Date & Time: Nov 13 2024 | 11:30am - 12:30pm Location: iSTEM Building 2, Room 1218 The Schnitzler research group focuses on the fate and impact of carbonaceous aerosols, nanoparticles suspended in air, generated from biomass burning and plastic pollution. These particles impact climate directly by interacting with solar and terrestrial radiation and indirectly by altering cloud formation and properties. Due to their small dimensions, these particles can stay suspended in the atmosphere for a week or two, during which time their interactions with light and water can change. We have explored a range of processes, including oxidation, irradiation, and gas-particle partitioning, that govern the direct and indirect effects of carbonaceous aerosols, ranging from light-absorbing organic aerosol (i.e., brown carbon) to elemental soot aggregates (i.e., black carbon) to nanoplastics. Understanding these processes will help the atmospheric chemistry community further constrain the role of aerosols in the radiative balance of Earth. Biography Elijah obtained his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Alberta in 2016, investigating intermolecular interactions in atmospheric aggregates ranging from bimolecular complexes of oxygenated organic compounds and water to nanoparticles of internally mixed black carbon and secondary organic aerosol, under the supervision of Prof. Wolfgang Jäger. From 2017 to 2019, he was an NSERC post-doctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Jonathan Abbatt at the University of Toronto, where he studied the optical evolution of primary and secondary light-absorbing organic aerosol upon heterogeneous oxidation by ozone and hydroxyl radical and its dependence on relative humidity, temperature, and volatility. In 2019, Elijah joined the Department of Chemistry at Oklahoma State University. His group investigates the chemical, physical, and optical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles, including those emitted from regional biomass burning, which impact climate and human health. Type of Event: Analytical Seminar Research Areas: Environmental/Atmospheric Chemistry Physical Chemistry Prof. Elijah Schnitzler Department: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry Oklahoma State University Learn more about Prof. Schnitzler and his research https://schnitzlerlab.okstate.edu/index.htm
