 8,15,29 | 2-2:30pm

The Biggest Walk-In Closet in the Rockies: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising  

The Avenir Museum tells stories of dress and textiles that inspire respectful curiosity and connection across peoples, places, and cultures. Come visit the home of CSU’s renowned collection of historic clothing and textiles, with an impressive facility at the University Center for the Arts-East that serves as a tremendous research and teaching resource for CSU students and scholars.  The galleries feature changing exhibitions that are free and open to the public. And, lucky you — this tour includes a guided glimpse into that 5,000 sq. ft. ‘closet’ that is otherwise not accessible to visitors! 

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8 | 12-1pm

Backstage: University Center of the Arts 

Go backstage at CSU’s world-class University Center for the Arts with a behind-the-scenes look at our music, theatre, and dance programs by touring performance spaces and production shops. Located in the former Fort Collins High School, the UCA is also home to two museums: the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, the Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising. 

• Duration: 50 minutes 
• Dates: October 8,15,22,29 | 2-2:50pm

Powerhouse Energy Campus 

Completed in 2014, the CSU Powerhouse Energy Campus is located near the heart of Old Town and serves as the headquarters of the Energy Institute. The Powerhouse Energy Campus is an incredible facility that conducts research and development across a wide range of disciplines on a host of energy and climate solution topics. The facility also is home to the Engines and Energy Conversion lab (with large engines that are quite impressive), cookstove research, large-scale thermal energy labs, hydrogen fueling and electric vehicle labs, a rapid prototyping lab and so much more! 

• Duration: 45min
• Dates: October 8,15,22 and 29 | 11-11:45am

Sustainability – Hidden in Plain Sight

Join Stacey, the CSU Campus Energy Coordinator on a green walking tour of Main Campus. Let’s walk and talk and explore a few of the things that enable and support sustainability action and practices here at CSU. Sustainability at CSU is a team sport. We’ll explore and discuss the things you may or may not see that help CSU achieve its sustainability goals; the role students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends play. Every one of us makes a difference! 

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8, 15, 22 | 11am-12pm

Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry 

Please join us for a tour of the Rams Against Hunger Pantry.  During this visit, we’ll discuss the scope of food insecurity at institutions of higher education and CSU specifically.  In addition, we’ll address the mechanisms currently in place to support greater food security among our entire CSU community (students, staff, and faculty).  

Wanting to help a fellow Ram? You can bring a donation to your tour. Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry accepts any unopened, shelf stable items, as well as fruits or vegetables grown at a home garden. 

Operating from The Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE), Rams Against Hunger offers a menu of services that support students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity. Services include a food pantry, a meal-swipe program, pocket pantries, and in-person assistance with navigating federal aid eligibility. This multi-pronged approach acknowledges the broad scope of the issue and seeks to normalize this difficult conversation for the individuals affected, as well as for the institution as a whole. Our hope in providing these services is to ensure that basic needs need not be overlooked at the expense of a degree. By reducing the stigma around food insecurity and meeting student, staff and faculty needs in a way that affirms dignity, we hope to live out the creed that Rams really do take care of Rams. 

• Duration: 30 minutes 
• Dates: October 22 | 11:30am-12pm

Not Your Grandfather’s Mapmaking 

Overlooking the Lory Student Center from its inviting space in Morgan Library, the Geospatial Centroid is the virtual—and physical—center of campus activities related to geospatial technologies. Researchers and others from on- and off-campus engage with the Centroid to learn how best to incorporate and use spatial data (data that has location associated with it) in their work. Come learn how the Centroid turns myriad datasets into compelling story maps, online analysis apps, and elegant cartographic products. 

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 15 | 1-2pm

CSU Weather Station 

Take a guided tour of one of the longest operating weather stations in the western United States.  Weather observations for research, teaching and public information have been conducted on the CSU campus since the early 1870’s.  This tour will showcase the instruments that are used to measure temperature, humidity, precipitation, evaporation, winds, solar radiation and more.  Many of the instruments date back to the 1950’s and are still operational today!  Learn how the data are used and how you can access the data for yourself as well.  

• Duration: 45 minutes
• Dates: October 8, 15, 22 and 29 | 10-10:45am

Into the Vault: Gregory Allicar Museum of Art  

Step inside the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art With a growing and diverse collection of more than 5,000 works of art and dynamic programing, the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art is a cornerstone of Colorado State University’s arts initiatives and a link to alumni, Fort Collins, and our region. The museum is dedicated to educational vitality, embracing all audiences, and to honoring a diversity of art making across time periods, geographies, and cultures. Unique to this tour is the opportunity to go inside the vault which is not open to the public! 

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8 and 22 | 1-2pm

Going Old School with CSU Archives & Special Collections

Step back to a time before online social media connected us. Visit the CSU Libraries Archives & Special Collections Department to journey through days gone by, exploring historical photos, diaries, scrapbooks, memoirs, and more. You will be inspired by the rich legacies created by our forebearers to share, connect, and chronicle everyday life.

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8 and 22 | 3-4pm

Designing and Building the Future Together: Nancy Richardson Design Center (RDC)

The Nancy Richardson Design Center (RDC) is a hub for innovation, designed as a dynamic space to invite curiosity and inspire collaboration. It houses flexible classrooms, gallery and exhibition spaces, and offices and labs of both the RDC and Design and Merchandising departments. The RDC Fabrication Labs (Prototype, Wood, Metal, Imaging, and Ideation) are open to all CSU students, faculty, and staff. We also host regional community events and workshops highlighting Design Thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and creativity. Our IDEA courses are open to Lifelong Learners (ages 55+) and all CSU students.  We also offer full-service design and small-batch production runs. Join the tour to see our fabrication labs in action, including virtual and augmented reality; vinyl, textile, and UV printing; laser cutting and etching; digital modeling; 3D printing and scanning; wood working; metal fabrication; fabric assembly; and screen-printing equipment. 

• Duration: 50 minutes
• Dates: October 8, 15, 22 and 29 | 4-4:50 p.m.

CSU Archives & Special Collections: The Superlative Tour

• Duration: 60 minutes
• Dates: October 8 | 3-4:00 p.m.