FOUNDATIONAL
Basic science research provides the building blocks for understanding the world around us
Welcome to the Basic Science Departments
at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The Basic Science Departments at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus provide the building blocks for understanding the world around us. Scientists who participate in basic or foundational research ask questions and perform experiments to discover how things work. Through answering these foundational questions, we learn how everything – molecules, cells and organs – in our bodies work. This knowledge paves the way for advancements in medicine, technology, and everyday life.
You can think of basic science as the foundation upon which more complex ideas and technologies are built.
Imagine you’re trying to solve a complicated puzzle. You have most, but not all, of the pieces and you don’t know how they all fit together. Basic science is the process of discovering the pieces, figuring out what each piece does, and how they all fit together to create the whole puzzle.
CU Anschutz Medical Campus Basic Science Departments
Basic or foundational science research is essential to our understanding of the world around us. This website was created to highlight and explain the important foundational work being done on the CU Anschutz and communicate that every new discovery leads to a bigger and more meaningful impact on the world, your life and the lives of your friends, families, and neighbors.
At the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus there are 6 basic science departments with over 100 independent research laboratories working hard to answer foundational questions in science. The research in all of these laboratories is driven by curiosity and the desire to learn all of the answers to what, when, and how everything works in the body. Before lifesaving medicines, or new medical technologies can be created, we must first understand the many complicated processes that allow the human body to function properly.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our reason to be
To seek answers to scientific questions
that foster innovation and advance human health
VISION STATEMENT
Where we want to go
To utilize our collective and diverse expertise to expand the boundaries
of scientific knowledge and drive progress for future generations