Learn more about the interdisciplinary centers and institutes, and academic unit-specific labs and entities associated with the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE).
Division-Level Centers (ABOR Approved)
Controlled Environment Agriculture Center
Innovative, high-efficiency greenhouses serve teaching, research and extension functions in Biosystems Engineering and the School of Plant Sciences.
Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families
Addresses questions important to the development and well-being of contemporary children, youth, and families, with the goal of improving basic understanding to enhance the lives of the people of Arizona and the world.
Natural Products Center
Engages in research on drug discovery from Sonoran Desert plants and their microorganisms, genetic investigation of natural product biosynthesis, development of alternative agricultural systems and more.
Natural Resource Users Law & Policy Center
A creative partnership of the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and Cooperative Extension aimed at collaborating with stakeholders, mentor student clinicians and fellows, provide scholarly legal and policy analysis, and address the underrepresented law and policy needs of the natural resource community of Arizona and the West.
Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research
Creates research-based educational outreach programs to improve financial literacy and help consumers to make informed financial choices in today’s complex markets.
Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing
Connects corporations with promising students, enriches education with real-world experiences and conducts outreach that benefits consumers worldwide by aligning industry with academics.
Water Resources Research Center
Aims to empower informed decision-making and enrich understanding about water policy and management issues in water-stressed regions through engagement, education, and applied research.
Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture
An innovative public-private partnership that connects top scientists to the desert agricultural industry to develop solutions to the high-priority challenges of arid-land crop production.
Academic Unit-Level Research Resources
Advanced Resource Technology Lab – School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Responsible for GIS institutional development, GIS environmental database design and development, application of cartographic and spatial analysis for agriculture, natural resources, and rural development.
Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory – School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Dedicated to the diagnosis of diseases of cultured penaeid shrimp, from samples received from farms and research facilities all over the world.
Arizona Genomics Institute – School of Plant Sciences
Uses gene sequencing to better understand areas of structural, evolutionary and functional genomics of crop plants.
Arizona Remote Sensing Center – School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Works with advanced airborne and satellite remote sensing data and other geospatial information technologies to help address both fundamental and applied issues in natural resource management.
Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants – Department of Environmental Science
Assists faculty, student and staff researchers to detect, quantify and speciate organic and inorganic micro-pollutants – including dissolved and nano-particulate components – in complex environmental matrices by using mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques.
Desert Research Unit – School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Conducts field studies to trace organic contaminants, measure wastewater and water treatment, determine the efficacy of irrigation technologies, and promote the revegetation of disturbed areas.
Equine Center – School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Houses a thoroughbred breeding herd for racehorses, and a quarter horse teaching herd for students.
Food Product and Safety Laboratory – School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
State-of-the-art, USDA-inspected facility that teaches and conducts the harvesting, processing, testing and evaluation of safe meat products for consumers and industry.
Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium – School of Plant Sciences
Stores and curates over 40,000 accessioned specimens of fungi and fungus-like organisms, with special collections of rusts, polypores, and corticioid fungi from around the world.
University of Arizona Herbarium – School of Plant Sciences
A research collection of over 420,000 dried plant specimens, with emphasis on the plants of the Sonoran Desert region and adjacent areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
University of Arizona Insect Collection – Department of Entomology
The insect collection maintains approximately 2 million insect specimens and is the most comprehensive in the world for the Sonoran Desert Region.
USA National Phenology Network– School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Fosters phenology communities of practice, and the development of tools and techniques to support a wide range of decisions made related to allergies, wildfires, water, and conservation.
USDI Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit – School of Natural Resources and the Environment and Cooperative Extension
A network of agencies studying and managing natural and cultural resources across the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit – School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Enhances graduated education in fisheries and wildlife sciences through research between natural resource agencies and the university.
William J. Parker Agricultural Research Center – School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
A state-of-the art environmental control laboratory facility with the capacity to study the effects of heat stress and other factors in sheep and cattle to decrease animal stress and increase production.