CSU Spur will open its first building in January, but will host its fourth annual Water in the West Symposium on Nov. 3-4, hosting speakers to discuss solution of scale. The 2021 Symposium will be hosted virtually, but plans to return to in-person in 2022.

The Symposium was the idea of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during his time working at Colorado State University as an advisor for the CSU Spur project.

The event will feature speakers at the local, state, regional, national and international level, with a focus on how solutions to water challenges can be scaled up or down to create impact.

“One of the hallmarks of Water in the West is that we bring together speakers and audience members across different sectors, and this year we are adding the dimension of scale—we know that leaders at the city level have ideas to offer to those working on large scale water challenges across the West and vice versa,” said Jocelyn Hittle, assistant vice chancellor of CSU Spur.

Speakers include water leaders from across the West, and a full list of speakers is available at csuspur.org/witw.

The event has sold out during in-person offerings, but the Symposium’s virtual format this year allows a greater number of attendees and from all geographic audiences to attend.

The Symposium is an early offering of CSU Spur campus’s Hydro building, which will be complete in 2022. Hydro will be open to the public with educational exhibits, have a backyard space with access to a restored South Platte River, and will also be home to research labs and Denver Water’s water quality lab. Hydro is a building meant to create understanding of and connection to water — building on CSU’s existing work — and the Symposium is a part of that conversation.

'A global leader'

“CSU has been a global leader in water issues and education for more than a century, and our Water in the West Symposium leverages that expertise to get us talking about the most pressing water challenges facing Colorado and the planet,” CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank said.

“The beauty of Water in the West is that it brings together policymakers, nonprofit and government leaders, academics, scientists, and students to really engage in depth around issues that are core to our way of life. It’s part of our CSU System commitment to convene conversations around important global issues — and inspire the next generation to get involved and take action.”

Companies across Colorado have participated in and supported the Water in the West Symposium, including 2021 sponsors: CoBank, Leprino Foods, Swire Coca-Cola, Colorado Dairy Farmers, Denver Water, Molson Coors, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, CSU Water Center, The Greenway Foundation, and Together We Grow.

In 2022, the CSU System will open CSU Spur, a new education destination in Denver located at the National Western Center. CSU Spur’s three buildings will focus on water, food, and health and will connect K-12 students and visitors to experiential education opportunities. Spur is where learning is open and accessible to all. Where researchers tackle the world’s most pressing problems around water, food and health. Where art and culture challenge and surround you. Where rural and urban, local and global intersect. Learn more at csuspur.org.

Source: Colorado State University, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.