The Center for Environmental and Life Sciences, known on campus as “CELS,” opened in Summer 2015. The facility provides 107,500 square feet of modern instruction and research space for students and faculty in the College. CELS is home to:
- Undergraduate and graduate students studying in the Earth and Environmental Studies department
- Research centers and institutes that play leading roles in addressing society’s most pressing environmental, health, and sustainability issues
- The New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology and its State certified Water Quality Laboratory
- The Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences
- The PSEG Institute for Sustainable Studies and its nationally renowned Summer “Green Teams” team-based internship program
First Floor
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The sculpture at the entrance to CELS, at first glance, appears to be an abstract mass of metal. Dr. Mac Adams, assisted by Dr. Mary Lou West (former University Employee), created the sculpture in 1988. The brilliance of this piece is in the shadow it creates, particularly In May and July. During these months, a shadow depicting Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer is cast on the concrete disk underneath.
The Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Laboratory exemplifies CSAM’s commitment to hands-on education. This facility provides a venue for undergraduate and graduate students to learn how to operate materials characterization instruments. This technology includes electron microscopes, confocal microscopes, and x-ray diffractometers. These images and data can be applied in diverse research in biology, biochemistry, geology, and archeology. Our alumni anecdotally report that experiences working with major analytical instrumentation was a positive factor during their job searches.
The Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Laboratory consists of shared sample preparation space for techniques such as histotechnology. This describes the microscopic detection of tissue abnormalities for disease diagnosis and the treatment of diseases. Students in this lab learn to slice thin tissue samples and use dyes to highlight the features of interest. This type of work is crucial in medicine and pathology.
The scanning electron microscope or “SEM” is an imaging technique that allows scientists to create images of sub-micron features. The tool can be used on diverse materials of interest including microscopic organisms, mineral grains, archeological artifacts and meteorites. The SEM uses a beam of high-energy electrons to bombard the sample. This creates a variety of beam-specimen interactions and signals that image the materials surface and determine its chemical composition. This SEM was funded by a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation.
Each of the colorful blocks in this exhibit represent one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Formalized by the UN General Assembly in 2015, these goals serve as a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.”
The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals
The CELS atrium is a popular space to meet and relax and enjoy the spectacular view of New York City. Look for the “LEED” plaque and medallion mounted on the side wall as you enter (see next image). You can also check out the dinosaur exhibit under the staircase (upcoming images).
CELS was the first building on the Montclair State University campus to obtain Gold status from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), meaning that the building’s design, construction and daily operations emphasize sustainability practices such as using sustainable materials and resources, conserving energy and water, and reducing stormwater runoff.
Construction projects over the past 113 years of Montclair State University’s history have regularly led to exciting discoveries. One archaeological discovery was of dinosaur fossil footprints in the reddish-brown sandstone that underlies portions of our campus. This exhibit is the brain-child of MSU alumnus Michael McClosky and with generous support from Louis Berger Engineering. A time when dinosaurs roamed New Jersey is depicted, leaving their tracks in soft sediment adjacent to rivers. These tracks were preserved when the sediment lithified to become the Passaic River Sandstone.
The Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing Laboratory is a state of the art classroom dedicated to teaching computational techniques. Geographic Information Science, or “GIS,” encompasses digital cartography, geospatial data visualization and spatial analysis. These are highly marketable skills, in-demand in nearly every employment sector. Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geographic, Urban and Environmental Studies, Sustainability Science, and Environmental Science and Management majors utilize this space. The GIS lab is the instructional space for computationally-intensive courses. The lab is equipped to teach and apply techniques in Earth Systems Modeling, Hydrologic Modeling, and Remote Sensing image processing. The main lab classroom has 24 state-of-the-art workstations for students. An “ante-room” is equipped with additional computers and is available for students even when the classroom is in use.
Second Floor
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The College of Science and Mathematics Dean’s Office oversees 7 departments including Applied Math and Statistics, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Science, Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy. Our college houses a Student Success Center, a Career Services Center, and a Pre-Medical Program that serve students in these departments, blending student support services and co-curricular programming to provide a holistic personal and professional development experience during your time at Montclair State University.
The CELS teaching laboratories are spaces where students learn everything from introductory Earth System Science to upper level courses in hydrology, petrology, climate science, and sustainability science. The Department of Earth and Environmental Studies faculty blend lecture, lab and field experiences in their introductory through advanced courses. While these state of the art classrooms are impressive, you will also experience field trips and modules in our research facilities.
The CELS teaching laboratories are spaces where students learn everything from introductory Earth System Science to upper level courses in hydrology, petrology, climate science, and sustainability science. The Department of Earth and Environmental Studies faculty blend lecture, lab and field experiences in their introductory through advanced courses. While these state of the art classrooms are impressive, you will also experience field trips and modules in our research facilities.
