INSTAAR's 75th anniversary (1951-2026)
75 years of discovery on top of the world
Join us in celebrating INSTAAR's 75 year history of groundbreaking research and education, plus all the amazing people who make it happen.Ìý
We also need your help to launch our next 75 years. Please consider donating, in any form or amount, to the people, equipment and resources behind our work.
Our institute was founded in 1951 by John Marr, a young ecologist with a passion for the living organisms intrepid enough to survive harsh winters high in the Rockies. Capitalizing on a national wave of interest in scientific prominence, INSTAAR soon expanded its operations to become a global leader in environmental research.
Today, INSTAAR’s mission to study the causes and consequences of environmental change has never been more important as our planet experiences an unprecedented temperature shift. The institute leads environmental research in the arctic, antarctic, alpine, oceans and beyond. Our work is interdisciplinary and forward-thinking — experts across scientific fields collaborate on complex problems, and students and postdoctoral trainees transform into scientific leaders.
Our research strengths include:
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Cold regions
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Past climate
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Ecological change
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Atmospheric gases
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Earth surface processes
In the past year alone, our research spanned:
7
continents + Earth’s oceans
225+
scientific publications
900+
news mentions
Anniversary events
Join us in person or online for our 75th anniversary event series throughout 2026. In the fall, we will host a series of research talks as well as a special event highlighting INSTAAR's greenhouse gas measurement program. The special event will include a lab tour of our radiocarbon and stable isotope laboratories. Check in here for more events and info throughout the year.
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Feb 5th. DIANE MCKNIGHT - Life at the bottom of the world: A research journey to the Antarctic Dry Valleys.
McKnight kicked off our "women of INSTAAR" seminars with an evening talk about her extensive experience studying the biogeochemistry of lakes and streams of Antarctica. The event included a grad student poster showcase too. Thank you to the many attendees in person and on Zoom!
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- Read about her talk on our .
- Read a story in ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Today: Hiding in plain sight': Scientists reflect on years studying life in Antarctic desert"
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Feb 16th. MARILYN WALKER - There and back again and then over there: One woman's experience on the value of collaboration and synthesis in science and engineering
Learn about Walker's science in the 1980s-2000s on arctic tundra plants, pingos, and much more. Be sure to watch to the end to see her sing one of her songs!
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- Read about her talk on our .
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Mar 30th. ANNE JENNINGS - Ice sheet / Ocean Interactions in Baffin Bay during the last major climate warming: What marine sediments can reveal given a bit of luck, curiosity and perseverance
Jennings starts by telling us how she ended up at INSTAAR studying foraminifera, ancient ice shelves, glacial history, and much more. Then she revisits the presence of a large Baffin Bay ice shelf and explores the marine records of the timing, ocean forcing and rate of ice shelf break up and ice margin retreat onto the continental shelves.Ìý
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- Read about her talk on our .
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Apr 7th. LIFE UNEARTHED with Ariel Waldman, Antarctic documentary
Thanks to the nearly 200 people who attended our sold out "Life Unearthed" screening and Q&A. The first three episodes of the show follow filmmaker Ariel Waldman as she discovers the biological wonders of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, drawing upon research from the Gooseff and McKnight labs. The remaining episodes dive into tallgrass prairies.
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- Read about the screening on our .
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Apr 13th. VERA MARKGRAF - From the Swiss Alps to Patagonia to interhemispheric climate change during the late Quaternary
Markgraf gives an overview of her career studying late Quaternary paleoecology, mostly based on pollen, charcoal and isotopic analyses from bog and lake sediments in Switzerland and Southern South America. The data show large-scale regional climatic changes as well as intra- and interhemispheric linkages. Markgraf also notes the role of chance in the development of her career and shares some thoughts about the importance of field work and ideas about future climate change.
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- Read about her talk on our .
