Currently, CSUB's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering maintains the California Well Sample (Core) Repository, the Fab Lab, and a wide variety of state-of-the-art laboratories. Specialized labs and equipment available to CSUB faculty and students include a high-resolution computer tomography system, a scanning electron microscope, a geomaterial properties testing system, a sediment analysis laboratory, a hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulator, and an X-Ray diffractometer.
Computer labs and workstations are equipped with state-of-the-art software for the simulations, mapping, and interpretations used in the study of geology, engineering, energy data research, computer science, internet security, and geographic information systems among others.
Trace-Element Geochemistry Lab The newly remodeled lab has a new clean room style fume hood, laminar floor hood and new Milli-Q Advantage water purification system. The lab currently houses a new Thermo Scientific iCAP RQ Quadrupole ICP-MS with CETAC Autosampler. Only a few mL of liquid sample are needed for quickly measuring most elements with sub parts-per-billion detection levels. Funding for the remodel and new instrumentation in this lab was through a grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation.
The California Well Sample Repository - containing cores and samples from more than 5000 wells from both on- and offshore California and 1500 catalogued micropaleontological samples, is located on campus.
Geophysics Equipment and Facilities include a 12-channel seismograph, magnetometer, gravimeter, and an electrical resistivity meter.
The Petrography Laboratory hosts a wide range of petrographic microscopes including luminescence and epifluorescence.
X-Ray Diffractometer The PANalytical Empyrean X-Ray Diffractometer is used for the identification of minerals in soils and sediments by powder X-Ray diffraction. Funding for this instrument was through a 2015 grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation program.
Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory Established in 2007, the lab houses a Hitachi S-3400 variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an Oxford Inca energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS), Gitan ChromaCL live color cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging system and an IXRF x-ray fluorescence microanalysis system. The EDS detector measures the elemental composition of samples and the CL detector shows subtle, otherwise invisible textures such as zonation in crystals. Funding for this lab was through a grant from the Department of Defense.
Field Equipment We have a full range of field equipment and instruments for the collection of water, soil, and sediment samples, and field measurements. This includes a Giddings coring rig for the collection of sediment cores and the installation of shallow monitoring wells. Funding for the coring rig was through a grant from the National Science Foundation.
High resolution computer tomography (HRCT) system MULTISCALE X-ray nanotomograph SKYSCAN 2211. Non-destructive 3-D imaging of the widest available range of object sizes and spatial resolutions. This instrument is capable of non-destructive scanning and 3D reconstruction of internal micro-structures of large objects, as well as providing sub-micron resolution for small samples. Funding for this lab was through a grant from the Department of Defense.
Fab Lab An advanced digital fabrication laboratory that consists of a suite of fabrication and rapid prototyping machines, including a large CNC Router (or shopbot), a 3D desktop mill and scanner, a vinyl cutter, a laser cutter, an electronics work bench, a 3D printer, and the accompanying computers and software.
Eddy Covariance Flux Tower Installed on campus in January 2021, the tower continuously monitors levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water in the air. It provides students from a variety of scientific disciplines with data they can use to research climate change.
