The Environmental Resources Engineering and Energy, Environment, and Society options have access to high quality laboratory and computer equipment. These include facilities associated with the engineering department, the Schatz Energy Research Center, the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, and others.
Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) Facilities
The Environmental Resources Engineering Department's facilities include laboratories for thermodynamics, hydraulics, water quality, and air quality work, as well as a rooftop solar energy lab. Among other equipment, these labs include instruments for testing solar photovoltaic and solar water heating system components, a hydraulic flume, a sediment transport flume, indoor air quality monitoring devices, and a range of instruments related to water quality testing.
The ERE Department also has four student computer labs with over 50 workstations. The computers, which are available 24/7, are configured to dual-boot to either Windows XP or SUSE Linux. In addition to the standard software for office productivity, image processing, and web development, the labs have specialized software for engineering mathematics (Mathematica, Matlab, Scilab), computer programming (Fortran, C, Visual Basic), computer automated design (CAD), hydraulic design and analysis, rainfall/runoff simulation models, groundwater modeling, hydrologic time series analysis, and solar energy system design.
The Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC)
The Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC) is dedicated to the development and deployment of clean and renewable energy technologies. SERC is a national leader for research and development related to hydrogen energy and proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. It is one of the only university based laboratories in the world where students are involved in the design and fabrication of hydrogen fuel cell energy systems. The center also conducts specialized research in areas ranging from solar photovoltaics and biomass energy to energy efficiency and solid state lighting.
SERC's staff currently consists of 19 members, including research engineers, support staff, and students. The center is equipped with a machine shop, an electronics shop, and laboratories with specialized test equipment. Recent projects at SERC include designing and building a refueling station for hydrogen powered vehicles on the HSU campus, developing energy education curriculum for high school chemistry classes, evaluating low cost solid-state lighting devices for use in rural areas of Africa, and working with the Yurok Indian Tribe to develop renewable energy resources on their Reservation.
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary
The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary was constructed in 1981. The City of Arcata incorporated wastewater treatment to the system in 1986. The Arcata Marsh is an example of a community's involvement in environmental politics, innovative uses of land, and applications of appropriate technology in a small urban community. The marsh has multiple uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, education, and wastewater treatment. Faculty and students from the Environmental Resources Engineering were centrally involved in the original design and development of the Marsh's constructed wetland water treatment system, and they continue to play a key role through projects and research geared towards the continued optimization of the system.
The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT)
The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) is a live-in demonstration home and educational center for appropriate technology and resource conservation on the HSU campus. Motivated by an ethic of "education by example", CCAT offers tours, workshops, and opportunities for hands-on involvement to university students and the general public. CCAT works with fifteen HSU classes a year to incorporate new appropriate technologies into this living laboratory in sustainability. The impressive result of these students' work: CCAT uses a fraction of the energy consumed by the average U.S. house, produces almost no waste, and serves as a national model for appropriate technology.