Zach Schiffman, outstanding scholarship and community service

Zach Schiffman’s Ph.D. thesis centers on laboratory studies of atmospheric aerosols to explore their role in climate change. One project Zach has explored is so-called “contact nucleation,” a process whereby particle collisions in the atmosphere lead to particle phase changes. The particle phase can in turn impact atmospheric chemistry and water uptake, both of which influence the effect of aerosols on climate. His first-author paper on this work was recently published in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. He is also a co-author of two additional publications on aerosol microphysics. As he moves ahead in his Ph.D. research, Zach will perform laboratory studies on brown carbon in the atmosphere and its impact on climate. In addition to Zach’s research success, he has achieved distinction in his academic coursework, been honored with a Graduate Teaching Excellence Award, and has been awarded the Sharrah Summer Fellowship from the Chemistry Department. Last year, Zach was a recipient of a CIRES Graduate Student Research Award.

Beyond his accomplishments in scholarship at CU, Zach is committed to outreach, service, and community-building at the university. He serves as a site leader with the CU Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC), where he leads volunteers at K-12 schools in the St. Vrain Valley School District to engage students underrepresented in STEM in inquiry-based science. He also serves on the leadership team for CHEMunity, a graduate student organization that seeks to build community among graduate students and within the greater CU Boulder chemistry department. In this role, he organizes events for local scientists, helps to host the visitation weekend for prospective graduate students, mentors first-year students, and contributes to a positive and inclusive culture at CU Boulder. 

Zach’s outstanding scholarship, along with his unwavering commitment and dedication to community service, renders him a deserving candidate to be recognized with the Reid Memorial Scholarship in honor of the legacy of George C. and Joan A. Reid.