Research

This solar-powered building has earned national acclaim as a showcase for green building technologies and operating systems. Photovoltaic panels on the center's roof and parking pavilion capture renewable energy from the sun and south-facing windows allow for passive solar heating. Indoors, a specially engineered wetland called the Living Machine purifies non-potable wastewater for reuse in toilets and the landscape. Flows of energy and cycling of materials are monitored and displayed by a sophisticated system (150+ sensors) that gives real-time feedback, teaching about sustainability in the built environment.

In the dome atop Peters Hall, an observatory features a telescope with a 14-inch aperture for viewing comets, stars, planets, and other astronomical phenomena. The telescope is also equipped with a CCD imaging camera. Installed on the adjacent outdoor viewing deck are five smaller telescopes. The observatory is open to the public (weather permitting) on the first and third Fridays of the month after sunset during the academic year. In addition, a small teaching planetarium projects the 1,000 brightest stars and the planets onto a dome 4 meters in diameter.