AirUCI
Institute
An EMSI funded by the National
Science Foundation
Winter
2007
Volume 2 Issue 1
We are AirUCI
AirUCI integrates
research, education, and outreach to K-12, community colleges, and the
public in the context of studying chemical reactions that occur in the
atmosphere. Our focus is on the chemical reactions that take place at
the interface between air and water, including particles in air, clouds,
fog, and dewdrops that collect on buildings or trees.
More Details
Part of our charter
as an EMSI is to share our research with the scientific community and
the lay public. To this end, we have published well over 70 papers in
scientific journals since our inception in 1998. For the public we
present Community Days with talks about our research and tours of our
labs, and we offer two-week workshops for science teachers in grades
8-12. These outreach efforts have generated a great deal of enthusiasm
in the local community for AirUCI .
Latest news
News Bulletin
Several AirUCI team members have been bestowed with awards and honors in recent months, and we’re proud as can be! For more information, please visit our Awards web page.
Spotlight on Our Project Scientists
Along with six UCI professors, international collaborators, and scientists from three national labs, more than 30 postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates are part of the AirUCI team. Two Project Scientists take the lead in coordinating our research projects, Dr. Lisa Wingen and Dr. Theresa McIntire.
Lisa joined the Finlayson-Pitts research group in 1993 as an undergrad, becoming interested in atmospheric chemistry. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry in the same group and held an industry research position, than a faculty position at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. Lisa later rejoined the Finlayson-Pitts team to conduct research in areas such as heterogeneous reactions of nitrogen oxides and sea salt aerosol chemistry.
Theresa earned her Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry in 1997 and then held a position as Lecturer in the Chemistry Department at UCI. She joined AirUCI in the summer of 2004, to assist with the self-assembled monolayer project using atomic force microscopy. The major focus of her research is reactions of self-assembled monolayers attached to silicon or gold substrates with atmospherically relevant gases and water. Theresa and Lisa bring fabulous skills to our research efforts and we are most fortunate to have them as part of the AirUCI team!
Research Corner: Governor Signs Air Purifier Legislation in California
Some air purifiers may not be what they seem. Many air purifiers that are marketed to improve indoor air quality actually emit ozone (O3), a gas that is toxic when inhaled. This ozone can accumulate indoors within two hours of operation to levels much higher than the state’s outdoor air quality standard of 90 parts per billion in one hour!
AirUCI’s Sergey Nizkorodov has shown that air purifiers producing even small amounts of O3 are capable of generating O3 levels that are well in excess of health-protection standards. Independent studies have shown that O3 does not destroy microbes or reduce air pollutants when used at levels safe for breathing. In fact, O3 can undergo chemical reactions to produce additional harmful air pollutants!
In August, 2006,
California’s state legislature passed a bill (AB2276)
that requires the
California Air Resources Board to develop regulations for O3
emissions from air purifiers. This bill was signed by Governor
Schwarzenegger and allows CARB to prohibit devices that are out of
compliance.
View the TV news clip
AirUCI Events Calendar
Upcoming
March
29, 2007
Community Day 2007
June, July 2007
Summer Teacher Workshop
Recent Events
December
11-13 2006
AirUCI
annual meeting, NZ
June
26-July 11, 2006
2-week summer training for science
teachers of grades 8-12 at UCI.
More Details
March
30, 2006
AirUCI’s 2nd annual
Community Day
held at UCI
January
18, 2006
An evening with Alan
Lloyd, Secretary,
Cal EPA
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