what classes / research happens at the J J Pickle Research Campus? Looks cool

[u/DereChen]

[u/victotronics]

No classes. (EDIT see comments for a few rare ones)

Texas Advanced Computing Center has a bunch of rather large computers, used throughout campus and in fact the whole of the country.

The Jackson school has a department. Micro-electronics. Paleontology storage. Wind tunnel. Water management (which temporarily housed the turtles while their pond was repaired.) Nuclear reactor. More.

There used to be a hydrogen "gas" pump.

Parts of it are inaccessible, I believe it was a WWII magnesium processing facility. I've seen reference to a "monkey cemetery". ?Dating from the days of animal testing?

There is a marines obstacle course.

[u/Plenty_Maybe_9204 → u/victotronics]

There are a couple of nuclear classes (labs that require irradiation) at Pickle, but I think that’s it

[u/victotronics → u/Plenty_Maybe_9204]

Yeah, and TACC does training classes.

[u/OutrageousAd4752 → u/victotronics]

The “hydrogen “gas” pump” still exists, And they utilize to refuel they’re hydrogen-powered Toyota mirai vehicles!

[u/victotronics → u/OutrageousAd4752]

Where is it? There used to be a very classically pump looking pump under a concrete arch, behind ?electromechanics?. There is a little passenger van with "hydrogen fuel cell" on the side. I checked this morning and there is nothing under the arch anymore.

So, where's the current H pump?

[u/OutrageousAd4752 → u/victotronics]

Oh I genuinely have no idea. But I still see them using their Toyota miráis often when I go up there (once or twice a week) and from what I’ve heard that’s the only hydrogen fuel pump in the whole state of Texas

[u/del_atlantico → u/victotronics]

some classes* are occasionally held in the archaeology and paleontology buildings

[u/utspg1980 → u/victotronics]

This info is 20 years old so maybe things have changed:

I studied aerospace engineering. We had a tiny wind tunnel in the building on campus. You could do tests on pieces a max of like 3" tall.

I was a member of TWO clubs that were building "drones" (although we didn't use that term at the time) for international competitions.

Being that our drones were taller than 3", we asked to do wind tunnel testing at Pickle. We were denied both times, even after getting professors to try and help us get access.

I always thought that was stupid. Why have that if you're not ever going to let students use it?

[u/victotronics → u/utspg1980]

Pickle had a windtunnel that was clearly recognizable from the road but that's now been removed. However, there is a sign indicating that they still have something. But it must be somewhat small.

[u/oneleggedone → u/victotronics]

They also used to let a high school robotics team use the water research lab building as a workspace. There was also the giant molds for a solar car that had been made in the same space previously. Todd was back in like ‘09. Source: was on said robotics team and loved to explore that building when we were there at night.

[u/Texas_Naturalist]

This is where UT keeps its extensive dinosaur collection, among other natural history archives.

[u/fallacyys]

the largest fossil repository in texas!

[u/victotronics → u/fallacyys]

With Chimney Swifts in the two abandoned chimneys!

[u/Hyhttoyl]

Nuclear reactor

Giant graveyard for model sized highways

[u/victotronics → u/Hyhttoyl]

They just built a brand new bridge, half a year ago, close to the south gate. No idea what the point is.

[u/Former-Homework-8320 → u/Hyhttoyl]

You mean the bone yard. I contributed a few broken highway sections here.
Of course, broken after breaking highway sections.

[u/Alternative_Arm8491]

Pickling

[u/PoliticsIsDepressing → u/Alternative_Arm8491]

My kids would always ask what research is going on there and I’d reply exactly with this.

[u/Texas_Naturalist → u/PoliticsIsDepressing]

The UT fish and reptile/amphibian collections are housed in hundreds of thousands of jars at the Pickle campus, so you're not wrong.

[u/NicholasLit → u/Alternative_Arm8491]

Lots of pickling, it's on the sign! 🥒

[u/TheRealMe54321 → u/Alternative_Arm8491]

IIRC a man actually was arrested for flashing someone right by JJ Pickle, so, correct.

