Jian Wang, professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, received a $516,989 grant from NASA to study the ways in which aerosol particles affect clouds — and how clouds affect aerosols.
Wang will deploy a novel instrument he developed onboard NASA research aircraft that flies for about eight hours at a time. The plane will take samples beginning in late summer through mid-fall and study both manmade aerosols as well as natural aerosols such as sea spray aerosol. Aerosols and clouds are intimately connected. Ultimately, the research will look at how these interactions between aerosols and clouds affect hydrological cycles in southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines.
