RDF's Biayna Bogosian and Colin Mele, along with FIU Institute of Environment's Paolo Olivias, Victoria Ortiz, and Flora Beleznay, were invited to attend NASA's IPMSI 2023 Cohort at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland. While there, the team learned about how NASA collects atmospheric data, how to assemble and operate NASA AERONET and PANDORA Air Quality Sensors. Plans are underway to install a PANDORA sensor at FIU to begin collecting Air Quality Data, as part of an initiative to inform more students about the trends of air quality throughout the campus and how daily activities affect it.
From left to right, Paolo Olivias (IoE), Colin Mele (RDF), Victoria Ortiz (IoE), Flora Beleznay (IoE), Biayna Bogosian (RDF)
FIU's Institute of Environment proposed a project to support interdisciplinary student-led research on natural and anthropogenic drivers of air pollution in Miami-Dade County. Located within the most populous county in Florida, the campus is representative of the coastal peninsula geography. They noted that air pollution in the county is known to reach unhealthy levels as a result of transportation, domestic energy consumption, regional port activity, industry, power generation, and natural sources including wind-blown salt and sand.
The team also visited the NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, in Washington DC, where they learned about the process and methods behind some of NASA's most awe-inspiring animations and data visualizations. They aim to use this knowledge to help bridge the gap between data and students through novel and interactive ways of presenting environmental data.