# Presentation: 394470

## NASA SHARP CLOSING CEREMONY

## Combustion and Ignition of Energetic Nancomposites

- Harrison Hsu
- Under supervision of Dr. E. L. Dreizin and A. Ermoline, New Jersey Institute of Technology

## Nanocomposites

- Mixtures blended on the scale of nanometers
- They are exceptionally homogeneous

- A regular mixture

- A nanocomposite

## More about Nanocomposites

- Ball milling pictures from http://www.ilpi.com/inorganic/glassware/index.html

- Produced by blending fine powders
- Powders manufactured in ball mill
- Nanocomposite powders can be pressed into easier-to-handle pellets

## Reactive Nanocomposites

- Nanocomposites have effectively infinite reaction surface area
- They react faster and more intensely than macro-size composites

- Can be: space propellant, explosive, incendiary

## The Laser Chamber

- A hermetically sealed chamber
- Equipped with CO2 and red lasers
- Data collection instruments: light and sound
- Used to heat and ignite pellets

## Slide 7

## First Project: Zirconium

- The phase chemistry of Zr with N and O is not well-known
- Research could lead to discovery of new materials, particularly explosives and propellants

- A diagram of the compositions used

## Current Results

- Local heating is currently possible
- Multiple heatings a promising possibility
- Compositions A, B, C, and E have been used so far

- Sphere-and-cylinder formation for uniform heating

## Results (cont.)

- Burn temperatures about 2000K

- SEM reveals morphologies:

**Spherical Inclusions**

**Dendritic**

## Graph

## Second Project: Thermite

- Al+Fe2O3 => Al2O3+Fe

- A reactive metal exchanges oxygen with an inert oxide for large energy release.

- Aluminum-Iron
- Aluminum-Molybdenum
- Boron-Titanium

- From http://www.chem.psu.edu/ncs/HalloweenShow2003.htm

## Thermite Preparation

- Arrested Reactive Milling
- Milling cut short boosts reaction power and speed
- Used to compare with conventional milling

## Results

- ARM releases more energy faster than the blend
- Frequent saturation of camera

## Future Research

- Added Variables:
- Temporary levitation for ignitions
- Teflon nanocomposite (CF2) n + Al)
- New Pellet Binders
- New formulations of Zr-O-N (D,F,G,H)

- Applications of Technology:
- Munitions
- Propellant
- Fuel

## Analysis of Aerosol Particle Concentration Using MFRSR 

- _Analysis of Aerosol Particle Concentration Using MFRSR_

- Goddard Institute For Space Studies
- The City College Of New York, Department of Electrical Engineering
- Xavier Estevez

## What are aerosols?

- Air consists of molecules of N2, O2, CO2, and various other gases
- Aerosols are fine solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas
- Some examples of atmospheric aerosols are smoke, sulfates, volcanic ash, pollen, mold spores

## Remote Sensing

- Is the observation of some attribute of a subject by means that do not involve direct contact with that subject
- In other words, “look don’t touch”
- A familiar remote sensing system is that of your eyes and brain
- Examples of remote sensing: weather radar, satellite imagery, climbing a mountain and looking at things, LIDAR, seismometers, telescopes, radio telescopes, x-rays, MRI.  The applications are almost endless.

## Remote Sensing of Aerosols

- In order to determine the concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere, we use optical remote sensing.
- Aerosol particles reflect light.  We can detect these particles by measuring the loss of intensity of light as it passes through an aerosol-bearing medium
- Different wavelengths of light can detect different particle sizes.
- Simply put, short wavelength light detects smaller particles, and long wavelength light detects larger particles

- Long wavelength light

- Short wavelength light

## What is the MFRSR?

-  **Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer**
- Multi-Filter
- Senses several different wavelengths of light
- Rotating Shadowband
- Has a motorized arm thatperiodically covers the sensor
- Radiometer
- Measures intensity of solar radiation

- _[http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html](http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html)_

## How Is It Used?

- Control Unit /
- Data Acquisition System

- Data Acquisition System (DAS) controls the MFR, stores data in internal memory
- Laptop is connected to the DAS to download  the data
- Data files are analyzed using various software  tools

- RS-232

- Laptop

- MFR

## What Does It Tell Us?

- The moving shadowband allows one instrument to collect direct and diffuse intensity readings
- Data analysis tells us how much light is reflected by the atmosphere
- Variations in this amount are related to concentration of aerosol particles

