Group Members
Current members
Claudio Mazzoleni - Group PI
Ian Norwood - Ph.D. in Physics
I am a 2nd year Ph.D. student, currently constructing a levitation apparatus for various experimental setups related to measuring aerosol physical properties. Previously I have been involved in astro-particle physical instrumentation, but my current interests are in designing experiments to measure the direct single- and group-particle electrical charge lifetimes of coarse mineral dust (>5 microns) in the atmosphere. This is being done concurrently with particle-resolved modeling in order to improve current climate modeling discrepancies in large-scale Earth climate models, which substantially underestimate the amount of dust mass in the atmosphere.
Zaid Bakri - Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric Sciences
I am Zaid Bakri from Amman, Jordan. I received my bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from The University of Jordan in 2018 and 2021, respectively. I started my doctoral program in Atmospheric Sciences at Michigan Technological University in Spring of 2022. My research interests are numerical modeling, aerosol physics, cloud and aerosol optics, and remote sensing of clouds.
My hobbies are mostly summer activities including water sports like swimming, kayaking, jet skiing, diving, and beach volleyball. Besides that, I really enjoy writing diaries and reading Arabic poetry.
Shreya Joshi - Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric Sciences
Shreya is a student of atmospheric science and meteorology in the department of physics. His research focus is on studying the effects of cloud processing on black carbon particles. The cloud processing is performed using an array of instruments including but not limited to the single particle soot photometer, pumped counterflow virtual impactor, and the photoacoustic spectrometer. Shreya also studies the long-range transport of aerosol, specifically to the marine environment in the Azores.
Susan Mathai - Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric Sciences
I am Susan Mathai, pursuing a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences in the Department of Physics at Michigan Technological University. I received a Bachelor's degree in physics from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, and a Master's degree in Physics from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala. Currently, I'm working on 1) optical properties of tar balls collected from the free troposphere at Mt. Cimone using electron energy loss spectroscopy 2) physical and chemical properties of aerosols emitted from biomass burning using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, 3) deriving wavelength-dependent optical properties of brown carbon using a broadband cavity enhanced extinction spectrometer.
Former members
Megan Morgenstern - M.S in Applied Physics - 2020 - 2022
I received my Bachelor's in Physics at Michigan Technological University (2020) and decided to stay for my Master's in Applied Physics. My work focused on data analysis of the physical and optical properties of aerosols collected from Pico Mountain in 2015. I continued working with the group after graduating until April of 2023, refining my work from during graduate school.
Tyler Capek - Ph.D. in Physics
My name is Tyler Capek, and I was a Ph.D. student in the physics program at Michigan Technological University. I received a B.S. in mathematics and physics at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. I worked on: a) developing a Raman-based system to measure water vapor and temperature in the air; b) developing a multiwavelength photoacoustic system for measuring the aerosol optical properties; c) investigating the effect of water uptake on the optical properties of different aerosol types.
Janarjan Bhandari - Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences
I recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences in the Department of Physics at Michigan Technological University. I received my B.Sc. and M.Sc. (2011) in Physics from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. My research area is in the characterization of the morphology and mixing state of black carbon aerosol.
Giulia Girotto - Visiting Student - 2014-2015
I was a visiting research scholar at Michigan Technological University coming from the University of Trento in Italy where I graduated in 2016. At Michigan Technological University I worked on characterizing the morphology of atmospheric particles using electron microscopy. The main interest was to study carbonaceous aerosols such as those emitted during biomass burning.
B.Tech., Environmental Engineering (2011) - Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy
M.S., Environmental Engineering (2016) - Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
Raven Stone - Senior Undergraduate Student - 2014-2015
I earned a B.S. in physics at Michigan Technological University. I worked on a Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) device in the Environmental Optics Lab; in an effort to create a relatively compact sensor for analyzing the optical properties of aerosols for on-site measurements. Along with constructing a high-stability, low-noise laser current driver with digital control.
Swarup China - Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences - 2009 - 2015 (Now at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
I have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences. My research interest is in the characterization of the physical and optical properties of aerosol and ice nucleation. Specifically, I’m interested in looking at the morphology of aerosol particles and finding associations with their optical properties. My current research interest is in heterogeneous ice nucleation in the contact mode.