This display case features fossil and mineral specimens that are native to New Jersey as well as samples collected around the world by our alumni. The minerals of New Jersey’s Watchung Mountain “trap rocks,” fine-grained igneous rocks emplaced during break-up of Pangaea 200 million years ago, have been admired by Montclair State University students and collectors since the early 1820s. The Montclair State University campus is built on a former trap rock quarry, which has yielded outstanding specimens of calcite globules and rhomboids, fine needles of and aragonite, and the zeolite minerals prehnite and stilbite. Calcite has more uses than almost any other mineral including lime production, construction aggregate, antacid tablets, white pigments, and calcium supplements. In addition to dinosaur tracks, famous New Jersey fossils from sites such as Big Brook Preserve and the Poricy Brook Fossil Beds include Mesozoic era specimens including bivalves, belemnites (an internal support structure from an extinct squid), crinoids, brachiopods, and shark teeth, among many others.
The Mezzanine provides individual and group study space. The open areas adjacent to the classrooms and the “bars” are popular areas for students seeking quiet, but not isolated, work space in between classes.
The Department of Earth and Environmental Studies teaching and research space is housed in CELS. The Department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Earth and Environmental Science, Geographic, Urban and Environmental Studies, Sustainability Science, and administers the University-wide PhD program in Environmental Science and Management. The faculty in these programs take great pride in their mentoring-intensive approach to working with students, and engaging students in hands-on experiential learning including cutting edge research. The Earth and Environmental Studies faculty are leaders in their disciplines and include winners of Montclair State University’s Distinguished Scholar award, and recipients of national recognitions as National Science Foundation Early Career awards and a Presidential Scholar Early Career Award.
Third Floor
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The interdisciplinary Computational Research Lab supports faculty research in earth systems and environmental modeling such as regional and global climate modeling, epidemiological modeling, hydrodynamic modeling of fluid flow, sediment and contaminant transport in fluvial and coastal systems, modeling of urban systems using spatial analysis, and life cycle assessment for sustainability applications. Our faculty study deterministic and stochastic dynamical systems, they design mobile sensing arrays and platforms, analyze the effects of environmental management technologies, and design scientific data infrastructure mobile apps to engage citizen scientists.
The Green Roof of CELS is a living example of sustainability science and “green engineering.” Vegetation is used to absorb stormwater and minimize flooding and run-off. Green roofs reduce the urban heat island effect through the daily dew condensation and evaporation cycles. Green roofs contribute to carbon dioxide absorption through photosynthesis, and can help capture airborne pollutants. The CELS green roof also has the best view on campus of New York City.
The CELS 3rd floor houses research space for the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, with specialized spaces and equipment for Antarctic System Science, Environmental Magnetism, Geochemistry, Paleoclimatology, Paleomagnetism, Sedimentology, Soil Science, Water Science, and Environmental Remediation. Faculty research is supported by the American Chemical Society, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, International Ocean Discovery Program, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, US Department of Agriculture, and US Geological Survey, among others.
A major research theme is Earth Systems Science and Climate Change. Earth’s climate systems include regularly-repeating cycles, positive and negative feedbacks, and abrupt events and processes that affect Earth’s surface temperature, the chemistry of the atmosphere and ocean, soil moisture, and the size and stability of ice sheets. These, in turn, affect society through sea level rise and fall, the frequency and intensity of storms, flooding resulting from storm surge and surface runoff, the type and extent of vegetation occupying coastal regions and continental interiors and their ability to remove and store CO2 from the atmosphere, and changes in the geographic range of flora, fauna, pathogens and invasive species. Our faculty and students advance understanding of Earth’s processes and their temporal cycles from the ground, air, ocean, and space using geologic archives, Earth orbiting satellites, and computer models.
Water science, environmental quality and remediation is another major research theme in this lab space. This encompasses the characterization and quantification of physical and chemical processes that determine the behavior of contaminants in air, soil, water, sediment and biota. Our faculty study the source, transport, and fate of inorganic and organic contaminants, and design and test strategies for contaminant removal, green infrastructure for urban stormwater management and flood prevention, improving drinking water treatment methods and water reuse and landfill leachate management.
Fourth Floor
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The 4th floor of CELS is home to researchers from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry & Biochemistry affiliated with CSAM research institutes and centers.
The Margaret and Herman Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical Life Sciences was established in 2007 to support drug discovery and biotechnology research that will solve global health problems, and to teach and train the next generation of highly skilled leaders in the global pharmaceutical and medical technology industries. Sokol Institute personnel study disease mechanisms and discovery approaches such as high throughput screening, proteomics, biomaterial platforms and drug analysis technologies.
This shared lab also supports cancer research that addresses the mechanisms involved in eliminating and misplacing a protein with tumor suppression activity in skin cancer cells.
The New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology (NJCWST) is dedicated to the study of water quality, pollution and technological solutions. Center personnel monitor and aid in the management of lakes, rivers, reservoirs in New Jersey. The Center provides technical assistance to conservation groups, water managers, and municipalities to keep New Jersey’s water safe for drinking and recreation, to ensure that our seafood is safe for human consumption, and to preserve native ecosystems and precious water resources.
The Center also offers environmental education programs for K-12 students, as well as the general public. CELS 421 houses the Center’s State certified water analysis laboratory. In addition to providing a public service, this lab provides an opportunity for Montclair State University to learn water quality analytical techniques for potable and recreational water including phytoplankton and macroinvertebrate identification, fecal indicator bacteria, nutrient analyses, and microbial source tracking.
This laboratory has worked with federal, state and local government agencies, drinking water purveyors, consulting firms, conservation groups, homeowners and university scientists.
