Research Agenda
The goal of my research is to understand the complex interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere that are perturbed by human activities. A core strand of my research is to design field and laboratory experiments to test hypotheses focused on how isoprene emissions are impacted by global change factors. My studies have been conducted in urban, temperate, tropical, arid and tundra ecosystems. Many of these ecosystems are understudied and also susceptible to global change factors.
Example projects
Example projects
- Unlike the deciduous forests characteristic of temperate ecosystems, there have been few studies on the seasonal controls of isoprene emissions for tundra ecosystems. My research has revealed surprisingly high isoprene emission rates and the potential for rapid increases induced by climate change.
- The air quality impacts of land use change in a rapidly expanding urban area of the arid southwestern United States (PDF).
- Using low-cost, high-altitude balloon systems to measure the exchange of carbon dioxide over the agricultural landscape of Illinois. This project has been driven by a succession of undergraduate students (see Student projects), which culminated in a publication.
- Also using low-cost sensors, my students and I have worked with local high school students using wearable air quality sensors.
- The Array of Things project deployed low-cost air quality sensors throughout the city of Chicago, and I assisted with sensor calibration.
- The Metropolitan Chicago Data-science Corps will link undergraduate students with data science skills to non-profit community partners.