|
|
1. Tech Scientists Will Probe the Secrets of Clouds |
by Marcia Goodrich, senior writer
Clouds play a crucial part in regulating climate, but precious little is actually known about their inner workings and their role on Earth. A group of scientists hopes to change that, thanks to a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
The grant provides the lion's share of the funding for a chamber that will allow researchers to study cloud processes under realistic temperatures, pressures, and humidity levels--mimicking conditions from sea level to the lower levels of the stratosphere, where jet planes fly.
The chamber, to be located in the Great Lakes Research Center, won't be built until later in 2011, but lead investigator Raymond Shaw expects it will be in the shape of a cylinder, two meters in diameter and one meter high. “With a volume of pi, we have taken to calling it the pi can,” says Shaw, a professor of physics.
One thing that makes the pi can special will be its function in recreating something that all air travelers are familiar with: turbulence. "We will be able to cool the top surface of the chamber and heat the bottom, so air plumes are constantly rising and falling, mixing and stirring, creating a fluctuating, but well characterized, environment for cloud formation," Shaw says.
Clouds are much more important than most people give them credit for, he says. "If you imagine looking at the Earth from outer space, what you see is really only a little bit of earth. You actually see a lot more clouds and oceans. We call it Planet Earth, but it’s really Planet Cloud."
Clouds cool the world by reflecting sunlight; they also warm it by keeping warmth from radiating into outer space. Yet they are hard to quantify. Small and scattered, each one is made of countless tiny droplets that freeze in strange ways, at temperatures well below the textbook 0 degrees Celsius. How bright clouds are, and how much moisture they contain, are variables to consider.
"We want to better understand clouds so we can understand their importance to climate," Shaw says. "We also hope to address some very immediate, practical questions, like 'Is it going to rain on my picnic Friday?'"
In addition, the chamber will help advance research in a variety of related areas. Assistant Professor Lynn Mazzoleni (Chemistry) will use the chamber to study atmospheric pollutants and particulates, called aerosols, which undergo chemical changes when they enter the watery environment of clouds.
Shaw expects that the chamber will attract scientists from all over the world. "It's a major research instrumentation program," he says. "The real scientific work will come after the chamber is built and proven. We hope this can become a research destination."
In addition to Shaw and Mazzoleni, other investigators are Associate Professor Will Cantrell and Assistant Professor Claudio Mazzoleni (Physics). Assistant Professor Simon Carn and Professor Bill Rose (GMES), and Professor Paul Doskey and Associate Professor Judith Perlinger (CEE) are also contributing to the project. Joerg Schumacher, an expert in computational studies of turbulence from Technische Universitaet Ilmenau in Germany, is a member of the proposal team.
The Departments of Physics and Chemistry; the Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences Institute; the College of Sciences and Arts; and the Office of the Vice President for Research provided support and an additional $600,000 to fund the project. |
|
|
2. Student Headed to Turkey with Team USA |
by Ian Marks, assistant director, athletics communication and marketing
Corey Rastello has traveled afar as student equipment manager of the hockey team--from Marquette to Anchorage, from Germany to Austria. This winter, he will head to a new and unlikely destination--Turkey.
"Turkey is not really known for hockey, so it will be interesting to see what it is like," says Rastello, who will serve as the equipment manager for the US Ice Hockey University Select Team at the World University Games in Erzurum, a city of 350,000.
The World University Games started in 1959 and have been held every other year since 1981.
Scott Aldrich, the manager of adult hockey for USA Hockey, contacted Tech's associate athletic director, Joel Isaacson, to see if he knew anyone who would be able to serve as equipment manager for the team.
The connection between Aldrich and Isaacson runs deep. Isaacson replaced Aldrich as equipment manager for the Huskies, and Isaacson also served as equipment manager for Team USA at the World University Games in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2005.
"I had a great time," says Isaacson. "It was fun traveling overseas and seeing hockey on an international level. USA Hockey does things right, which made the trip that much easier. It was an awesome experience and I hope Corey has as much fun as I did."
