Laboratories
There are seven laboratories dedicated to
teaching and research in the Institute for Environmental Studies at Shepherd University.
Geological Sciences
Laboratory
Located in the
Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center is
the Geological Sciences Laboratory. This is a teaching and
research facility used for both lecture and lab activities.
The room contains research equipment used in classical geology, paleontology,
mineralogy, and geomorphology. The room is equipped
with a variety of equipment including petrascopes,
rock saws, analytical fume hood, and miscellaneous
other microscopes. The laboratory also has an
enormous rock collection from around the world.
Sustainable Systems Laboratory
Located in the
Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center is the Sustainable Systems Laboratory.
This is a dedicated
teaching and
research lab, allowing faculty, staff and students
to do original research in soils, agriculture,
hydrology, wetland ecosystems, forestry, and renewable energy. The laboratory is equipped with
numerous pieces
of forestry and plant survey items,
well recording equipment, soil particle size analysis
equipment, various soil chemical analysis equipment,
and compost analysis equipment.
Astrophysical Science Laboratory Located in the
Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center is the
Astrophysical Science Lab, which is a dedicated teaching
facility used for both lecture and lab activities.
The room contains equipment suitable for explorations of
problems in astrophysics, including topic areas
such as mechanics, fluid dynamics, and optics.
This lab also contains
dedicated research space and equipment, allowing faculty, staff and students
to conduct original research in subfields such as
cosmology, observational astrophysics,
historical astronomy, and computational astrophysics.
Physics
Laboratory
Located in the
Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center is
the Physics Lab, which is a dedicated teaching
facility used for both lecture and lab activities.
The room
contains equipment suitable for explorations of
problems in mechanics, fluid dynamics,
thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, and optics.
Aquatic Sciences Laboratory
Located in Snyder Hall is the
Aquatic Sciences Laboratory. This is also a dedicated
teaching and
research lab, allowing faculty, staff and students
to do original research in aquatic science
analysis. The laboratory is equipped with YSI
meters, a Marsh-McBirney Flow Meter, microscopes,
and numerous pieces of analytical equipment.
Geographic Information Systems Laboratory
Located in Snyder Hall is the
Geographic Information Systems Laboratory. This is a dedicated
teaching and research lab, allowing faculty, staff and students
to conduct research in landscape analysis,
ecology, planning, GIS business application, and
spatial analysis. The laboratory is equipped with
20 Dell Optiplex GX620 computers.
There is also a Calcomp digitizing tablet, an HP
1050C plotter, an HP 2420DN laser printer, and a
Xerox Phaser 6250 color printer. The GIS laboratory also
has a Trimble Pathfinder GPS unit. Software in the
laboratory includes the Microsoft Office Suite and a host of ESRI
products
(including ArcInfo, ArcView, Spatial Analyst, and 3D Analyst).
The computer lab was initially made possible in part by a
grant from Allegheny Energy.
Shepherd University Observatory
Located on the roof of the
Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies is
the Shepherd University Observatory.
The Observatory features a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain
telescope (equipped with a CCD camera and spectrograph) housed in a
15-ft diameter dome, and provides
opportunities for coursework use, undergraduate research, and public outreach.
The Observatory was made possible by an Innovation Grant from the
West Virgina Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
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