Portland State Magazine Winter 2013

6 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE WINTER 2013 PA R K B L O C K S Unique mission to space THE UNIVERSITY became part of space history in October when it sent an experiment to the International Space Station on board a SpaceX space craft, the first commercially owned rocket to bring cargo to the station since NASA retired its shuttle program. This is the 50th round of experiments Professor Mark Weislogel and his engineering students have conducted with the station. They have another 50 planned for the future, which they monitor in real time from a lab on campus. The students are able to communicate directly with the astronauts. “Very few institutions have what we have,” Weislogel says. Read about Ryan Jenson, a doctoral student involved in this research, on page 25. Award for green leadership PSU PRESIDENT Wim Wiewel (center) received the inaugural Presidential Award from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools in November for creative leadership in sustainability. The recent addition on campus of the Green Building Research Laboratory for Oregon researchers, and Electric Avenue, a row of electrical car, motorcycle, and bicycle charging stations on Montgomery Street, caught the attention of the council. It also took note of PSU’s eight LEED-certified campus buildings. The award was presented at the annual Greenbuild Expo in San Francisco by Rachel Gutter, a green school expert for the council, and Geraud Darnis, a CEO in the building systems industry.