## Beer’s Law

***The deeper the glass, the darker the brew,***
***The less the amount of light that gets through***

**I****g**** = I****0 ****e****–m******
**Log****e**** I****g**** = Log****e ****I****0**** – ********m**

- The intensity of the light that reaches the earth’s surface is decreased by two factors– the length of its path through the atmosphere, and the optical properties of the atmosphere
- The relationship can be modeled as a linear equation.
- The slope of this line is equal to the total optical depth (how effectively the atmosphere blocks light)

## Langley Regression Analysis

- As the sun moves across the sky, sunlight must pass through varying amounts of air
- The light’s path is shortest at noon, and longest at sunrise and sunset
- Beer’s law tells us that there is a direct relationship between path length and light intensity– light that passes through a path twice as long is affected twice as much.
- We assume that the optical depth of the atmosphere remains constant over a half-day period, and can therefore determine optical depth by plotting light intensity against path length (the secant of the solar zenith angle).

## Data Filtering

- The optical depth for the time period in this graph is equal to the slope of the red line.
- The red line was not drawn mathematically, it “just looks right”
- This technique is not statistically valid, we have to use a linear regression equation to draw the trend line
- That regression applied to this data set would yield a line with a less severe slope and a lower y-intercept, due to the disproportionate effect of outlying points.

- Secant of solar zenith angle vs. Solar radiation intensity (W/m2/nm)
- 415 nm, afternoon of 22-June-2004

## Linear Regression

- Linear regression is a technique used to plot a straight line from a 2-dimensional collection of plotted data points
- This allows one to model real-world data theoretically
- The line produced will pass as closely as possible to as many of the data points as possible
- The equation which returns the slope of the best-fit line is as follows:

## Outcome

- The final product of my research is a list of optical depths for approximately 70 days, and the Java application that I used to calculate these values.
- I do not see any discernible patterns in these optical depths.  They do not appear to conform to any linear or periodic functions as far as I can tell.
- One potential source of error is the fact that due to cloudy or overcast conditions, some days did not yield any acceptable data-points, or yielded too few data-points to obtain any statistically valid trend
- Another error source is the fact that even the best data-cleaning algorithm cannot determine with absolute certainty which readings are invalid.

## References

- “Atmospheric Aerosols: What are they, and why are they so important?” _[http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Aerosols.html](http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Aerosols.html)_
- “Linear Regression”_[http://www.math.csusb.edu/faculty/stanton/probstat/regression.html](http://www.math.csusb.edu/faculty/stanton/probstat/regression.html)_
- “Excel Tutorial On Linear Regression”_[http://](http://phoenix.phys.clemson.edu/tutorials/excel/regression.html)__[phoenix.phys.clemson.edu/tutorials/excel/regression.html](http://phoenix.phys.clemson.edu/tutorials/excel/regression.html)_
- “Langley Method”_[http://www.optics.arizona.edu/rsg/menu_items/resources/equip/langley.htm](http://www.optics.arizona.edu/rsg/menu_items/resources/equip/langley.htm)_
**“**MFR-7 MULTI-FILTER ROTATING SHADOW BAND RADIOMETER”_[http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html](http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html)_

## Supercritical Fluid Assisted Particle Synthesis

- Antoinette Kretsch
- New Jersey Institute of Technology

## Supercritical Fluid Extraction

## Analytical Techniques

- Beckman Coulter N4 Plus: Submicron Particle Size Analyzer
- determines particle size by measuring the rate of change in laser light intensity scattered by particles as they diffuse through a fluid
- Leo 1530 VP: SEM Microscope
- Produces 3-D image magnified x100,000 by spraying specimen with fine metal coating and sending beam of electrons over the surface to be projected onto fluorescent screen** **
- SigmaScan: Systat software program
- Collects data such as diameter and area of nanoparticles using pictures taken by the SEM
- FTIR: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
- Used to identify chemical bonds in various substances by interpreting the infrared absorption spectra

## Conclusions

- A smaller nozzle will yield smaller, less agglomerated particles
- A pressure closer to supercritical pressure (78 bar for CO2) will yield smaller particles, so 82 bar had smaller particles than 100 bar
- The higher ratio of acetone to DCM will yield smaller particles with a narrow size distribution although the particles will have a distorted shape

## Suggestions for Further Study

- Can a stronger pump be used for force the solution through tinier micronozzles (ex: 10 μm and 5 μm)?
- Is there a better way to increase yield of particles (particles stick to sides of, top of, and apparatus inside the collecting chamber and are hard to remove) and decrease amount lost to air?
- What would the results be if another supercritical fluid was used instead of CO2?
- Can the durability of the micronozzles be increased so they last more than one or two trials?

