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The Desert Research Institute, or D.R.I., was established in 1959 as part of the University of Nevada (currently called the Nevada System of Higher Education). Their mission calls for a blend of traditional, basic research with interdisciplinary, applied research methods. Although Schaefer did not have a hand in creating the D.R.I., he did act as a consultant for them during his time at the ASRC/SUNY. His Natural Sciences Institute also expanded to include a field station at the D.R.I., so this subseries is a blend of Schaefer's consulting materials as well as applications and curriculum planning for the N.S.I. summer programs.

Among Schaefer's most successful ventures via the ASRC was the Yellowstone Field Expeditions. In 1960, Schaefer met with National Park Service members in Wyoming's Grand Tetons to discuss the possibility of leading scientific studies in Yellowstone National Park. Specifically, he was interested in the behavior of supercooled clouds that form in the area of Old Faithful. Clouds and condensation nuclei were still a fascination of Schaefer's long after his G.E. days, and he foresaw many different kinds of scientists—including cloud physicists—gathering at Yellowstone once a year to devote themselves to conducting experiments, making observations, and comparing outcomes.

The series contains files on individuals associated with the resistance movement, as well as numerous articles on the uprising of July 20, 1944 and the resistance movement in general.

This series consists of publications about environmental issues and geographic regions outside of New York. Reports are authored by federal, state, county and city governments and their agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations. Publications discuss broader national issues such as chemicals in local communities, transportation and American rivers. However, the majority of reports address specific geographic areas and their respective problems. This includes pollution in Alaska, Great Lakes water quality and overall health, wildlife habitat in Illinois, toxic pollution in Rhode Island, and fauna and sediments in the Detroit River. Files also may include supplemental materials related to the respective report such as an accompanying cover letter.

The subject files contain documents with enduring value that do not necessarily fit the other ASRC subseries. Researchers will find brochures and schedules from conferences, newsletters from other organizations, and updates on research projects that the ASRC was not officially collaborating with but still held interest for Schaefer.

A large portion of the pamphlets date from the 1920s.

This subseries includes reports and publications by Schaefer, his colleagues at the ASRC, and colleagues from other institutions who worked closely with Schaefer and occasionally collaborated with the ASRC. Names from the latter group will sound familiar from Schaefer's consulting materials, such as Wendell Mordy and Paul MacCready. Topics range from annual ASRC reports, to solar energy work, to particle studies and more. Some documents are official reprints of articles while others are handwritten manuscripts or typescripts.

These pamphlets deal predominately with conditions in post-war Germany and problems of refugees displaced during and immediately following World War II.

In addition to traditional photos, the photographs subseries also contains negatives and photo slides. Topics include the environment, chemistry, electrostatics, ice and snow, and world travel. While some of the images in this subseries are directly related to Schaefer's professional work, others are likely derived from extracurricular activities he engaged in while taking photographs for business purposes. Schaefer never did like to let an opportunity go by to explore things that were of interest to him. Some topics, like the Yellowstone Field Expedition, exist as their own subseries elsewhere. In the interests of preserving original order, however, those images were not pulled from this subseries.