Diné College Receives $100,000 Environmental Chamber for Climate Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2022
TSAILE, Ariz. — Diné College received a generous gift from Enertron Company that will allow faculty and students to research climate impact within the Navajo Nation. Dr. Scott Bender, science faculty, said “This specialized environmental simulation testing chamber enables faculty and students to simulate all climates seen across the Navajo Nation.”
The $100,000 CSZ Environmental Simulation and Testing Chamber will be used in the School of STEM at the college. This scientific equipment will open the door to undergraduate and faculty research projects in the areas of climate change, agriculture, material testing and biomedical/veterinary science fields.
“We are grateful to Dr. DJ Chou, PhD, President of the Enertron Company of Gilbert Arizona, for his donation,” said Dr. Charles Roessel, president of Diné College. “As we continue to build our School of STEM, we are focusing on providing our students with real world problems to research and study. This contribution to our college will empower them to seek solutions to our changing climate.”
The environmental chamber allows for duplicating climate conditions including daily temperature changes, sunlight, monsoon humidity, winter conditions and even pollution factors such as greenhouse gases.
By having this environmental simulation chamber available on campus, student and faculty will have opportunities to conduct research and study in real time. Examples of the research include; documenting changes to culturally important crops due to climate change, effects of climate and handling on medicines and vaccines, durability of materials under extreme conditions, and potential to develop methods and materials to address environment changes.
As a postsecondary educational institution, Diné College awards Associate degrees, Bachelor’s degrees, and Certificates in areas important to the economic and social development of the Navajo Nation. To comply with the College mission, personalized instruction is guaranteed to each student because of the low student-faculty ratio. All are welcome to apply.
