News
| 03 Nov 2008 | [Printable Version] |
David Ogulei, a 2006 Ph.D. graduate of Clarkson University’s chemical engineering program, is the recipient of an honorable mention award for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Environmental Division Graduate Student Paper Awards.
The awards are given each year to graduate students from the top chemical engineering universities in the nation. Ogulei competed in a large pool and to receive honorable mention is a substantial honor.
Ogulei received the award for his paper titled "Factor Analysis of Submicron Particle Size Distributions near a Major United States - Canada Trade Bridge," which was featured in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association in 2007.
The paper stems from research with Clarkson faculty Andrea Ferro, Peter Jaques and Philip Hopke. Conducted in 2004, the study looked at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, N.Y. and the size distribution of particles emitted by idling and moving commercial diesel trucks and other traffic-related sources associated with the bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada as well as other urban particle sources.
According to Ogulei, there have been several reports of increased asthma and cardiovascular disease rates near the bridge and solving this phenomenon was the team’s ultimate goal.
"Our results suggest that many of the particles associated with fresh tailpipe diesel exhaust might be too small to be detectable by current technology. This conclusion has immense implications on the design of health studies associated with diesel emissions, as well as future designs of sampling instruments," said Ogulei.
Ogulei is currently working as an air quality engineer with the Washington State Department of Ecology in Yakima, Wash.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in six alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
[News directors and editors: For more information, contact Michael P. Griffin, director of News & Digital Content Services, at 315-268-6716 or mgriffin@clarkson.edu .]