John Horne

I will be helping Professor Folland at the University of Iowa to measure the absorption spectra of different volatile organic compounds in the air, which will eventually result in developing new technologies for measuring spectra of these gasses. These volatile organic compounds, such as ethylene oxide, are pollutants commonly toxic to humans, and in most cases are high-profile carcinogens. Monitoring our world and our impact on it is already done by NASA, and our research group will be expanding on and analyzing some of their techniques in order to enhance the process. In the past, other groups have used satellites to monitor other volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, such as carbon tetrachloride.

Specifically, we will be using infrared spectroscopy because of its ability to provide information about chemical compounds unattainable by other methods. In my time, I will be developing an algorithm to fit atmospheric data in order to better analyze samples and helping in iterating a new experimental protocol for finding the limit of how weak we can detect some trace pollutants. This will then allow us to improve on this method, and hopefully develop a more commercially viable way for agencies and other organizations to measure these gasses in the air.