Student: Tate Christensen, Undergraduate Student in Biochemistry, University of Northern Iowa
Research Mentor: Joshua Sebree
Formation of Titan Aerosols from CO and CO2
I am conducting research regarding Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, under the supervision of Dr. Sebree. Dr. Sebree and I have worked together in the past for Titan research, 
specifically focusing on the amino acids derivatives that could be produced and analyzed in the lab. I am applying the same methods to study the sources of oxygen on Titan that could possibly produce aerosols in our lab. For the majority of my work, the sources of oxygen will be carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and elemental oxygen. These components will be individually combined with methane and nitrogen in order to form products. Our goal is to observe glyoxylic acid derivatives, which will be done by manipulating the methane/oxygen ratios. A lot of this research will be analysis conducted using the GM/MS instrument in the biochemistry department. My results will include diagrams and tables showing the various compounds discovered in the aerosol product, as well as comparison of the oxygen reactants tested throughout my method.