This is a past event.

Xiusen Yang, Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University

From Review to Application: Using Silicone Wristbands for Personal Exposure Assessment in the REJuST Project

Abstract:

Silicone wristbands are increasingly used as non-invasive passive samplers to assess personal exposure to volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) in air. In this research I reviewed and synthesized 91 peer-reviewed studies (2014–2024) in terms of method development progress and limitations. I am applying this research in an ongoing air quality study as a part of the EPA STAR-funded REJuST Project, which aims to support energy justice in underserved, forest-dependent communities. The focus of the air quality study is Baraga County, Michigan, the location of a wood, paper, plastic, and tire-derived fuel energy generation plant. Houghton County is treated as the control. We selected an analytical workflow for VOC and SVOC analysis involving Soxhlet cleaning, ethyl acetate extraction, Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) clean-up, and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) detection. Personal exposure to VOCs and SVOCs is measured by extracting the wristbands after they are worn by study participants. For comparison, wristbands are also deployed in participant homes and the yards of these homes. Sample collection and processing procedures have been developed, and instrument method development is ongoing. This presentation illustrates how literature-informed methods advance exposure assessment and highlights key challenges.

Bio:

Xiusen Yang is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Technological University. His research interests focus on the use of passive sampling techniques to assess personal and environmental exposure to pollutants in air, particularly to VOCs and SVOCs. Another interest is in the application of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) to analyze factors influencing pollutant behavior in the Lake Superior food web.

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Wesley Beck, Environmental Engineering PhD Student, Michigan Tech

Determining Wildfire Risk in the Western Upper Peninsula using Four Fire Indices

Abstract:
This research is a continuation of research done by Dr. Jiali Wang at Argonne National Laboratory [1]. Her and her team found the relationship between fire indices, number and size of wildfires for the contiguous United States. We are doing the same thing for the Western Upper Peninsula to determine the best fire index to use to determine risk of wildfire. Historical wildfire risk will be assessed using actual climate observations that are recorded within the NLDAS. Performance of the fire indices will be determined by comparing the output of the fire indices, using the input climate variables from the NLDAS, against actual wildfires that have occurred in the Western Upper Peninsula which may be found in Michigan DNR data as well as other supplemental wildfire data. Once the best fire index is found, then data from a climate model created by our very own Dr. Pengfei Xue and his team, GLARM, will be used as the input climate variables for the fire index to determine future wildfire risk.

Bio:
Wesley Beck is an environmental engineering PhD student at Michigan Technological University and works under Dr. Ana Dyreson who leads the Great Lakes Energy Group. Wesley received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Saginaw Valley State University where he created over 100 videos for the ECE 235 - Circuits One course under the guidance of Dr. Mohammad Khan, still currently at SVSU, and Dr. Yu Zou, an engineer at GE Aerospace formerly a professor at SVSU. Wesley received his master’s in electrical and computer engineering this past fall semester at Michigan Tech and primarily works on the C-CHARM team now.