Welcome to the Pratt Lab blog! Dr. Kerri Pratt is an assistant professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Earth & Environmental Sciences and faculty associate of the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan. We study the chemical interactions of atmospheric trace gases, particles, clouds, and snow, with a focus on the Polar Regions and wintertime environments. Our interdisciplinary research has relevance to climate change, air quality, and human health. As an analytical chemistry lab, we primarily apply novel mass spectrometry techniques to our field research. We invite you to follow our adventures in (and outside!) the lab!

Friday, April 22, 2016

Anna and Rachel Head to the Earth Day Festival



Armed with a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, matches, and some hot water, graduate student Rachel Kirpes and undergraduate Anna Leemon set off to wow some local children about cloud formation during the Annual Ann Arbor Earth Day Festival last Sunday, the 17th. The kids quickly learned that adding water to the bottle and shaking it was not enough to form a cloud.  After adding particles in the form of smoke, a cloud easily formed.  How cool?!  One spectacularly interested youngster even wanted to take the cloud home.  Rachel and Anna also talked about clouds’ dual effects of both cooling the planet (by reflecting sunlight) and warming it (by insulating earth’s heat). What a great day!

Anna
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