RESEARCH CENTERS

CSU's Land Grant Mission in Action

Cutting-Edge Research and Community Engagement

Enabling all citizens of the United States to participate in the nation’s economic and social progress is the idea behind land-grant universities. CSU, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Sociology, and our research centers embrace what it means to be a land-grant university in the 21st century:

  • Inclusion, Opportunity, and Success
  • Research that Transforms Our World
  • Service to Society
  • Education to Meet the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow
  • Excellence Above All.

Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS)

The Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS) at Colorado State University aims to connect and support social scientists with other researchers, as well as university, community, and industry partners.  At our core, we:

  • Enhance social science research capacity
  • Improve grant competitiveness campus-wide
  • Promote interdisciplinary research networking opportunities
  • Provide and support research methods training

Visis the IRISS website for more information

Center for Fair and Alternative Trade (CFAT)

The mission of the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade is to provide objective and in-depth analysis of market-based social change that supports the growth of the conscious consumer economy in the 21st century.

CFAT is a multidisciplinary research center. Rather than engaging in advocacy, we seek to advance the quest for social justice and sustainability by providing critical and scholarly studies of fair trade, alternative trade, product certification, worker rights, and other promising initiatives.

Visit the CFAT website for more information.

The Center for Energy and Behavior

The purpose of the Center for Energy and Behavior is to promote interdiciplinary research on energy use. Behavior is a key dimension of both energy efficiency and energy conservation. Achieving energy efficiency requires understanding the interactions between technology and people’s decision-making and behavior. Improving energy conservation requires the application of various social sciences, from sociology to psychology to communication science, in order to motivate and sustain behavior change.

All research in the center is conducted with the aim of creating practical solutions to energy sustainability. Our research informs sustainable design and operations in buildings, creates low-cost energy solutions, encourages adoption of new technology, and maximizes the efficiency of existing technology.

Co-Directors

Dr. Jeni Cross, Sociology
Jeni.cross@colostate.edu
970-491-0483

Dr. Pat Aloise-Young, Psychology
Patricia.aloise-young@colostate.edu
970-491-6941