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James Cowin

Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Projects

Use of SEM/EDX Analysis to Study the Oxidation of Aerosol by Hydroxyl Radical

Lead Institution
University of California, Irvine
Principal Investigator
Barbara Finlayson-Pitts
Project type
Exploratory Research
Unique chemistry at the air-water interface between chloride ion in sea salt aerosol and the hydroxyl radical (OH) has been suggested to play a major role in the production of increased levels of…

Personal Samplers for Traffic-Related Particle Exposures in NYC

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Exploratory Research
The goal is to develop and test air samplers for personal use that are smaller, quieter, "smarter" (see below), and longer-lived (10 to 100 days) than currently available. To be monitored…

Studies of Liquid Layers on Ice Surfaces

Lead Institution
Purdue University
Principal Investigator
Paul Shepson
Project type
Exploratory Research
Ice and snow in nature appears to have important roles in the air chemistry of the polar region, and in temperate regions in winter. Much is presumed to occur in thin (somes single molecule thick)…

Hydronium Hydroxide at Platinum Interfaces

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Hydronium hydroxide is in principle a very high-energy form of water. Normally it is considered too unstable to exist. Recent work at PNNL finds a particularly stable form of water adsorbed on a…

Ice Nucleation on Aged Field Aerosols

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
The number, density, and lifetime of clouds are strongly dependent on the kind of aerosol particles that are present, that act as "cloud nucleation centers" (CNC). This is one of the major…

Ionic Transport of Hydrogen in Structured Soft Materials

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
We will explore how the motion of hydrogen in the form of hydronium is controlled in a nanometer-sculpted multilayer composite water/hydrocarbon film, and how the motion of the ion alters the…

Mexico City Municipal Area Air pollution Study, 2003

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Exploratory Research
This study is part of a larger international monitoring effort, to take place for 6 weeks, in and near Mexico City. The project is to examine air pollution factors, including particulates and trace…

Planning Liquid TOFSIMS experiment

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Limited Scope
To use the TOFSIMS to look at a liquid surface: We will be reviewing our plans, looking at resources to carry out the plans, and adjusting the plan.

Personal Black Carbon Sampler

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
The gold standard for exposure assessment of airborne particulate matter (PM) is personal sampling, which has traditionally been conducted by having subjects carry battery-operated pumps that…

Automated Analysis of Field-Collected Aerosols

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Exploratory Research
We have developed a field portable instrument for automated collection of particles on a time-resolved basis. Essential to this project is having access to automated particle analysis. This…

Surface films on molybdenum

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Exploratory Research
We are looking at surfaces of molybdenum with the scanning electron microscope, to look at the quality of overlayer films on the molybdenum and to check their chemical composition.

Aerosol Aging and Climate Change (Cowin's NOAA, PNNL Scope #47840)

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
James Cowin
Project type
Exploratory Research
Using easily field-deployable, time-resolved aerosol collectors (TRAC and TAQ) create sample archives that permit quantitative, single particle-size and elemental-composition analysis of mixed…