AirUCI:
A New UC Irvine Institute
AirUCI is dedicated to understanding and solving air pollution, energy and climate problems both locally and globally.
To achieve these ambitious goals, world-renowned UC Irvine chemist Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts and her colleagues have come together to form an integrative group of researchers, engineers and health scientists representing the School of Physical Sciences, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the College of Health Sciences.
This award-winning team conducts fundamental research that will address the many urgent challenges we face in air pollution, climate change and green technology.
.jpg) Barbara Finlayson-Pitts and colleagues found new chemistry that leads to increased ozone formation. AirUCI is an Environmental Molecular Sciences Institute funded by the National Science Foundation.
-photo by Daniel A. Anderson / University Communications |
AirUCI is developing a fundamental understanding of:
- Air pollutant emissions
- How pollutants are transformed through chemical reactions and transported in the air
- How this impacts human health and welfare
- How this affects our climate
AirUCI's specific research projects include:
- Measurement of trace gases involved in air pollution and climate change at the parts-per-trillion level
- Cross-cutting experiments and theory that provide molecular-level insight into atmospheric processes such as the formation and fates of air particles
- Translation of laboratory studies on air pollutants' impact to human health and epidemiology
- Development of new technologies to minimize air pollutant emissions
- State-of-the-art models from local to global scales that provide an integrated view and facilitate the development of cost-effective and health-protective energy strategies
AirUCI researchers have served as expert advisors to a variety of public agencies in Southern California, including the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the California State Environmental Protection Agency. AirUCI researchers also collaborate closely with leading U.S. and international scientists, thus enhancing the impact of their research findings, and greatly multiplying their benefits for the public.
Founded five years ago with National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, AirUCI brings together 17 faculty members from Physical Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering with a long track record of scientific collaboration.
Most atmospheric research focuses on measuring and reducing toxic emissions. AirUCI researchers are breaking new ground by investigating how pollutants interact with other substances in the environment to create new and potentially hazardous chemical compounds. Air pollution and climate change are closely related. For example, ozone is both a pollutant and a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
Climate change is happening more quickly than models have predicted—AirUCI's modeling techniques may be able to explain why. To tie in with the NFCRC's mission, AirUCI researchers might begin to explore what regional air pollution problems can be anticipated and prevented.
Recent research achievements with major policy implications include:
- Serguei Nizkorodov’s work on the pollutants generated by air purifiers, and subsequent regulation of the devices by the state
- Donald Blake's research on propane leaks as a major source of air pollution in Mexico City
- Donald Dabdub's airshed modeling technique, combining meteorology, chemistry, and emissions measurements to identify the most effective pollution control strategies for Southern California
- Ralph Delfino's research on proximity to freeways as a determinant factor for childhood asthma
- Jun Wu's work on traffic emissions in relationship to pre-eclampsia
- Doug Tobias's models of how soot particles interact with lung membranes
AirUCI has developed collaborations with Chevron, Toyota, and the California Air Resources Board. Its summer teacher training institute, which features lectures by research faculty, hands-on labs, and case studies in contemporary environmental science, has been recognized by the NSF as one of four exemplary outreach programs in the United States.
