Support IESInstitute for the Environment & Sustainability
at Miami University
Facilities
IES is housed in Upham Hall and includes:
- faculty, staff, and student offices
- classrooms, conference and seminar rooms
- computer laboratory
Field and Laboratory Resources
The program has field, lab, and teaching equipment for use by both students and staff. Field equipment includes:
- surveying instruments
- water sampling and analysis kits
- seines
- waders
- GPS units
Lab equipment includes:
- tabletop colorimeters
- filtration units
- incubators
- muffle furnace
- balances
- hot plates
Students working with departmental researchers may have access to additional equipment and facilities typical of a research university, e.g. electron microscopes, x-ray diffractometer, plasma spectrometer, mass spectrometers, atomic force/tunneling microscope. The University Instrumentation Laboratory has a permanent staff to assist in the manufacture and maintenance of special equipment.
The institute also maintains a weather station at the Ecology Research Center.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory
A well-equipped geographic information systems laboratory is housed in Shideler Hall as part of the Department of Geography. A wide range of software, high capacity microcomputers, digitizers, databases, and output devices dedicated to acquisition and analysis of spatial information (GIS, satellite remote sensing) are available. The GIS Laboratory has a full-time director, and instruction is available at several levels.
Library Resources
The university library system is a federal government depository housing substantial, well-balanced collections of books, reports, periodicals, and reference indexes related to the environment.
Especially noteworthy are resources in the Business, Engineering, and Technology (BEST) Library (Laws Hall) which includes a wide range of environmental resources. King Library, the main campus library, houses all government documents.
Natural Areas
Miami University's Natural Areas, within walking distance of Oxford and the main campus, consist of over 1000 acres and 15 miles of trails. These areas are used extensively by M.En. faculty and students for studies regarding ecosystem analysis, resource management and environmental education.
Ecology Research Center (ERC)
Teaching and research programs evaluating the effects of environmental stressors on experimental ecosystems take place at the Ecology Research Center. Facilities include small mammal enclosures, ponds, a well-equipped ecology research building with a solar observation platform, a number of stations to monitor data on climate conditions, precipitation chemistry, and dioxin levels, and equipment storage buildings.
Hueston Woods State Park
With 3,596 acres of park land and 625-acre Acton Lake, Hueston Woods 
is an excellent facility for environmental research and teaching purposes and for associated conference activities. Miami University uses this area for studies related to land-use planning, resource management, environmental education, and the structure and function of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Hueston Woods is one of the most popular state parks in Ohio.