
Dr. Louis Schatz and one of SERC's custom built fuel cell golf carts.
Dr. Schatz provided the funding to create the Schatz Energy Research Center in 1989 and continued to support the lab financially over the years. He had an intense and unwavering enthusiasm for hydrogen and fuel cells. Dr. Schatz received an honorary doctorate from Humboldt State University in May 1994 for assisting SERC and other HSU programs. Through his support of SERC, he made a lasting contribution to the advancement of clean energy technologies. Dr. Schatz passed away in 2001 at the age of 89.
SERC staff left to right: Dr. Charles Chamberlin, Marc Marshall, Scott Rommel, Allison Oakland, Richard Engel, Kyle Palmer, Ray Glover, Dr. Peter Lehman, Michael Winkler, Jim Zoellick, Keith Glenn, Greg Chapman, Stephen Kullmann, Mark Rocheleau, Peter Johnstone, Andrea Allen, Ranjit Deshmukh, Dr. Arne Jacobson.
Director of SERC and a professor of Environmental Resources Engineering at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA.
Dr. Lehman received a B.S. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago. He then served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley where he conducted research on the aerochemistry of photochemical air pollution. Before coming to HSU, he has been a member of the faculties of Sacramento State University; California State University, Northridge; and Deep Springs College. While at HSU, Dr. Lehman has served as chair of the Environmental Resources Engineering Department, co-chair of the International Development Technology masters program, and faculty advisor to the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology. His research interests include renewable energy systems, especially solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies. Dr. Lehman's work at the Schatz Center includes the development of solar hydrogen generation systems, development and production of fuel cell personal utility and neighborhood electric vehicles, and research and production of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Most recently, the Center is involved in integrating electrolyzers into complete hydrogen generation and dispensing facilities, and developing and producing fuel cell systems for telecommunications, portable power and uninterruptible power supply applications. Visit Site
Dr. Chamberlin is one of SERC's Co-Directors and technical coordinator. Dr. Chamberlin is Professor of Environmental Resources Engineering at Humboldt State University, where he has taught courses in environmental health engineering, data collection and analysis, and transport phenomena at the undergraduate and graduate level. He has worked on models of photovoltaic hydrogen production and PEM fuel cell polarization curves, participated in the design, development, and operation of the Schatz Solar Hydrogen Project, fuel cell vehicles, and stationary fuel cell systems. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a Ph.D. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Harvard University. Visit Site
Dr. Jacobson is one of SERC’s Co-Directors and an assistant professor in the Environmental Resources Engineering department at Humboldt State University. He is also the coordinator of HSU's master's program in Energy, Environment and Society. Dr. Jacboson has a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley and an M.S. in Environmental Systems (engineering option) from Humboldt State. His research interests include international development, renewable energy, and the equity dimensions of energy access in a carbon limited world. His work is interdisciplinary, combining a social geography based approach to development studies with expertise in energy policy and renewable energy engineering. Dr. Jacobson has extensive international work experience in Africa, India, and Latin America, including recent research on the social and technical dimensions of solar energy and energy efficient lighting in developing countries. Visit Site
Dr. Eileen Cashman is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Resources Engineering department at HSU. Visit Site
Dr. Steven Hackett is a Professor of Economics at Humboldt State University. Through his association with HSU’s Energy, Environment, and Society graduate program, Environmental Science undergraduate program, Humboldt Energy Independence Fund, and SERC, Professor Hackett works with an interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, and students on energy projects linked to reducing anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions. He will lead the economic portion of SERC's Renewable Energy Secure Communities project, which includes the development and application of economic impact assessment models to the energy sector of our regional economy and qualitative analyses of the economic development potential resulting from creating a renewable energy cluster in Humboldt County. Visit Site
Andrea Allen is a Research Engineer at SERC. Prior to joining the SERC team in 2006 as a graduate research assistant, Andrea worked at Humboldt State University (HSU) as a Green Campus Coordinator promoting energy conservation on campus. From 2002-2005 she worked in the high energy physics group at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), helping in the construction of the tracker for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) project to be installed in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Andrea graduated from UCSB in 2002 with a B.S. in physics and in 2009 received her M.S. from HSU in Environmental Resources Engineering.
Peter Johnstone is a Research Engineer whose main projects are the Schatz Solar Hydrogen Project, off-grid lighting in sub-Saharan Africa, and managing various energy internship programs. In the past, he has worked on our efforts related to landfill gas utilization, building energy analysis, and others. He hails from North Carolina, where he was raised. Before moving to Arcata, he studied Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. Peter started at SERC as a Graduate Student Research Assistant in 2005 and became a full time employee when he received an Environmental Systems masters degree from Humboldt State in 2009.
Greg is a graduate of the Environmental Resources Engineering program at Humboldt State University. His primary responsibilities at SERC are the design of in-house fuel cells and bench testing of commercially available fuel cell materials. He is currently project manager for the development of a hydrogen fueling station at HSU. He has also led SERC’s work on the development of a high-pressure hydrogen PEM electrolyzer. Greg's past work at SERC has been focused on hydrogen system design and fabrication for fuel cell demonstration projects. He was responsible for the installation of the hydrogen systems for the SunLine Transit, Schoolhouse Peak and the University of Michigan projects. Prior to attending HSU, Greg served for six years in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Naval Nuclear Power School and spent four years in San Diego on a nuclear-powered submarine as a steam plant operator. Following his enlistment, he worked as a process control board operator and shift supervisor at an independent oil refinery in Los Angeles.