B.Tech., Civil Engineering (2006) - Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, India
M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering (2008) - University of Nevada Las Vegas
Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences (2014) - Michigan Technological University
Noopur Sharma - Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences 2010 - 2015 (Now at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
I have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences. During my Ph.D. I worked on the development of a multi-wavelength Integrated Photoacoustic Nephelometer spectrometer and its utilization in the measurement of optical properties of lab-generated as well as ambient aerosols. I also performed extensive electron microscopy analysis on aerosols collected from various sites.
B.S., Physics 2002 - Jiwaji University, India
M.S., Physics 2004 - Jiwaji University, India
M.S., Physics 2011 - Michigan Technological University
Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences 2015 - Michigan Technological University
Kendra Wright - M.S. in Physics - 2012 - 2015 (Now at Fiber SenSys, Inc.)
Kendra graduated with a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Northern Michigan University and earned an M.S. in Physics at Michigan Technological University. Kendra worked on developing photoacoustic/nephelometer integrated instruments to measure aerosol absorption and scattering and on measuring water vapor using DFB tunable diode lasers. She was awarded a NASA graduate student fellowship that began in the Fall of 2013 to perform measurements and data analysis from the Pico Mountain Observatory.
Sumit Kumar - Postdoc - 2012-2013 (Now at the National Centre for medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF), New Delhi, India)
Sumit was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton. He finished his doctoral work at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India, and received a Ph.D. degree from Pune University. The research at MTU exploited the unique location of the Azores and the Pico Mountain Observatory, to improve the scientific understanding of aerosol lifecycles and aerosol-cloud interactions and the role these processes have on radiative balance and climate. Sumit's research interests are remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols; aerosols' radiative effects; the sources and transport of aerosols; air quality and climate change. Sumit's interest in aerosols stems from the fact that the chaotic, non-linear nature of the aerosols makes the subject interesting and dynamic.
Rachael Huempfner - Engineering Undergraduate Student - 2013
Jacob Smock - Undergraduate Student - 2012-2013
Jordan Hagen - Undergraduate Student - 2011-2012 (MTU-SURF fellow 2011)
Jordan worked on the development of a new photoacoustic detection method for the measurement of aerosol light absorption. For his research activity, he was awarded funding through Michigan Tech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2011.
Stephen Stassen - Undergraduate Student - 2012 (MTU-SURF fellow 2012)
Stephen J Stassen was awarded funding through Michigan Tech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for his work on an Integrated Photoacoustic/Nephelometer Spectrometer. He hopes to eventually get a Ph.D. in physics.
Arin Nelson - Post-baccalaureate Student (Now at University of Colorado - Boulder) - 2012
I have recently received my B.S. in physics at Michigan Technological University and have been accepted to the Ph.D. program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at University of Colorado in Boulder. My research at Michigan Tech dealt with characterizing the concentration of aerosols as a function of time inside an acoustic resonator primarily used to levitate water droplets. I also designed and constructed electronic devices and created LabView programs to interface various equipment such as DAQ cards and particle counters with a computer.
Chaoxun Hang (Now at the University of Utah) - 2012
Chaoxun Hang was a summer graduate student in the EOL until June 9, 2012. His research was about determining the concentration of carbon dioxide in an experimental cell by using a tunable diode laser. By acquiring the signal on an infrared detector through a transmission cell, and by using Beer-Lambert law, the path-integrated carbon dioxide concentration can be determined. Chaoxun will move to Utah in the Fall of 2012 to begin a Ph.D. in the department of mechanical engineering.
Jessica West (Now at Michigan State University) - 2011-2012
Mathew Hollinger (Now Environmental Manager, Air Dispersion Modeling at Indiana Department of Environmental Management) - 2009-2011
Neila Salvadori (Now at ARCADIS US Inc. Water Division, Columbus OH) - 2010
Kyle Gorkowski (Now at Carnegie Mellon University) - 2010-2011 (MTU-SURF Fellow 2010)
Nick Black - 2010-2011
Justin Wojdula (Now at Reno, Nevada) - 2009-2011
Jason Cook - 2009-2010