## Skeletal Response to Weightlessness in the Female Murine Tibia

- Amy Brazin, NASA Apprentice
- Maria Squire, Ph.D. Candidate
- Stefan Judex, Ph.D.
- August 20, 2004

## Effects of Disuse are Site-Specific

- Metaphyseal BV/TV is 30% lower in disuse mice
- Metaphyseal Ct.Ar is lower by 15%as a result of a decrease in Ps.Ar and increase in Ec.Ar
- Yet, diaphyseal Ct.Ar was only minimally affected (3%)due to an insignificant increase in both Ps.Ar and Ec.Ar

-  Example:

## If I had more time, I would....

- Analysis male F1 mice for similar effects in the tibia
- Examine the osteoclast, osteoblast, and osteoid growth and population density in specific sites
- Research other causes of bone loss such as hormonal secretions

## Image Segmentation of Bone Density Images

- Rebecca Kamins

## Quick Overview

- Trying to find a deconvlution algorithm that will give us the real image.
- g(x,y)= f(x,y)*h(x,y)+n(x,y)
- We took a PSF (represents blur in a micro CT scanner) and altered it 3 ways.
- Deconvolved the images using each PSF and analyzed the results

## Results

- Symmetrically rotated Gaussian PSF yielded the best results
- Circular PSF good too- not the best

## Future

- Create 3D volume estimates of the mouse bones
- Use pattern recognition to determine genetic trends in mice with bone loss
- Write a code to be implemented in a micro CT scanner

## Acknowledgements

- Dr. John Daponte
- Megan Damon
- Michael Clark
- Thomas Sadowski
- Charles Tirrell
- NASA SHARP
- NASA GISS
- SCSU

## Enhancing Air Gap Membrane Distillation

- Melissa Deutsch
- In conjunction with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at the New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Dr. Chao Zhu – professor of mechanical engineering
- Tong Lee, Qun Yu – PhD candidates
- Summer 2004

## Research Findings

- Distillation system used to extract chemically pure water from dirty water through a hydrophobic membrane
- Theoretically, pure water has a resistance of infinity, since it cannot conduct electricity
- This system produced water of 300kΩ  resistance from an initial source feed of salt water at 90kΩ
- Huge jump in resistance of water shows that the system is largely effective in its end

- Found that the magnetic stirrer did little to increase both the rate of water production and the volume of water produced
- Larger temperature difference did produce a greater rate of production
- Hot side cavity is too large to effectively increase the rate of water production
- Folded membrane would make the system more feasible for use on a lunar base
- Vacuum pump necessary to increase rate of flow

## Future Work

- Test the AGMD apparatus against various concentrations of dissolved particles (ie – NaCl, dyes)
- Test the AGMD apparatus against various temperature gradients
- Install an ultrasonic inducer to potentially enhance the effectiveness of the membrane distillation system
- Build a new AGMD apparatus with a folded membrane module to increase flow rate
- Introduce a vacuum into the air gap

- AGMD apparatus

## York College Radio Telescope

- York College Observatory
- Ian O’Leary
- Tim Paglione

## Description

- We will be receiving Radio waves from various sources.
- Radio waves we are focusing on is the 21 cm hydrogen wave emissions.
- Radio waves allow us to understand more about what we are focusing on.
- Hydrogen gives creates a 21 cm wave when it moves from its excited state to its ground state.

## Project Goals

- Construction of a Radio Telescope.
- Connections between telescope and computer (server).
- Observe radio wave emissions from hydrogen emitting sources.
- 	   ex: Sun (stars), Moon, and Galaxies
- Record and plot all data found.

## Personal Air Vehicle

- By Robert Brown and Nikhil Srivastava

- Contributions from:
- Dr. Siva Thangam

## This is an artist's concept of a dual-mode road to air vehicle, a 'flying car.'

## A Flying Car—What would it take?

- 				  _Concept _
- A “roadable” aircraft that gives people the option to drive or to fly
- _Why?_
- Basically, a question of time
- “Point to point mobility” can be dramatically increased with a dual-mode vehicle

## The Process

- Research: Websites, Magazines, News Articles, other published works
- Comparison/rating of existing designs using evaluation metrics
- Preliminary conceptual design
- Testing of design using principles of fluid dynamics
- Building a prototype?

