AGS-FIRP Track 1: Mobile Measurement of Black Carbon Using a Single-Particle Soot Photometer

This is an education-focused project to incorporate the Clemson University Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) into Northeastern University’s mobile air quality laboratory. The SP2 instrument provides fast data on black carbon in the air. Students will conduct mobile measurements across urban and suburban neighborhoods to gain hands-on experience with research-grade instrumentation. The project will train undergraduate students from Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Sciences majors. The skills gained during the project will be valuable for future research and employment opportunities.

The Clemson SP2 will provide real-time, high-resolution data on black carbon mass, number concentration, and size distribution. The SP2 will be incorporated in the Northeastern University mobile lab which currently houses a variety of atmospheric chemistry instruments, but relies on filter-based systems for the measurement of black carbon. One key activity for the students will be to analyze the trade-offs between an inexpensive instrument with larger uncertainty and slower time response, and an expensive research-grade instrument. Teams of students will be trained on the instrument use, design mobile sampling routes, and participate in the field activities. Students will be expected to learn fundamental principles of particle detection mechanisms, exercise critical thinking skills for environmental monitoring, assess measurement requirements and uncertainty tolerances within practical budget constraints, and practice key skills in data synchronization, spatial aggregation, and interpretation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Award Number: 2611583
Principal Investigator: Shang Liu
Funds Obligated: $59,565
State: MA