The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air (ILWA) was established in 2021 by then USU President, Noelle Cockett, with the goal of bringing together “USU’s research programs and state, county, and city governments” to help address Utah environmental concerns.

Named after Janet Quinney Lawson, daughter of S.J. “Joe” and Jessie E. Quinney, was an advocate for Utah environmental education and conservation, and a major beneficiary of Utah State University. Her foundation, the Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation, has supported a variety of natural resource projects, including an endowment of $7 million for the Institute for Land, Water, and Air.

Research has been part of the USU mission from the beginning, with its origins in the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station (UAES), which was established concurrently with the College in 1888. The history of the ILWA is directly related to the developments of agricultural and environmental research at USU. For information, see Institute of Land, Water, and Air History .