Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Major
Environmental Engineering
Research Advisor
Morrison, Glenn
Advisor's Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
Health professionals, epidemiologists and toxicologists need better ways to identify chemicals that cause disease. We have discovered that air contaminants diffuse into surrounding solids and leave behind unique concentration profiles. Even when contamination is no longer present in the surrounding air, a concentration profile still remains in the solid. By solving an "inverse diffusion problem" this profile can tell us a great deal about when, and how much, people were in contact with chemicals in the recent past. To date, we have been able to measure the diffusion coefficient of toluene in a foam material similar to furniture cushions. The diffusion coefficient is an important parameter, along with soon-to-be measured concentration profiles, necessary to solve the inverse problem. With these parameters in place, we will apply Evolutionary Algorithms to solve the inverse problem and to determine the history of contamination in homes and other microenvironments.
Biography
Jonathan McKinney is a sophomore in environmental engineering. He is pursuing a research project under the supervision of Dr. Glenn C. Morrison and plans to continue working after his OURE fellowship. Jonathan has been interested in working in a lab for a long time, and really enjoys having the opportunity to do so now. When finished with his undergraduate degree, he plans to go on and get a master's degree.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Engineering poster session, Second place
Location
Havener Center, Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
09 Apr 2008, 9:00 am - 11:45 am
Forensic Analysis of Contamination History using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME)
Havener Center, Upper Atrium/Hallway
Health professionals, epidemiologists and toxicologists need better ways to identify chemicals that cause disease. We have discovered that air contaminants diffuse into surrounding solids and leave behind unique concentration profiles. Even when contamination is no longer present in the surrounding air, a concentration profile still remains in the solid. By solving an "inverse diffusion problem" this profile can tell us a great deal about when, and how much, people were in contact with chemicals in the recent past. To date, we have been able to measure the diffusion coefficient of toluene in a foam material similar to furniture cushions. The diffusion coefficient is an important parameter, along with soon-to-be measured concentration profiles, necessary to solve the inverse problem. With these parameters in place, we will apply Evolutionary Algorithms to solve the inverse problem and to determine the history of contamination in homes and other microenvironments.