## Sample Metrics (Specifications)

- Ease/Speed of convertibility
- Fits on roads/parking spaces/garages
- Propulsion: fuel efficiency, type of engine
- Size: passenger capacity, cargo, fuel
- Takeoff/Landing: runway length, noise
- Weight distribution

## Important Guidelines

- Fuel Sources Involved
- Emissions
- Noise issues
- Cost Analysis
- Surveys for user demographics
- Ground systems to support transportation

- Nikhil’s design

## Radio Emission of Jupiter and the Sun

- NASA SHARP
- Goddard Institute for Space Studies
- Medgar Evers College
- By: Junior Soto, Melissa Feliciano, Tiffany Walker
- Mentor: Dr. Leon Johnson

## Results

-  The general task that we perform was receiving electromagnetic waves from the Sun. After receiving the electromagnetic waves we had to find out how this affected that Planet Earth. The result that we received was that we heard two solar bursts. We had to keep in mind that there was a lot of interference at our site which is located at Medgar Evers college. During the time  that we were receiving electromagnetic waves we also were hearing a lot of static's.

## Future Work

-  As we continue to gather more information on Radio Jove and also gathering electromagnetic waves from the Sun we came to the conclusion that there should be further work on this experiment. Such experiments includes listening for more solar bursts near in the future and also identifying how this emission from the Sun can affect the communication on Earth. By doing all of this we could come and find a way in which our communication can be stronger and not be disturbed, nor interrupted by any solar emission.

## Precision Robot Navigation

- Configuring a PS2 optical mouse to interface with a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller

**Researchers: Calley Levine and Ali Moussawi**
**Mentor: Professor Vikram Kapila**
**Teaching Assistant: Mr. Mishah Salman**

- Summer 2004

**Our Robot**

## Our Project

- The precision navigation robot was created in order to provide a cheap and practical method for determining the position of a robot.
- This was done using a PS/2 optical mouse and
- 	the BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2) microcontroller
- Difficulty: Interfacing communication between the mouse and the BS2
- Many attempts were made to write a program which would successfully enable the communication... simply said, we failed
- Factors: timing, power, and data transfer
- Instead, the PAK-Via pic was used and its displacement readings were then applied in order to restrict the movement of the robot to an area inscribed by specified parameters (i.e. a room)

## What We Learned...

- Circuitry (basics; use of transistors; integration of sensors, processors, actuators, etc.)
- Computer programming using PBASIC language
- Responsibilities of employment... the work wasn’t too bad
- Managing time and keeping to deadlines is extremely important
- 	(AIM, Minesweeper, and Microsoft Paint are destructive forces!!!)

## Advanced Composition Explorer

- Measuring the Solar Wind and Solar Flares

**Oscar Puente **
**Mentor: Dr. Paul Marchese**

## Research Findings

- The solar wind contains more low energy particles than it does those of higher energies
- These particles can escape the sun’s gravity more easily
- They require less energy to be excited and shot away from the sun
- Electrons are more abundant in the solar wind than protons, and they travel more quickly
- Electrons weigh less than protons and therefore require less energy to enter the solar wind
- Elements of higher weights (He, O, Fe) are only present in the solar wind during times of great solar activity
- They weigh more than H+ ions and electrons

## Future Work

- Compare solar wind data from ACE to magnestosphere/ionoshphre data from the Earth
- Find out how the solar wind affects the earth’s magnetic fields
- Find predictable patterns in changes caused by the solar wind

## EPR(electron paramagnetic resonance)

- Jonathan Spagnola
- Dr. Flowers, Hunter college/MEC

## EPR Theory

- Electrons have two spin energy states
- When no magnetic-field, the energy of the spin states are identical
- In presence of magnetic field, the energy of spin states diverge
- EPR is only used on paramagnetic species

## EPR spectroscopy

- The instrument used in the lab is Bruker EMX model spectrometer.
- The frequency of the microwaves that the spectrometer produce is 9.5GHz.
- EPR spectrum of LiMn2O4

## EPR Practicality

- The spectrometer can also be used to test the efficiency of different combinations of atoms, such as Li-ion batteries.
- The batteries for the mars rover were developed by those in the lab I currently work in.
- So, why Lithium....Lithium ion batteries are one of the most common rechargeable sources of energy.

## High Pressure NMR: Study of Proton Movement in a Polymer

- BY: Rahsaan Bascombe
- Mentor: Professor Steve Greenbaum, Eugene Mananga

## What I Learned

- Some Science behind NMR technology
- 2)How to run an experiment varying different Parameters
- 3) How to Use Mat lab to graph my data
- 4))Not all work done in Lab is Nobel Prize worthy.

