In a warehouse near the University of Oregon campus, Dylan Whitney is looking for materials to take on a hike. But his packing list doesn’t resemble what a person might typically bring along for a day in the great outdoors.
“Usually we use those deep cell large batteries,” he says, pointing at a large box on the floor. “But this time, since it’s a difficult climb up to the site and we didn’t want to be carrying 80 pound batteries up there, we’re using a large array of small batteries.”
Whitney is a permitting and contracting specialist for the Oregon Hazards Lab at UO. On a typical work day, he’s at his desk researching potential sites for new seismic monitoring stations or filling out permit applications to start the building process.
But in the last few days, Whitney and his team of three student field technicians have visited a site at Huckleberry Mountain Lookout near Oakridge to upgrade a seismic station originally installed in 1990…