Aerosol International Co-Learning Day

In recent years, various disasters caused by global climate change and the resulting resource shortages, food production, and other issues have constantly been happening worldwide, seriously threatening the ecological environment and public life safety and health in all regions of the world. However, these natural disasters, which seem to be caused by extreme weather, are closely related to the air pollution caused by human activities and the suspended PM2.5 fine particles. To let more young students understand the close relationship between aerosol and the atmosphere, air pollution, and climate change, Aerosol Science Research Center held the "Aerosol International Co-Learning Day" on March 19th. With the theme of "Aerosol, Climate Change, and Innovation," a series of lectures and laboratory visits were held to lay the students' basic understanding of aerosol, PM2.5, and their relationship with climate change and cultivate the students' environment Protection awareness.

Air pollution has become a major problem, seriously jeopardizing the living environment, air quality, and health. To promote knowledge about air pollution and its relationship with climate change and on the way to respond to environmental hazards, Aerosol Science Research Center (ASRC) at NSYSU organized the Aerosol International Co-Learning Day in English, invited a group of nearly a hundred ninth-grade students from Kaohsiung American School (KAS). The event included lectures, game time, and visits to laboratories on campus related to aerosol science to raise students’ awareness of environmental issues.

Air pollution and PM2.5 particles have become a threat to the health and safety of human beings, causing respiratory, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, aerosols have a huge mitigating impact on climate change as aerosols affect the cloud formation dynamics, absorb and scatter solar radiation, and influence photochemical processes, said Associate Professor Chia C. Wang, Director of ASRC. She explained to the students that rising temperatures, air pollution, extreme weather, and airborne diseases are interconnected and have a tremendous impact on our planet and health.

ASRC, as the first and only center of this kind in Asia, has committed to fundamental research on PM2.5, development of new strategies, and technologies for the reduction, regulation, and removal of PM2.5, biomedical research on PM2.5-associated diseases, promoting environmental science education in the field of aerosol science, and studying the correlation between aerosols and the atmosphere, ocean, and environmental ecosystem. “We have been collaborating with partners overseas and in Taiwan, such as Taiwan International Ports Corporation and China Steel Corporation, to help them reduce their emissions and improve the well-being of all species to live in a cleaner world,” said Professor Wang.

Director Wang said that the ASRC has succeeded in developing and collecting advanced aerosol sensors unique in Taiwan and Asia, such as VUV Aerosol Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Time-Resolved Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, Raman optical tweezers, and lidar remote sensing device. The students of KAS visited four laboratories on campus related to aerosol science, including the Aerosol and Biomedical Science Lab, Spectroscopy and Microscopy Lab, Organic Optoelectronic Lab, and the ASRC laboratory to understand how selected aerosol sensor function, such as aerosol lidar and automatic monitor e-bam PM2.5, that measure the particulate matter in the air. For most KAS students, it was the first opportunity to see such advanced technologies. For example, KAS student Loran Meehan appreciated the opportunity to learn about hydrogen science and see the equipment designed for aerosol measurement for the first time. He also recognized the importance of sustainability in aerosols management for climate balance and human health.

Particulates in the air also penetrate the ocean and affect marine biota; however, these impacts are still poorly understood. Professor Li-Lian Liu of the Department of Oceanography, NSYSU, explained how the changing components of the atmosphere affect the ocean: the increasing levels of carbon dioxide make oceans warmer, more acidic and with less oxygen, which leads to a series of problems, such as coral bleaching, poor growth of shelled animals, or appearance of toxic algae. Professor Liu introduced the results of years-long research she conducted with Distinguished Chair Professor Chen-Tung Arthur Chen. Professors Liu and Chen were the first scientists to prove that in a wild environment, marine organisms can incorporate and accumulate fossil-fuel source PM1 released from anthropogenic activities and pass it on to their juveniles by maternal transfer. They found concentrations of fossil-fuel source PM1 in sea anemones inhabiting marine environments ranging from the intertidal zone to a depth of 1 km; spots of different colors are visible with the naked eye if the concentration of PM1 is high.

Reduction of the dependency on fossil fuels, alleviation of global warming and environmental problems, and the development of clean and renewable energy sources have become important research topics. Hydrogen is a sustainable energy carrier with considerable potential to replace fossil fuels, only releasing water as a by-product. However, there are a few challenges to the hydrogen economy, especially in storage and transport. Assistant Professor Cheng-Chau Chiu of the Department of Chemistry, NSYSU, together with his research team, discovered that the photoelectrocatalytic reaction on the surface of BiVO4 (bismuth vanadate) turns glycerol – a by-product of the biodiesel industry, into dihydroxyacetone – a product with high economic value, not only making the biodiesel industry – a sustainable source of energy, more profitable, but also, obtaining hydrogen in the process, when water molecules in the aqueous glycerol solution break down.

With the help of student ambassadors and under the guidance of Paichi Pat Shein, Director of the Education Promotion Division, ASRC and Professor of the Institute of Education, KAS students played an educational board game – “Protecting Gaia: A Battle for Better Air Quality,” launched by ASRC. The players play the roles of People, Government, and Air Pollution Monster and try to improve or worsen the air quality. The game, the lectures, and the visit to laboratories helped the students build up awareness of air pollution and showed them how to take action to protect the Earth. “It is important to study aerosol science because air pollution is a global problem,” said Nana Chen, a student of KAS. The visit of KAS students to NSYSU also included a campus visit led by student ambassadors for them to experience one full day at NSYSU.