This project aims to develop a new technology and technique that will aid in the relatively automated detection of respiratory-related changes that are exacerbated by air pollutants (e.g. lung function/respiratory changes due to air-pollution-induced asthma). This work involves understanding air transport in the human respiratory system (including the chemical and physiological impacts of air pollutants), advancing the state of the art in sensing, acoustic signal processing, and machine learning to enhance automation.

Ozone is a highly reactive compound that is harmful at very low concentrations as compared to other pollutants. One method of pollution control is the use of photocatalysis, specifically with titanium dioxide to induce ozone decomposition. An experiment was designed and executed in order to determine the rate of decomposition by coating concrete in 5% by weight titanium dioxide mixed with paint. The experiment was unsuccessful in inducing decomposition but gave important insight into the adsorptive properties of ozone over surfaces, particularly with bare concrete that had an adsorption of 22.51 ± 2.457 ppbv, which was much better than the coated samples. Further studies into the development of photocatalytic paint is needed in order to develop an effective urban ozone pollution control method to be implemented in major cities, particularly in the most polluted such as Los Angeles, California.

The increased shift towards environmentalism has brought notable attention to a universal excessive plastic consumption and subsequent plastic overload in landfills. Among these plastics, polyethylene terephthalate, more commonly known as PET, constitutes a large percentage of the waste that ends up in landfills. Material and chemical/thermal methods for recycling are both costly, and inefficient, which necessitates a more sustainable and cheaper alternative. The current study aims at fulfilling that role through genetic engineering of Bacillus subtilis with integration of genes from LCC, Ideonella sakaiensis, and Bacillus subtilis. The plasmid construction was done through restriction cloning. A recombinant plasmid for the expression of LCC was constructed, and transformed into Escherichia coli. Future experiments for this study should include redesigning of primers, with possible combination of signal peptides with genes during construct design, and more advanced assays for effective outcomes.

The goal of this research was to identify why the federal government should invest in solar research and development, and which areas of solar improvement should be focused on. Motivation for this can be found in the pressing need to prevent and reverse the effects of climate change, the inevitability of fossil fuel resources eventually running out, and the economic and job creation potential which solar energy holds. Additionally, it is important to note that the best course of action will involve a split of funding between current solar rollout and energy grid updating, and the R&D listed in this research. Upon examination, it can be seen that an energy revolution, led by a federal solar jobs program and a Green New Deal, would be both an ethically and economically beneficial solution. A transition from existing fossil fuel infrastructure to renewable, solar-powered infrastructure would not only be possible but highly beneficial in many aspects, including massive job creation, a more affordable, renewable energy solution to replace coal-fired plants, and no fuel spending or negotiation required.<br/>When examining which areas of solar improvement to focus on for R&D funding, four primary areas were identified, with solutions presented for each. These areas for improvement are EM capture, EM conversion efficiency, energy storage capacity, and the prevention of overheating. For each of these areas of improvement, affordable solutions that would greatly improve the efficiency and viability of solar as a primary energy source were identified. The most notable area that should be examined is solar storage, which would allow solar PV panels to overcome their greatest real and perceived obstacle, which is the inconsistent power generation. Solar storage is easily attainable, and with enough storage capacity, excess solar energy which would otherwise be wasted during the day can be stored and used during the night or cloudy weather as necessary. Furthermore, the implementation of highly innovative solutions, such as agrivoltaics, would allow for a solar revolution to occur.