Institute of Applied Sciences

Main Office General Academic Building, 471
P.O. Box 13078
Denton, TX 76203-6078
(817) 565-2694

Kenneth L. Dickson, Director

    The Institute of Applied Sciences (IAS) develops research and
educational programs that address the natural and human resource issues
facing Texas, the nation and the world. With an emphasis on water,
land, people and communities, IAS seeks to explore resources for the
future. As an organizational unit of the University of North Texas, IAS
sponsors and coordinates interdisciplinary efforts in instruction,
research and community service.

    To carry out its goals, IAS is presently organized into four program
areas: water resources, environmental chemistry, remote sensing and
land use analysis, and archaeology. Through these programs, the
institute coordinates educational programs for students seeking
training in environmental studies and other applied science areas. It
also offers to the public continuing education programs such as
workshops, minicourses, seminars and symposia.

    The primary role of the institute is to carry out basic and applied
studies in a variety of fields in the applied sciences, including the
analysis of trace organic and inorganic compounds in air, water, soils,
waste materials and biological samples; toxicology; land-use analysis
via remote sensing; archaeological reconnaissance and salvage; and
water resources management. The institute is particularly active in the
coordination and execution of joint research projects with industry and
governmental agencies in these areas. The following centers support
this role.

Center for Environmental Archaeology

    Scientists in the center pursue interdisciplinary research on past
environments and archaeology in the Southern Plains and Europe.
Research includes cultural resources management projects as well as
grant supported activities. The center emphasizes Quaternary geology
and geoarchaeology and has a fully equipped sedimontology soils
laboratory. The Laboratory of Zooarchaeology has extensive comparative
collections and analyzes faunal materials for UNT projects as well as
for other regional institutions. The center is a repository for large
collections of artifacts and faunal materials from sites in the South
Central U.S.

Center for Remote Sensing and Land Use Analyses

    The Center for Remote Sensing and Land Use Analyses (CRSLA) applies
remote sensing technologies and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to
land use and water resources issues. The center uses state-of-the-art
computer facilities to conduct basic and applied research on remote
sensing data collection, image enhancement, classification and
analyses. The primary thrust is to find interrelationships between
local or regional land use patterns and water quality. The center has a
fully equipped Earth Resources Data Analysis System (ERDAS) and
ARC/INFO capabilities.

Water Research Field Station

    The Water Research Field Station (WRFS) is one of the only facilities
in the Southwest designed to study the fate and effects of xenobiotics
on aquatic ecosystems under field conditions. In addition, field
station scientists are involved in basic research that will contribute
to a better understanding of aquatic ecosystem structure and function.
The field station includes a half acre maintenance pond and forty-eight
.01 acre experimental ponds for large scale aquatic ecosystem
simulations. For small scale aquatic ecosystem studies the site has
twenty-six 1,000-liter and fifty 10,000-liter testing vessels. Field
station research is supported on campus by a biological and residue
analysis laboratory.

    Support of IAS research activities has come from governmental sources
such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service,
the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of the Interior, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the City of Dallas Water Utilities and the City of
Denton. Industrial sources of research have included the International
Paper Company, Exxon Corporation, the Shell Development Company, the
Chemical Manufacturers Association and the American Petroleum
Institute.