Richard graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Environmental Resources Engineering in 1988. He worked for five years as an energy specialist with the City and County of San Francisco's Bureau of Energy Conservation, where he managed energy efficiency projects in city facilities. He was later employed as an energy and water conservation specialist at the City of Palo Alto Utilities, providing services to residential and small business utility customers. He developed his writing skills as a reporter and editor for the trade publication California Energy Markets. Before joining the Schatz team in 1999, Richard served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras for two years, where he met his wife Basilia. Richard's work at SERC has included technical document writing and editing, development of educational materials, grant proposal writing, hydrogen and fuel cell system maintenance and repair, energy program development for local communities and Tribes, and feasibility research on emerging energy technologies.
Meg is pursuing a Master’s degree in the Energy, Environment and Society Program at HSU. As the 2008-2009 Schatz Energy Fellow, Meg is investigating processes of converting woody biomass from forest fuel reduction into energy products. This project mirrors her interests in local energy generation and the development of alternative fuels from what would otherwise be considered waste products. Meg also has a strong interest in appropriate technology development, especially as applied to energy uses. She spent the past summer designing and building solar water heaters at AIDG in Guatemala. Meg received a BS in Environmental Studies from Warren Wilson College and has worked in the field in a number of different capacities including environmental contaminant and wildlife research, as well as experiential environmental education.
Marc received a B.A. degree in Physics from Humboldt State University in 2000 and is working toward a Masters in Environmental Systems in the International Development Technology program. Marc's primary responsibility at SERC is the software design, implementation, and testing of LabVIEW-based control systems. Projects Marc has worked on include embedded control of the Methanol-fired Fuel Cell system and version 4 of SERC's internal Test Station Software. Marc also serves as the SERC IT person, maintaining the office computers, local network, and server. Marc has worked at the Schatz Lab since 1997, when he started as a student assistant.
Allison joined SERC in 2001 as office manager. Her responsibilities have since evolved to include management of grants and contracts and coordination and development of SERC's education and outreach program. Allison graduated from Humboldt State University in 1999 with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Botany minor. Her degree combines the disciplines of Environmental Science, Appropriate Technology, and Sustainable Agriculture. When not engaged in work and raising a young family, Allison continues to pursue her interest in native bees and plant/pollinator interactions.
Tom Quetchenbach is a graduate student in the ERE program, working on the RESCO and Lighting Africa projects. Born in Eureka, he is returning to Humboldt County after a 24-year voyage around the country with his parents, a traveling band of English teachers. After studying electrical engineering as an undergrad and then working in an academic lab doing research on networking protocols, he is excited to have the opportunity to focus on renewable energy.
Mark graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Environmental Resources Engineering in 1995. He began working at the Schatz Energy Resource Center two years prior to graduation at which time his duties included system maintenance and upgrading as well as data analysis at the Schatz Solar Hydrogen Project in Trinidad. Since then Mark's work at SERC has involved system design, fabrication, and installation of a variety of fuel cell demonstration projects including those at SunLine Transit and Schoolhouse Peak. His current work is focused on design and fabrication of system components in the modern machine shop that he and his co-worker Ray Glover have equipped and developed over the last decade. State of the art equipment includes a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) vertical machining center and a CNC surface grinder.
David is SERC's Electrical Engineer. With 25 years experience in the electronics industry Scott lends extensive knowledge and expertise to the work we do at the lab. Being very interested in renewable energy and having settled in Humboldt County, Scott discovered that the Schatz Energy Research Center was hiring an electronics technician/engineer. He joined our team in 1996. Some of Scott's accomplishments while at SERC include:
Colin is a graduate student in the Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) Department at HSU and the president of RESU (the Renewable Energy Student Union). He is overjoyed to be working for SERC as a research assistant in the assessment of wind and micro-hydro resources on the Yurok Reservation. Colin’s previous involvement with SERC includes conducting outreach and education as a docent. His current academic research involves developing and evaluating statistical tools for assessing wind resources in Humboldt County. He hopes to apply these techniques in his work with the Yurok Tribe and he looks forward to many more misty field visits to the Klamath.
James is a Senior Research Engineer at SERC. He has a B.S. Degree in Environmental Resources Engineering from Humboldt State University, and has worked professionally in the energy field since 1990. Since 1995 he has been a project manager at SERC and has been involved in the design, development, installation, and start-up of electrolytic hydrogen generation systems, hydrogen vehicle fueling stations, hydrogen fuel cell power systems, and solar electric power systems. Mr. Zoellick was the project manager and lead designer for both the Schatz Hydrogen Generation Center and the Zweig Education Building Fuel Cell System at SunLine Transit . Mr. Zoellick's additional work at SERC has included the development and demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell systems for real world applications, including vehicles and stationary, portable and remote power systems. Mr. Zoellick has also been involved in the design, installation, testing and modeling of photovoltaic energy systems, including the design and installation of a 2 kW AC grid-intertied system at the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology . Mr. Zoellick has taught several college level energy courses. He is the current chairman for the City of Arcata Energy Committee.
The Schatz Energy Research Center is affiliated with the Environmental Resources Engineering department at HSU.
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