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Apr. 29th. INSTAAR CELEBRATION LUNCHEON
The INSTAAR community came together in person and on Zoom to honor our 2026 award winners and celebrate this year's M.S. and Ph.D. graduates. This special luncheon offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues, recognize outstanding accomplishments, and enjoy good food in good company. Recipients were selected for impactful work at the institute, in the scientific community and beyond.
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June - August. SUMMER SEMINARS at the MRS
INSTAAR's Mountain Research Station hosts seminars on Wednesday evenings all summer long. The talks are free and open to the public. The science topics range widely are not restricted to research conducted at the station.
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Aug. 19th. ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE at the Mountain Research Station
Thank you to all the science lovers who helped us celebrate CU's 150th anniversary, the Mountain Research Station’s 106th, and INSTAAR's 75th at our scenic field science outpost in the Indian Peaks. The day featured guided field trips, hands-on activities, dinner, and a keynote from eminent ecologist Katharine Suding. This event was supported by INSTAAR and was partially funded through a grant from the University's 150th Initiative Fund.
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Aug. 24th. JULIA MORIARTY & BEN LI - 2 talks: Marine organic carbon burial + Atmospheric methane oxidation & mitigation
Julia Moriarty and Ben Li kicked off our Fall Seminar Series with short talks. ÌýMoriarty spoke on "The role of local resuspension on oxygen exposure time" while Li discussed "Dual utilization of oxidation flow reactors for methane: From atmospheric chemistry to emission mitigation". The fall series provides a fascinating peek at the future of INSTAAR science from INSTAAR early-career faculty and postdocs, as well as ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ faculty.
- Watch Moriarty & Li on YouTube (coming soon)
- Read summaries and bios on the .
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Sep. 2nd. INSTAAR FALL WELCOME LUNCHEON
Our fall event brought the INSTAAR community together for a catered lunch as we welcomed our newcomers, caught up with colleagues, and made new friends. This event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with everyone across the institute and chat about our exciting plans and ambitions for the year ahead.
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Sep. 3rd. CHASING TIME with James Balog, Ìýfilm screening + Q&A
We hosted a screening of the Academy Award-shortlisted documentary Chasing Time, followed by a Q&A with photographer and INSTAAR affiliate James Balog. The 40-minute film follows Balog and his team as they conclude the 15-year Extreme Ice Survey, which brought powerful visual evidence of melting glaciers to a global audience. Reuniting the team behind Chasing Ice, the film explores time, mortality, hope, and action on climate change.
- Learn more on our .
- See the team behind the film at .
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Upcoming events
Join us for our Fall Seminar Series, featuring new research from INSTAAR early-career faculty and postdocs, as well as ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ faculty.
Get a fascinating peek at the future of INSTAAR science, September to December on alternating Mondays at 12pm, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ East Campus SEEC Rm 228 & Zoom. See the events above for details.
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Our history
Inaugurated in 1951, INSTAAR is one of the oldest research institutes at the University of Colorado. Its origins extend back farther, to the Mountain Laboratory in Tolland, Colorado (1909–1919), and to University Camp located near Niwot Ridge, Colorado (1914–1920). In the early 1920s, research moved from University Camp to the present site of the Mountain Research Station, which remains an important field station supporting INSTAAR research.Ìý
We will be adding a deep dive into INSTAAR's past to this page soon. Keep your eye out for theses, timelines, photos, and more.
In the meantime, check out our 107-page booklet 50th Anniversary: The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research 1951–2001 (PDF). It covers INSTAAR's history extensively through 2001, including personal recollections.
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Anniversary merch
Celebrate our anniversary, support INSTAAR, and look good doing it!
(like that shown here) are currently available at our basic online store. The store has limited functionality so you must pick up your purchase at our front office. Sorry, but we cannot ship your shirt. Totes, stickers, and more may be released later this year.Ìý
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Future Forward Facilities Fund
INSTAAR houses more than 20 unique laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment maintained by expert technicians that unlock breakthrough research. Many of our facilities feature one-of-a-kind instruments developed in-house by our teams.
