Facilities
The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment provides students and researchers with access to field sites, laboratories, forests, and environmental research facilities that support hands-on learning and scientific discovery. These spaces allow students to engage directly with environmental monitoring, ecosystem management, conservation science, geographic information systems, and applied research across diverse landscapes. Through field-based experiences and collaborative research opportunities, students gain practical skills that prepare them for careers in environmental science, policy, conservation, and resource management.
Our Facilities
Aquatic Resources Laboratory
The Water Resources Aquatic Resources Laboratory contains state-of-the-art equipment for the measurement of most water quality constituents. The lab has a full range of field sampling equipment including ISCO automatic samplers and flow meters, rain gauges, Campbell Scientific data loggers and pressure transducers, current meters, and float-level recorders.
Atmospheric Resources Facility
The Atmospheric Resources program facilities include an environmental wind tunnel, automated weather stations, and a mobile micrometeorology laboratory that has been used in inter-agency cooperative field experiments in Connecticut, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico.
Fisheries Facilities
The Fisheries Management program emphasizes both applied and basic research in fisheries management and ecology, focusing on the problems and opportunities facing fisheries management in the state and region.
Terrestrial Resources Laboratory
The Terrestrial Resources Laboratory is equipped for research in the areas of fate and transport of soil water and solutes and surface water hydrology. Computers dedicated to the mathematical modeling of chemical transport in porous media, hydrologic modeling, and GIS-related landscape analysis are located in the lab.
UConn Forest [https://forest.uconn.edu/]
The UConn Forest consists of 2,100 acres of forest land in the Storrs-Mansfield vicinity. Aside from being a beautiful place to appreciate Connecticut’s nature, the Forest is a site for research, education, and extension work.
Water Resources Field Station and Ground Water Well Fields
The Department has three well fields on campus to conduct “hands-on” teaching and research on ground water resources and contamination in overburden and bedrock. We also have physical and chemical ground water laboratories in a newly refurbished Water Resources Field Station. The facilities include state-of-the-art water quality and hydraulic instrumentation to conduct ground water studies in the field.
Laboratory for Earth Resources Information Systems (LERIS)
The LERIS is a NASA Center of Excellence in Applications of Remote Sensing to Regional and Global Integrated Environmental Assessments. Work is focused on natural resources, ecology, and land use. LERIS provides spatial data analysis, mapping, and research to understand environmental changes and land use impacts in Connecticut.
Outdoor Classroom
Built by UConn faculty, students, and staff from UConn Forest wood, the Outdoor Classroom on Horsebarn Hill showcases the many benefits of its surroundings. With a 30-foot radius in a hexagonal shape, the classroom can accommodate a variety of course types.