Third year Physics graduate student Steven Buczkowski has been selected to receive a NASA Earth and Space Sciences Fellowship. Steven's proposal entitled "Rainbow and Cloud Side Remote Sensing: A Novel Look at Cloud-Aerosol Interaction and Its Effect on Cloud Evolution" was one of 50 proposals accepted, out of 200 received.
A member of the UMBC Atmospheric Physics PhD program, Steven will work with his advisor, Dr. Vanderlei Martins, to characterize and develop retrieval algorithms for a novel suite of visible and infra-red cameras developed by Dr. Martins and his collaborators here and at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Clouds on Earth require some airborne aerosol in order to form but regional enhancements in aerosol load (e.g. from biomass burning, etc) can have a profound effect on their evolution. These effects can range from shifting precipitation patterns to changes in planetary albedo which could influence global climate. Steven's work with Dr. Martins will seek to better understand the influence of aerosol amount and type on cloud development.