Atmospheric aerosol research, graduate training at UBC receive $1.6 million in funding

UBC Science researchers have been awarded $1.6 million from the Collaborative Research and Training Experience program--a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council initiative designed to help graduates expand their professional and personal skills so they can make a successful transition from the classroom to the workplace.

The grant will establish the CREATE-Atmospheric Aerosol Program, based out of the Department of Chemistry. The interdisciplinary graduate training program, led by Associate Professor Allan Bertram and colleagues, will focus on mixtures of very fine solid and liquid particles suspended in the air which have important impacts on human health, weather and climate change processes.

“This research funding highlights the quality of UBC graduate students and our strong track record in multidisciplinary collaborations that are aimed at solving real problems in the world while generating economic impact,” said UBC President Stephen Toope. “We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its vision and ongoing support of leading-edge research and graduate education.”

The CREATE grant is part of a $32-million investment over six years from NSERC for 20 projects at Canadian universities. The funding will give science and engineering graduates an opportunity to expand their professional and personal skills to prepare them for the workplace.

UBC now hosts four CREATE programs--the other three are focus on high-throughput biology, biodiversity research, and the biosynthesis of plant cell walls.

"This interdisciplinary training will prepare a new generation of scientists for careers with environmental consulting firms, government agencies, or the public health sector, just to name a few," said Betram. "Trainees will be engaged in research of great importance to Canada, including population exposure to aerosols in Western Canada, the health impacts of aerosol particles, and how aerosols interact with clouds and our climate."

The Atmospheric Aerosol Program will include new course offerings, a bi-weekly seminar series and internships, which will provide interdisciplinary training and exposure necessary to respond to some of the most pressing environmental and health challenges we face, including urban air pollution, visibility and climate change.