University of Minnesota
USA
Challenge
The University of Minnesota’s Saint Paul campus operates one of the largest plant growth facilities in North America, with 145 growth chambers across 11 rooms and eight buildings. Managing such a diverse fleet while ensuring consistency and reliability for cutting-edge research is no small task.
Solution
To meet this challenge, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) centralized growth chamber management under one umbrella. This approach ensures uniform standards, streamlined support, and optimized performance across departments—creating an environment where plant science research can thrive.
Impact
Today, Minnesota’s controlled environment facilities enable a wide spectrum of research, from crop breeding and turf management to forestry, plant pathology, and advanced technologies like CRISPR. By providing precise environmental control for temperature, light, and humidity, these chambers allow researchers to conduct reproducible experiments that accelerate discovery.
Technology at Work
Conviron chambers—ranging from legacy series units to advanced PGW40 and PGR15 models—deliver the precision and flexibility researchers need. Newer models offer centralized monitoring and data logging, reducing maintenance complexity and improving reliability. These capabilities help Minnesota maintain its position as a hub for agricultural innovation.
Looking Ahead
The greatest strength of growth chambers is control and reproducibility. Unlike field research, controlled environments allow scientists to plan and execute experiments with confidence, enabling breakthroughs that would be impossible under natural conditions. With ongoing upgrades and strategic investments, MAES continues to support the next generation of plant science innovation.