Arctic sea salt aerosol paper published!

Congratulations to graduate students Nate May and Stephen McNamara!  Nate's first-author paper titled "Multiyear study of the dependence of sea salt aerosol on wind speed and sea ice conditions in the coastal Arctic" was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres as part of The Arctic:An AGU Joint Special Collection.

A Research Rotation in the Field

What better (and more exciting) way to begin a graduate career in analytical chemistry than to participate in a summer field campaign in Northern Michigan? Luckily, that's exactly what I (Megan, an incoming chemistry graduate student at the U of M) had the opportunity to do.  

  This is me on my first field campaign (and first research rotation)!

All first-year U of M graduate students are given the opportunity to rotate among research labs before choosing the lab in which they will conduct their graduate research. I was awarded a summer internship from the Department of Chemistry to rotate in Prof. Kerri Pratt's lab this summer,  and by doing so I was able to operate the lab's Ambient Ion Monitor- Ion Chromatography System (AIM-IC) throughout the PROPHET-AMOS 2016 field campaign. This campaign took place in the forests of the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) during the month of July, and I am very grateful to have been awarded a Marian P. and David M. Gates UMBS graduate student fellowship that covered my lodging and research fees! During this time, atmospheric research groups from across the country parked their mobile research trailers around the PROPHET research tower (depicted below) and collected atmospheric measurements relating to photochemistry, emissions, and transport of oxidants. 

The PROPHET research tower. I'm standing at
the top of the tower in the previous picture. It was
a very scary (but beautiful) climb!

The sampling inlet of the AIM-IC.  The AIM-IC
collects ambient air and provides hourly measurements
of inorganic, water-soluble fine particulate
 matter and associated precursor gases.

When I wasn't admiring the natural beauty of the University of Michigan Biological Station (depicted below), I was busy using the AIM-IC to collect inorganic particulate and gas measurements (also depicted below). Thank you to Nate May (Pratt Lab), Milos Markovic, and Greg Wentworth (Univ. of Toronto) for all of your advice for successfully deploying the new AIM-IC inlet box for the first time! The data that I collected during the month of July will hopefully contribute to the understanding of the nitrogen budget below the forest canopy in Northern Michigan.  

 Douglas Lake from the shore of the University of Michigan Biological Station. 

 Me again, collecting AIM-IC data inside the U of M research trailer. 

I recently moved to Michigan from North Carolina, so this research rotation was the perfect way to enjoy the beauty of my new home while also participating in exciting analytical work. I look forward to my future research rotations, but I doubt they will be able to top this! 

One final view of Lake Michigan before heading back to Ann Arbor!

UMBS Field Work!

From June 28 - August 3, the Pratt Lab participated in a large, collaborative field study at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS).The field campaign, Program for Research on Oxidants:  PHotochemistry, Emissions, and Transport – Atmospheric Measurements of Oxidants in Summer (PROPHET-AMOS), took place during the month of July and involved 21 institutions from across the country and Europe. Pratt lab students Megan Connor and I (Ryan Cook) maintained and sampled with a variety of aerosol instrumentation, including the aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) and the Ambient Ion Monitor- Ion chromatograph (AIM-IC). This study also marks the first deployment of the University of Michigan mobile laboratory that I helped Prof. Andrew Ault design during my rotation in his lab.

Entrance to UMBS where we stayed during the field campaign.

Inside of mobile laboratory during the field study.

At the PROPHET site with the tower in the background!

We learned a lot about how to conduct a field study and the science behind atmospheric chemistry in a forested environment! We also met many interesting atmospheric scientists from around the world!

PROPHET-AMOS Group photo at the beginning of the campaign!

Though we stayed busy, we did find time to have some fun! On one of the last days of the campaign, we took a trip to Charlevoix with members from Purdue Univ. and Indiana Univ..

Charlevoix welcome sign mural 

View of the harbor across the street from where we ate breakfast

Wildlife

View of Lake Michigan

Once back at camp, it was nice to sit by the lake with an awesome view of the sky....

View of Douglas Lake from UMBS camp

...But you aren't alone!

Rashad is famous!

Summer high school student Rashad met University of Michigan President Mark Schissel!

Adventures in northern Michigan

Who ever said that field studies are all work and no play? While last week was quite busy up at UMBS with our aircraft campaign and field study on the ground, Pratt lab members took an evening off to get dinner (and gelato!) with our collaborators from Purdue.

After dinner, we even had time to explore the lakeside town of Petosky, MI!
From left to right: Rachel (me!), Prof. Kerri Pratt, Ryan (Pratt lab), Nate (Shepson lab), Rebecca (Shepson lab), Prof. Paul Shepson, Sarah (Shepson lab), Jody (awesome Shepson group supporter!), Megan (Pratt lab)

A view from above (aircraft sampling in northern Michigan!!!)

After some hard work and a lot of help from our collaborators at Purdue (thank you Brian!), the aircraft installation was completed, and our instruments were ready for flights this week. I've been enjoying scenic northern Michigan from the ground and the sky above UMBS while conducting some exciting experiments to study the chemistry over the Great Lakes, the forest canopy, and even within clouds!

Dr. Paul Shepson (our pilot for the campaign - Thank you!!) and I on our first flight!

From this vantage point, we have the best view of the PROPHET and AmeriFlux towers that are part of the AMOS study at UMBS

Flying low over Lake Michigan also provided some nice views, at the price of a very bumpy flight!

When Sarah, a student from Purdue, was flying, I got some great photos of ALAR passing right over the field site

Collecting cloud water is a challenging task that involves sticking a plastic tube out the top of the plane, so I had lots of practice on the ground beforehand!

Right here, we're flying under the clouds we're about to sample. It can take over an hour to collect several milliliters of cloud water, so patience and a steady stomach are a must for the long, bumpy flight!

Seyhan N. Ege Junior Faculty Award!

The University of Michigan Department of Chemistry voted to award Prof. Kerri Pratt with the Seyhan N. Ege Junior Faculty Award! This award recognizes junior faculty for teaching accomplishments. One junior faculty member holds the endowed position of Seyhan N. Ege Assistant Professor of Chemistry for 3 years. Prof. Pratt is very honored to receive this award!