Laboratory equipment and personnel are critical to our research. Your gift to our facilities fundÌýwill expand our capabilities, upgrade one-of-a-kind instruments, and sustain expert staff. Working together, we can bridge the gap between ‘what if’ and ‘here’s how’.
Our lab capabilities are vast. We measure chemicals and their isotopes, extract DNA and other organic molecules from environmental samples, detect rare elements and compounds, and identify microscopic organisms. ÌýINSTAAR’s walk-in freezer stores ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland, preserving a climate record that extends backwards for hundreds of thousands of years. Our radiocarbon laboratory turns air samples into solid graphite so they can be measured on a powerful mass spectrometer.
Lab highlights:
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New Frontiers Faculty Fund
INSTAAR faculty have deepened humanity's understanding of cold regions vastly over the past 75 years, thanks to a steady stream of support from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation. Unfortunately, federal support for the kind of high-risk, exploratory studies that produce truly ground-breaking science has dwindled.
Your gift to our faculty fund will launch ambitious forward-thinking science at the far ends of the world. These seed funds will empower our faculty to grow exploratory thinking into large-scale, impactful research projects.
Our researchers often start with big open-ended questions. Where are the most important hotspots for life in Antarctica? Or, how does water quality change over the length of the Colorado River? (to name two). Funding for these types of investigations requires foresight beyond short-term economic time scales. But the answers to these questions also have an outsized impact on scientific progress, societal wellbeing and the health of our planet.
See INSTAAR's faculty fellows >
Exploratory research examples:
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Poles to Peaks Postdoctoral Fellowship
Cold regions are changing faster than anywhere else on Earth, and our institute is uniquely positioned to study these changes, predict their impacts, and propose solutions. Help us mentor the next generation ofÌýinterdisciplinary scientists working on the front lines of climate change.
Your gift to our postdoctoral fellowship fund will bring the best and brightest young scientists to INSTAAR to help us plan for our planet’s future. It will also broaden interdisciplinary collaboration at INSTAAR — connecting scientists across fields through mentorship.
Our postdoctoral scholars are central to INSTAAR's research, helping us span many fields, including aquatic and hydrological sciences; atmospheric, oceanic, and climate sciences; ecology and evolutionary biology; environmental and mechanical engineering; and cryospheric, geological, and geographical sciences. Innovative science comes from crossing these disciplinary boundaries and exchanging ideas.
Postdoc highlights:
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Other ways to climb with INSTAAR
Spruce Gulch is the Front Range’s first and only research reserve located in the foothills of the Rockies, a locally important ecosystem. It provides research and education opportunities to scientists, students, K-12 educators and nonprofits. The reserve is located in a beautiful watershed just north of town, making it an excellent site for experiential learning. Your support will help launch efforts that have a direct impact on Boulder and the surrounding area.
The Mountain Research Station is a launchpad for interdisciplinary environmental research and education, located high in the Indian Peaks. Over its 105-year history, the station has acted as a community hub for field science in the West, maintained vital environmental datasets and launched countless scientific investigations. Your support will enable scientists and students to push the frontiers of scientific knowledge in mountain environments.
The Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program is a 40+ year-old interdisciplinary investigation into the forces that shape life high in the Rocky Mountains. The project’s longevity is also one of its greatest strengths. Researchers pull from an unmatched research record to reveal new insights. Your contribution is a direct investment into science that makes sense of a changing planet and safeguards the future of alpine ecosystems.
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INSTAAR General Fund
Support our most pressing needs that aren’t fundable through grants, like grad student summer scholarships, community events and start-up funds for new faculty. Your gift – large or small – goes directly toward research, education and the support staff behind the scenes. After completing your gift, you will have the opportunity to indicate how your gift should be used, e.g., summer scholars.
(On the giving form, look for "Click here to designate your gift")
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Have a question about an INSTAAR fund?
Contact Nikki Lovenduski, INSTAAR Director
Want to make a gift by mail, by phone, as stock, matching, etc?
and contact Amanda Nugent, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Office of Advancement
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Thank you!