IALC Founding Member Institution

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Established in 1888 as a land-grant institution, New Mexico State University is one of the top 100 public universities receiving federal funding for research and development and holds $150 million in research contracts. The 5,800-acre campus is part of New Mexico's Rio Grande Research Corridor (RGRC), which extends from Los Alamos to Las Cruces. Research facilities along the corridor include Sandia National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Army Atmospheric Science Laboratory, the Sacramento Peak Observatory, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's White Sands facility. Two of the five centers of technical excellence associated with the RGRC are at New Mexico State University: the Computing Research Laboratory, which focuses on artificial intelligence, and the Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory, which uses biotechnology to adapt plants to arid environments.

Arid Lands Expertise at New Mexico State University

Because it contains portions of several of the five types of desert regions found in the United States, New Mexico is especially well suited for arid lands research. For many decades, New Mexico State University researchers have attracted substantial funding for studying the desert's ecosystems. The Plant Genetics Engineering Laboratory, the Water Resources Research Institute, and the USDA's Jornada Experimental Range are just a few of the facilities at New Mexico State University conducting arid lands research. New Mexico State University's Center for International Programs has coordinated international research activities for more than 30 years, including a cooperative scientific exchange between New Mexico State University and Israel.

Selected areas of expertise in arid lands research at New Mexico State University include:

• Heat- and drought-tolerant plants
• Plant genetics
• Plant improvement and protection
• Remote sensing and geographical information systems
• Soil, plant, and animal interactions
• Water supply, quality, and management
• Weed and brush management

Visit the NMSU Website