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Patrick L. Hayes
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Project: Characterizing organic aerosols in the Los Angeles area using real-time measurement of concentration and chemical compositionBesides its celebrity sightings, Los Angeles is famous for something a little less glamorous, the persistent smoggy haze that envelops the city and surrounding areas. Understanding the chemical nature of the organic aerosols that make up this smog is notoriously difficult and important to understand, as these pollutants pose health risks such as asthma and lung cancer. One scientist doing his part to help is new CIRES Visiting Fellow Patrick Hayes, who specializes in finding new ways to decipher the chemistry of smog and improve climate modeling. “I believe that the issues I am addressing in my research -- water quality, air quality, and climate change -- represent grand challenges for the 21st century,” says Hayes. “It is exciting to think that my work may play a role in overcoming these challenges.” Hayes finished a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in spring 2010, where he used laser techniques to investigate the sticking power of pollutants at the soil-water interface. His work helped uncover the ways pollutants move through environments and why some pollutants stick around in soils while others wash away. Pollution doesn’t take a break and neither does Hayes. Fresh off his Ph.D. program, Hayes joins CIRES, teaming up with sponsor Jose-Luis Jimenez and the CalNex campaign in an ambitious project aimed at characterizing organic aerosols over California. Hayes will use aerosol mass spectrometry to study the recipes of pollutants – their ingredients and the way they form – with the intention of improving the accuracy of climate change models. A seeming Boulderite at heart, Hayes enjoys his downtime, hiking, biking, and skiing. “I can’t wait to explore the mountains,” he says. He’s also been known to pick up the bass guitar, much to the entertainment of his cat, Berwyn. Sponsor: Jose-Luis Jimenez Email: patricklewishayes@gmail.com |
