This will be the first of a slew of postings related to 'what I do'. I recently began a 'journal' of Biospherian adventures. That is, what sorts of things I get up to when I'm there: projects, education, events, research... the exciting and the mundane. Although I've worked there for about 2 years now, I never kept a log like this. Thus I sanctioned the first couple pages for remembering what I've done. At a place like the
Biosphere II, we as student workers get so many opportunities for resume material that it can become a big blur and things do get forgotten.
If you've never checked it out, you should. It is in Oracle, Arizona, and there are visitors from all over the world. I can't rattle off all the statistics about it a guide could, but I can firmly say that the place is amazing, and in many ways. It's an architectural wonder; the engineering that went into it is so cool. The entire structure is comprised of glass panes and white trusses, giving it a surreal futuristic feel.
For example, this spiral staircase, from the side, and a birds-eye view.
Or just tell me this isn't Stonecutters!
A tour would start in the kitchen shown above and take you through each of the 5 biomes - rainforest, ocean, grassland savannah, desert scrub, and marshland - and then wind you through the basement and into a lung. Each of the biomes is independently controllable for temperature, humidity, rain schedule and wind. Pictures of them are to come in a future post. Here is the Biosphere II from the outside.
The three arches you see above were once the agricultural area for the original missions (which are not still going, if you were wondering). The Biosphere II is now being used as a scientific space for educating and researching all things Earth-related. Biology, Atmospheric Science, Geology, Plant Science, Chemistry, you name it. It is a great for bridging the gap between small, controlled lab experiments and large, real-world multi-factorial experiments that are harder to control. The
Hillslope Experiment will be built in that area now: a ten year study on water runoff and it's geomorphological and chemical impacts on transects of variously composed/stratified soils and plants.
It is under construction and they are bringing dirt in.
Here is some of the basement and the lung!
Welcome to the spaceship! I'm just having a ball, aren't I?
There are two lungs. They are special rooms designed for pressure expansion and contraction. When the Biosphere II was closed off completely, a rubber roof in here prevented explosion when the air got hot and expanded. Great acoustics!
The Energy Center has circle windows!! It's where all the generators, water circulation/filtration, electricity, etc go through. Highly technical.
The casita "village" is a cute aggregation of tiny houses for people to stay at during conferences and visiting research projects.
Lastly, this is one of the things I do when I'm there: educational demos to teach people something about science and conservation!
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