NASA Atmospheric Science

Atmospheric Science Courses, Outreach and Research Program

Funded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ROSES-22 Grant titled: Increasing Diversity in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences with Courses, Outreach, and Research Programs (IDEAS-CORP)  Grant # 80NSSC22k1782

View Current Aerosol Optical Depth at Turlock, CA

Research Projects:

• Wildfire of California: PI, Wing To, and his students are working with Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) scientists to develop machine learning algorithms to identify fuel sources on the ground using aerial and satellite imagery to create better models of wildfires focusing on California
• Air Quality of the Central: PI, Wing To, and his students are utilizing data from NASA Ground-Based Instruments AERONET and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to measure and correlate aerosol in the air, with wind, temperature and precipitation in the Central Valley of California.

Course Development:

• PHSC-2100: Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. This is an introductory, general education course in atmospheric science. PI and his collaborator at LLNL are working to incorporate NASA ground-based instruments such as AERONET and PANDORA into the active learning engagement modules for the course to be implement Fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024.
• PHSC-4100: Atmospheric Science. This is an advanced course in atmospheric science developed to enhance Stan State's students knowledge and access to both the scientific and the career development aspect of Atmospheric Sciences. The course is planned to be offer during the academic year 24-25.
• GEOL-3100: Physical Oceanography. TBA

Outreach to the Community:

• NASA Club. Meeting time TBA for Fall 2023
• Society of Physics Students. Meeting time: Fridays 2PM in Naraghi 130. All are invited!
• Valley Improvement Projects
• Science in our Community Events, Check the Visit the Calendar on the College of Science website.

Investigators and Collaborators:

• PI: Wing To, wto@csustan.edu
• Co-I: Horacio Ferriz, hferriz@csustan.edu
• Collaborators:
  • Jeff Mirocha, jmirocha@csustan.edu
  • Jungmin Lee, lee1046@llnl.gov
  • Azusa Takeishi, azusa.takeishi@specinc.com

Our Students:

• Anthony Castillo, Spring 2023-Current, Air Quality of CV and PHSC-2100 Modules
• Amelia Velazquez Valencia, Fall 2023-Current, Air Quality and Outreach to Local Community Services
• Alwin Joseph, Summer 2023-Current, Fuel Source Mapping using Machine Learning
• Felicity Garcia, Fall 2023-Current, Effects of Spider Webs in NASA Ground-Based Instruments
• Ivan Ortiz-Mondragon, Summer 2023, Air Quality of the CV using AERONET and NOAA data
• Amber Grom, Spring 2023, Graduated with BA in Physical Sciences, Fuel Source Mapping using Machine Learning
• Chad Duvachelle, Spring 2023-Summer 2023, Graduate with BS in Computer Science, Fuel Source Mapping using Machine Learning