## Results

## Further Work

- Running another polymer under the same conditions
- 2) Finding the diffusion under each pressure
- 3) Comparing it to the coefficients found in the BB2 sample
- 4)Determining which would be  better to use in a Fuel Cell

## The Great Dark Vortex on Jupiter 

- Harry Charalambous
- Dr. James Frost

## Introduction

- The Great Dark Spot of Jupiter is a mysterious anomaly that occurs in the north pole of Jupiter at a latitude of 60 degrees and a longitude of 180 degrees.  It is located in the same vicinity as the Aurora, which suggests the dark spot is related to the Aurora.  With a size three times the size of Earth, roughly the size of the Great Red Spot, and a lifespan of only approximately ten weeks, the Great Dark Spot is a mystery. The Great Dark Vortex was first discovered by accident by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997.  Scientists at NASA did not know what to make of the spot until it was once again seen during the CASSINI fly-by of Jupiter in 2000.

## Abstract

- Our study of the Great Dark Vortex on Jupiter is meant to discover how and why the vortex forms and what factors contribute to its formation.  The Great Dark Vortex, also known as the Great Dark Spot is currently under investigation for its peculiar formation and deterioration.  The three dates I am studying are on September 1997 with the dark spot clearly visible, November 1997 with signs of the deterioration of the Great Dark Spot and its trail, and on August 1999 with no sign of the Great Dark Spot.  This information is gathered using the Hubble Space Telescope.

## Conclusion

- The Great Dark Spot can be seen clearly as it was supposed to be during September 1997 under filters of 218nm, 255nm, 336nm, and 890nm.  These are not new results, but they are worth discovering for myself.
- Ratios under an assortment of filters further reveal the Dark Spot and its trail during September 1997, and its deterioration during November 1997 in the north pole of Jupiter under a CML of roughly 180 degrees.
- The deterioration of the Great Dark Spot is revealed in some of the ratio plots from November 1997.  The possible remnants of the Great Dark Spot may be involved in the reformation of the Great Dark Spot as shown with the CASSINI flyby of Jupiter.

## Conclusion (cont’d)

- Thus, in the future, we may be able to use the remnants of the dark spot to tell us the composition of the spot.  It also suggests that the Great Dark Spot again and possibly periodically.
- A ratio of 336/218 during September 1997 seems to reveal another dark spot in the south pole of Jupiter.  This spot is of similar nature to the Great Dark Spot because it is located in the Aurora and last for approximately the same amount of time.  Therefore, the Great Dark Spot can be inferred to be directly related to the Aurora.
- A comparison of point values at the Great Dark Spot for different frequencies suggests that the Great Dark Spot’s composition has a spectrum near a frequency of 410nm.

## Everybody talks

- about
- the weather, but nobody does anything about
**it**

- Gil Zamfirescu, in conjunction with
- Dr. Leonard Druyan,
- Dr. Matthew Fulakeza, and
- Abdelrahim Mansour

- High-resolution Weather Analysis and Prediction: West Africa

## How do we collect data?

- NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis

- Satellite Imagery (TRMM)

- The Regional Model

**Why**
- do we think we can do better?

- 1) The resolution of the Regional Model.

- 2) The algorithm used by the Regional Model to simulate precipitation.

## Slide 78

## Detail of storm patterns.

- Variability of data.

## Slide 80

## Optics

*The All-Optical Threshold Device*

- Stephen Brandes, NASA Apprentice
- Dr. Roger Dorsinville, Mentor
- Muhammad Ali Ummy, Graduate Student

- The City College of New York

## All-Optical Threshold Device

*A device that can discriminate between two intensity levels is a Threshold Device*

-  Loop mirror contains SOA, attenuator, and 50:50 coupler
-  Phase change occurs in clockwise beam during transmission in 50:50 coupler
-  Destructive or constructive interference at the ports
-  To set a threshold value, attenuator is set to constant value while SOA is varied

## Experimental Setup

## Graphical Results

## Experimentation and Results

- SOA set to three different gain levels
- VOA varied periodically to change input intensity
- Threshold values of all-optical threshold device were inversely proportional to the value of the SOA
- In future, threshold device can be used for optical computing
- Faster
- More efficient

