Climate Change Research & Outreach

At Michigan State, we pursue excellence in service to the common good, generating new knowledge and applying it in practical ways to address complex societal problems. The MSU 2030 Strategic Plan outlines several research thrusts where Michigan State has the unique expertise and resources to make a big impact, including research and outreach around climate change.

Quoting the Strategic Plan action items:

Lead local and global efforts to enhance food production, distribution, food safety and food security in a changing global climate using our strengths in plant and soil sciences, environmental sciences, animal health and production, agriculture and natural resource interactions, nutrition, big data and machine learning, and geospatial imaging along with our worldwide network of partners.

Strengthen campuswide, interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary solutions to climate/environmental change

To that end, the Office of Research and Innovation is leading a collaborative effort to identify specific climate mitigation and adaption projects. That effort kicked off with a campus convening on April 20, 2022, with over 160 faculty, staff, and students in attendance.

Subsequent meetings on additional topics will be held over the next several months as a white paper and research agenda develop around ideas brought forth at the convening. Please visit often for new resources and event announcements.

Upcoming Events

Sep

First Great Lakes Plant Science Conference

Save the date for the first Great Lakes Plant Science Conference.

Announcements

Bringing the Heat: Researchers Convene to Discuss the Impacts of Extreme Heat

May 30, 2025

Researchers convened on May 14, 2025, at the Wharton Center for the interdisciplinary research forum Heat Stress: Challenges to Human and Animal Health, on the impacts of heat stressors on people, plants, and animals.

$1.95M USDA Grant to Support Training of Diverse Agriculture Professionals in Soil Organic Carbon Assessment

Jun 1, 2023

A research team led by Michigan State University soil scientist Bruno Basso has received a $1.95 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant to develop and disseminate educational information on soil organic carbon evaluation.

News

Joan Rose team conducting water research.

Research that Matters to You

With support from the federal government, Spartan researchers have delivered lifesaving breakthroughs for generations and continue to tackle our most urgent challenges. From lifesaving cancer drugs that treat millions to advancements in agriculture that help deliver healthy food to the kitchen table, Spartan research makes life better.

A lake surrounded by trees in fall on a sunny day

Researchers Use Open-Access Data to Study Climate Change Effects in 24,000 US Lakes

Each summer, more and more lake beaches are forced to close due to toxic algae blooms. While climate change is often blamed, new research suggests a more complex story. The study sheds light on why some lakes are more vulnerable than others and how climate and human impacts interact — offering clues to why the problem is getting worse.

Monarch butterfly landing on a red flower in nature

MSU Brings New Approach to Stopping the Biodiversity Crisis

What if saving one animal species from extinction at a time isn’t the most effective approach? Michael Belitz, a Michigan State University postdoctoral researcher in the Zipkin Quantitative Ecology Lab, asked himself that question during his graduate work protecting a single butterfly species.

Art of semi-transparent human body with highlighted stomach surrounded by helixes and molecules

More Than a Gut Feeling: How Climate Change Affects GI Health

From heat-related illnesses to the geographic expansion of infectious diseases, the effects of climate change on human health are complex. And indeed, dimensions of this interaction, such as the impact of climate change on gut health, remain overlooked. Emerging research shows this global phenomenon may make you sick to your stomach — literally.

Uncovering Plant Resistance Through Aphids Saliva

Aphids are small yet mighty. In the right conditions, these tiny creatures can be among the most destructive insect pests to crops and cultivated plants, making understanding aphids’ feeding process crucial to the plant health field.

Two researchers wearing white coats in a plant lab

Walker Lab Researchers Find Trees Acclimate to Changing Temperatures

Researchers from the Walker lab at the Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, or PRL, are looking at how paper birch trees are acclimatizing to changing environments through how they manage a vital plant process called photorespiration.

Warming Lakes and Rivers May Spread Fish Pathogens

Michigan’s rivers and lakes were once cold enough that fish were protected from some infection-causing parasites. As the Great Lakes ecosystem warms, a Michigan State University researcher is investigating new pathogens that may become relevant to the fish that live here.

MSU Researchers to Explore Climate Change Solutions Based on Indigenous Knowledge in New NSF Grant

In a new international joint initiative, researchers led by Emilio Moran, a Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, will not only work with Indigenous communities to document the numerous challenges they face from climate change but will also collaborate with these communities to explore their innovations for addressing sustainability, adaptation, and mitigation.