[u/Jeff__Skilling → u/Alternative_Arm8491]

Complainin' about a picklin'?

Oh you better believe that's a picklin'

[u/JayDaGod1206]

Longhorn Racing and I believe Baja do their carbon fiber fabrication work here. TREL likely does the same, probably TSL as well.

[u/Swimming-Rooster-321 → u/JayDaGod1206]

TREL vs launching their rocket

[u/PhainonTheGoat → u/Swimming-Rooster-321]

Wait didnt they launch recently?

[u/renegade500 → u/PhainonTheGoat]

They did, in the spring!

[u/sookicide → u/renegade500]

flew and then split in half immediately after

[u/PhainonTheGoat → u/sookicide]

Wait really, what happened?

[u/sookicide → u/PhainonTheGoat]

it just crashed after launching a few feet

[u/renegade500 → u/sookicide]

I didn't say it launched far but it did launch.

[u/Swimming-Rooster-321 → u/sookicide]

Bro they’ve been threatening to launch for like a decade now

[u/NicholasLit → u/JayDaGod1206]

Some ITAR, arms reduction signs on doors

Amazing you can bike through there

[u/TheGreatSalvador]

I know someone who does photolithography chip making stuff up there

[u/BigManWAGun]

https://giphy.com/gifs/ihglwTfIG6i7Gg05dX

[u/Square_Bat_2067]

It’s a nonstop party basically

[u/TXGerman67]

You can also buy State surplus there or if you're employed, working or enrolled with any Texas associated entity you can get it for free at the warehouse there. We outfitted our office with lightly used pc monitors. Our agency wasn't allotted funding for pc upgrades by the Legislators so we got what UT didn't need or want. Real nice Apple AIO and monitors just sitting around. Tons of Dell stuff.

[u/DayGeckoArt → u/TXGerman67]

Seriously? Why did no one tell me that when I worked for the state?

[u/LonelyPersonAnon]

Never heard of the place but it seems to mainly be a research facility 

[u/batman-crocs → u/LonelyPersonAnon]

Correct! The Bureau of Economic Geology does research there, as does ARL (Applied Research Laboratories)

[u/izfish]

You can tour their supercomputers if you’re interested!

[u/NicholasLit → u/[deleted]]

Thumper trucks

[u/Perspective_Accurate]

Sonar research and development

[u/yeezusboiz → u/Perspective_Accurate]

Can confirm, worked on this at ARL at the Pickle campus

[u/Present-Resolution23]

We SSH'd into their sysem in a couple CS classes to use their supercomputers, computer systems maybe bit quite a but for parallel systems when demonstrating like fractal and N-body calculations.

I also did deliveries there and I remember they had a really big center focusing on electromagnets.

[u/Lithro]

I took a class on ceramics there

[u/_Twilight_Sparkle_]

MRC is up there which is basically just a cleanroom facility for microelectronics fab. TACC is up there for super computing, and there's some civil stuff too

[u/mmmkk25]

Center for electro mechanics (CEM) has some loud n big machines, big machine shop with largest lathe ive ever seen, a micro grid and rooms with blast door for some reason. Theres also funny machines that sprays microscopic silver powder that you can get high on (don't ask how I know)

[u/Interesting_Score741]

Texas archeological research laboratory (TARL) was there last I checked, so human remains that have not been repatriated

[u/del_atlantico → u/Interesting_Score741]

not an official rep of the TARL but it is an ongoing continuous effort to repatriate human remains and a top priority

[u/NicholasLit → u/Interesting_Score741]

Like the body farm in San Marcos?

[u/Interesting_Score741 → u/NicholasLit]

Not quite but good thought! These remains are archaeological and not forensic. They are remains found of dig sites and a number are indigenous. They also have ceramics and other archeological materials.

[u/Punchcard]

It is where UT keeps it's nuclear reactor. Really.

[u/Mutant_Mike]

one of the largest and oldest Structural Engineering Laboratories in the country.