## Nanoscale Cr4+ Doped Olivine Crystallites Used In Optical Amplifiers and Lasers 

**By: Denise Asafu-Adjei (Bronx H.S. of Science)**
**Caesar Pereira (Archbishop Stepinac H.S.)**
**Supervising Scientist: Prof. Petricevic (CCNY)**
**Senior Scientist: Dr. Bykov (CCNY)**

**Notes:**
Project title: Nanoscale Cr4+ Doped Olivine Crystallites Used In Optical Amplifiers and Lasers 
Staff Member: Denise Asafu-Adjei and Caesar Pereira
Mentors: Dr. Petricevic and Dr. Bykov
Best Viewed As an active slide show in PowerPoint 2003

## Analysis of Cr doped Powders

- 0.1% and 0.5% samples seem to be the optimal concentrations for laser emissions.
- When heated to 1050C in general, the light emissions increased and encompassed a longer range of wavelengths.
- In conclusion, we can see that because the light emissions for 1050C surpassed 1000nm, Cr4+ ions are present now in our powders.

**Notes:**
Because the peaks for the compounds after 1050 Celsius surpassed 1000nm, we know that the Cr4+ ions we are looking for are present 

## Importance of this Research

- To synthesize an effective amplifying medium for the purpose of creating a **“tunable laser”** that will be able to emit light at **multiple wavelengths**
- This is of significance for NASA research because these lasers would be more **versatile**, **spatially efficient**, **convenient**, and **cost-effective **

## Applications of Lasers

- Optical communication
- Remote sensing
- Medical imaging
- Surgery and LASIK
- Tissue welding

**Notes:**
The IR tunable lasers developed at CCNY can be useful in other commercial and scientific areas 
Lasers are used anywhere light is produced e.g. fluorescent lights, gas lanterns, incandescent bulbs 
Optical communication (optic fiber)
Remote Sensing (similar to radar)
Medical Imaging (used to distinguish between two different types of tissue)
Surgery and LASIK Implications (IR Lasers can be used to precisely cut tissue and that is why it is used in laser eye surgery (LASIK))
Tissue Welding ( because laser surgery is so precise, it allows for easy cutting)

## FURTHER RESEARCH 

- Studying the light emissions from the crystals synthesized from the powders
- Attaining the optimal Cr concentration in the crystals, which will provide the maximum light emissions
- In this final part of our project x-ray spectroscopy will be utilized for further analysis of our crystals that will be grown

## Classification of NYC Aerosols by X-Ray and Optical Methods 

- By: John Sangobowale (Mount St. Michael Academy)         and William Dennis ( John F. Kennedy H.S.)
- Mentors: Marc Cesaire (Graduate student) and                                 Dr. Elizabeth Rudolph
- EAS Department CCNY

## Purpose 

- The Principal objective of our work is:
- Elemental Characterization of Aerosols collected by two methods for comparison:
- EBAM: beta mass attenuation
- Millipore apparatus: Vacuum Filtration
- Ultimately: to understand how weather patterns affect the chemical composition and darkness of aerosol particles

**Notes:**
Characterize the elemental composition of air masses entering NYC on a daily bases 
Contribute to the understanding of how weather patterns for instants wind direction, humidity, temperature, and rain fall affect the chemical composition of aerosol particles

## What are Aerosols?

- Aerosols are small solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere. Their sizes vary from a few nanometers (0.000000001 meters) to almost 100 micrometers (0.0001 m, the thickness of a hair.
- Volcanic dust
- Combustion products
- Soot
- Smoke

## Optical Microscopy 

- Why do we use optical microscopy?
- New approach at characterizing aerosol samples
- Build upon other experimental work and correlate with XRF techniques and (later down the road...weather data)
- Nikon Fluorescence Microscope with      CCD Camera

**Notes:**
1. The fluorescence microscope is routinely used to study cellular structure in many biomedical research laboratories and is increasingly used as a quantitative assay system for cellular dynamics. 
Studying aerosol particles with the Nikon Fluorescence Microscope with CCD Camera is a fresh and growing new approach in ways of analyzing aerosol particles. 
2. The Nikon Fluorescence Microscope with CCD Camera allows us to take still images of the aerosol sample we collected by
And in that we can see with the varying sample darkness we can correlate the darkness to the chemicals present in each of the samples.

## Conclusion

- Titanium and Iron are present in aerosols in variable and sometimes high concentrations
- At first pass, optical darkness of filters correlates with weather characteristics suggesting that high humidity and rain events  correlate with higher concentrations of metals

## Thanks To..... 

- Thanks To.....