Isaacson recommended Rastello, who jumped at the chance.
"I didn't hesitate when Joel asked if I wanted to do it," says Rastello. "This is one of those situations you only get once in a lifetime."
Rastello's duties will not be much different than what he currently does with the Huskies: sharpening skates, doing laundry and fixing equipment. He can travel light: most of the equipment for the tournament, such as a skate sharpener, will be sent from a post that USA Hockey maintains in Germany.
Rastello will head to Vermont Dec. 26-30 for a minicamp with the team, which is comprised of players from university club teams. The event will feature three games against Castleton State College, Saint Michael's College and the University of Vermont. The team will have another minicamp in Chicago, Jan. 21-24, before departing for the World Games on Jan. 25.
The games will feature pool play, with the US joining Spain, Slovakia and Kazakhstan in one group. The US finished seventh in 2009--the best-ever finish for Team USA at the World University Games, which mimic the Winter Olympics, with 11 sports contested.
"I definitely want to check out skiing and snowboarding," says Rastello. "We play every other day, and I hope I have some free time to see some other sports while I am there."
Rastello, a native of Calumet, will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is involved with the Advanced Portfolio Management Program, but he has his sights set on a career path away from finance: "I would like to continue in the equipment field for a while. I would like to work in the American Hockey League." |
|
|
3. Kayak Classes Set |
The Outdoor Adventure Program will offer two kayaking classes during the spring semester. One will cover rolling and bracing techniques; the other will focus on rescue techniques.
These classes make kayaking comfortable and safe. Organizers encourage participants to attend multiple sessions to master the skills. The classes will be held in the SDC pool.
Here are the dates and times:
Sunday, Jan. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. (Rolling)
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 9 to 11 p.m. (Rescues)
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 9 to 11 p.m. (Rolling)
Sunday, Feb. 20, 6 to 8 p.m. (Rolling)
Sunday, March 20, 6 to 8 p.m. (Rescues)
Wednesday, March 23, 9 to 11 p.m.(Rolling)
For more information, contact 487-1963 or oap@mtu.edu .
|
|
|
4. VPA Music Lessons Continue |
The visual and performing arts department continues its music lessons program for students and faculty, as well as adult community members, for spring semester 2011.
Lessons, which begin the week of January 17, are offered on guitar, voice, trumpet, trombone, piano, sax, tuba, flute, violin, viola, cello, drums, oboe, clarinet, and (new) harp.
Taught by qualified, local professional musicians, twelve 45-minute lessons are offered throughout the semester on campus. Organizers say the lessons “enhance talent or develop a new one. “
For information on rates, email lessons@mtu.edu .
Affordable group lessons are available if some want to join with a friend. |
|
|
5. Giveaways |
Accounting Services has the following furniture:
* Modular desk units, with storage cabinets and divider panels
Items may be claimed from noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 4, in Admin 224.
University property may only be transferred between departments. It may not be given or sold to individuals.
|
|
|
6. In Print |
Assistant Professor Amy Marcarelli (Biological Sciences) had a paper, "Ecosystem Structure and Function are Complementary Measures of Water Quality in a Polluted, Spring-Influenced River," published in the Water Air Soil Pollution, in January. The publication was coauthored with two student collaborators. To view the paper, see
http://www.springerlink.com/content/645727709324n239/fulltext.pdf>ecosystem/a> .
Kyrie Pappas, a former undergraduate who is now a PhD student at Columbia University, Xiang Zhang, a graduate student, and Associate Professor Shiyue Fang, all of Chemistry, published a paper, "Selective Acylation of Polyamines with Acid Anhydrides and Acid Chlorides in Water" in Letters in Organic Chemistry, 2010, vol. 7, pp. 539-541. To see publication, see chemistry .
Associate Professor Eric Seagren (CEE) coauthored a paper, "The capture and destruction of Escherichia coli from simulated urban runoff using conventional bioretention media and iron oxide-coated sand," in Water Environment Research, Vol. 82, No. 8, pp. 701-714.
|
|
|