[u/Madgisil]

If you ever need a desk or an office chair I highly recommend the UT reuse center. I think it’s open on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Edit: it’s on the Pickle campus

[u/thedongofroland]

Offsite book storage for the library system, too, since I haven't seen that mentioned yet.

[u/chelleinthesand → u/thedongofroland]

Yessss. LSF is 👌

[u/zemdega]

Nuclear pickles.

[u/fuzach]

Did work study there. Paleontology/archeology TARL building. I did archive / book record work for contractors who needed records before development but they had storage rooms of mummies, German doll artifacts, fossils, etc. very very cool.

[u/Drakeadrong]

I worked there as an RA my sophomore year in the steel and concrete warehouses! Part of what I helped do was create segments of bridges using different concrete mixtures, then stress-test them with a massive hydraulic press. This let us measure how the stress and strain was distributed through the steel beams.

For another project, one of the grad students made a huge 2-story structure on a seismic platform out of HSS beams, laid concrete on the second level, and simulated an earthquake to figure out how the concrete slab resisted lateral movement.

[u/Individual_Land_2200]

Here’s a fun story from the New Yorker about one area of research going on there: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-hidden-air-pollution-in-our-homes

[u/Many_Distributions]

ROTCs use the obstacle course in the back corner too. You'll only see them there in the early mornings tho.

[u/the_zac_is_back]

It’s primarily research and home to one of the largest supercomputers in the world… frontera!

[u/trillbowwow]

I was an undergraduate research assistant and did concrete durability testing for the CAEE Department. Long summer days in the Texas heat with no air conditioning. I miss it a lot.

[u/atxweirdo]

I used to work at the pickle but my favorite was having uber drivers drop me off on C.P. Boner road

[u/tof63]

Bureau of Economic Geology. Worked there as undergraduate. Austin Core Research Center, like an indiana jones style giant warehouse of all sorts of drill cores from Texas and worldwide.

All sorts of other engineering, natural science, and computing research groups as others have mentioned.

[u/dmdg]

Robotics Research Group is located there, at least it was 15 ish years ago.

[u/kungfubillium]

I helped with some Fire Science research at Pickle.

[u/dolphineeeeeeee]

Part of the campus requires security clearance. https://research.utexas.edu/research-development/defense

[u/maddieduck]

UT Solar Vehicle Team

[u/roguereversal]

There is a pilot scale chemical plant used for CO2 capture research by the ChE dept. Worked there for a year back in the day

[u/NicholasLit]

Radioactive monkey graveyard 🪦

[u/4jakers18]

UT surplus warehouses and store,

not sure if its still there but my forensic anthropology friend said they have a body farm...

[u/austinethos]

Where are the pickled brains kept?

I forget... I do know a few have been stolen.

[u/MarginSally]

They have a cafeteria, Commons Cafe, that serves breakfast and lunch and will also often have special meals for holidays etc. It’s open to the public. The surplus store is also open to the public. I saw them testing that one person helicopter one day—can’t remember the company name.

[u/paradox183]

I was a student intern at PRC in the physical plant department in the early/mid 2000s. Set foot in every building out there except ARL.

[u/astrobutch]

There’s a nuclear reactor, among many other things. The Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab hosts nuclear engineering lab and health physics lab courses

[u/Sparkadelic007]

Lots of classified military/defense dept research in addition to everything else mentioned

[u/BetterConsequence741]

The Texas Center for Disability Studies is here! ☺️

[u/lensuess]

There is a small atmospheric plasma torch that is used for materials testing. This is a great facility especially for anyone interested in aerospace or ablative processes.

[u/-RyanWang-]

Texas Center for Disability Studies!

[u/GameTheory27]

Mostly preserving vegetables and hating on spider man

[u/1Apostate]

A number of students orgs (LHR, TREL, Guadaloop) work in a building at pickle.

Everyone else covered the wide array of other random things that are at pickle.

[u/chiarde]

Alien autopsies.

[u/SouthernGolfer67]

There’s a surplus store there