INSTAAR is a research institute on the University of Colorado campus that focuses on multiple aspects of earth system science. As such, it mixes faculty, researchers, students and staff with expertise in ecology, environmental microbiology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, paleo-environmental research, geology, geophysics and geochemistry within a single unit. INSTAAR faculty all have full-time appointments in their respective academic departments, and all involve graduate and undergraduate students in their research. In addition, while INSTAAR has it roots in cold-regions research and continues to be a world leader in that arena, the institute has evolved beyond its early geographic constraints and now also supports research in a wide variety of temperate and tropical systems.