As part of its 25 anniversary celebration, leaders of Biosphere 2, an earth systems research facility that’s part of the University of Arizona, have invited CSU’s Bryan Willson to speak about innovation.

On Jan. 25, Willson, director of the Energy Institute at CSU and a professor in mechanical engineering, will deliver a talk on the topic of “innovation at scale.”

He’ll cover CSU’s work with natural gas engines, reducing automobile emissions, and most notably, creating and nurturing spinoff business to deploy technologies at sensible scales worldwide.

Biosphere 2 was created 25 years ago in an effort to understand how different biomes of the Earth worked, and what it would take to colonize other planets.

“We see what Dr. Willson does with his work as central to what Biosphere 2 was created for, which was how to understand our world well enough to better create programs on sustainability,” said Joaquin Ruiz, vice president of innovation and strategies at the University of Arizona.