Plenary Sessions - 2024 AAAR Annual Conference

Abstract: As a child growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, in an intergenerational household, there was a routine to our lives, including when the laundry was done. Monday was Wash Day. The old agitator washer was moved from the back porch to the kitchen with easy access to the sink for rinsing the clothes that, in good weather were then hung on clothes lines in the back yard. Of course, when it rained, or on “bad air days” wash day might be postponed. Bad air days, often exacerbated by a temperature inversion, were routine in our lives as well, by way of Birmingham’s steel mills, coke plants and other heavy industry, and made worse because of Birmingham’s topography, sitting as it did in Jones Valley. Clothes hung outside on a bad air day were quickly dirtied.

I experienced Los Angeles’ pollution during graduate school in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But it was while serving on the board of the Heinz Endowments that I was brought full circle from the Pittsburgh of the South to Pittsburgh, where I was able to gain a new perspective on bad air, its disproportionate effect on the health and education of minoritized and poor communities and its connection to structural inequalities. I also gained insights on what communities could do to mitigate the impacts-- seeing the science, communications and community empowerment come together. In this presentation, I will share my personal journey of awakening to environmental justice and injustice and what these mean for the science community.

Biography: Shirley Malcom is senior advisor and director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In more than 40-years at AAAS she has worked to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in STEMM for all.

Dr. Malcom is a trustee of Caltech and regent of Morgan State University. She was a member of the National Science Board, policymaking body of the NSF, and served on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on S&T. Malcom, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, holds a PhD in ecology from Penn State, M.A. from UCLA and B.S. from the University of Washington. She is a fellow of the AAAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences where she serves as International Secretary. She has received 18 honorary degrees.

Abstract: The identification of atmospheres and aerosols on Mars, Venus and Jupiter was made by astronomers in the pre-spacecraft era. However, while knowledge of the nature of the atmospheric gases was rapidly established, determining the composition of aerosols has proved more elusive. Flyby and orbital spacecraft observed the target from afar with remote sensing techniques. Vehicles that descended into the atmospheres were fewer and most were not equipped to characterize aerosols. Thus, when the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey compiled a comprehensive report on the state of thi research field it conclude that “Aerosols (dust, hazes, and clouds) are key features of many planetary atmospheres and affect the atmospheric absorption and scattering of solar radiation. Aerosol transport, microphysics, and radiative processes are often coupled via complex feedbacks, yet few measurements related to such processes exist for atmospheres other than Earth’s”. This presentation will review what is currently known about aerosols on other worlds and what future missions may tell us for worlds in our solar system and beyond. We will stress the importance of new exploration platforms such as rotorcraft and balloon, advances in miniaturized aerosol instrumentation suitable for planetary missions and the importance of earth based experimental facilities such as the Planetary Cloud and Aerosol Research Facility (PCARF) currently under construction at JPL. Finally, we will cover the mysteries of the aerosols that constitute the clouds of Venus, what is known today, what the Rocket Lab Venus probe planned for launch in 2025 may tell us and the role of long duration balloon equipped to conduct aerosol mass spectrometry may tell us about the possibility that the Venus clouds may harbor microbial life in a form that is unknown on Earth.

Biography: Dr. Jim Cutts has spent most of his career with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in scientific, technical and management positions related to planetary exploration. During his career, he has worked on missions to Mars, Venus and the Outer Planet Jupiter and Saturn and their moons Europa and Titan. While most of his scientific research activities have been involved in the interaction between planetary surfaces and atmospheres with remote observations his technical work here has been involved in in situ measurements including mobile platforms that operate on the surface, beneath the surface and in the atmosphere. As Manager of Advanced Concepts and Strategic Missions at JPL in the early 1990s He initiated the development of balloons or aerial robots (aerobots) for the exploration of Mars, Venus and Titan. His current responsibilities include the science and technology development for future Venus missions. He holds BA and MA degrees from Cambridge University in the U.K., and MS and PhD degrees from the California Institute of Technology.

Abstract: Inhalation toxicology is a study of adverse impacts of gases and aerosols on humans and animals. It is one of the most challenging areas of study in toxicology, but also one of the most important as all humans are exposed to air pollutants and toxics in their daily lives. The challenges range from characterization of the chemical composition of the atmospheres that are inhaled, to understanding of the portal of entry and systemic concentrations and effects of inhaled substances, to making decisions about safe exposure levels for the highly dynamically changing mixtures of potential toxicants. To address these, and other challenges, inhalation toxicology studies typically rely on a range of experimental models and exposure settings, some may be conducted in humans and animals, but many include studies of cells. The latter includes recent developments of complex tissue-like constructs commonly referred to as tissue chips. This presentation will describe some of the new approach methods in inhalation toxicology. While exciting discoveries have been made, there are also great challenges in moving these models from discovery into practice. By presenting both sides of the topic, this plenary should stimulate inter-disciplinary thinking to bridge aerosol research with biomedical science and ultimately yield innovative solutions for regulatory adoption.

Biography: Ivan Rusyn is University Professor in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology in the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station. He is also Vice-Chair of the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology (served as Chair from 2016 to 2023), Director of a NIEHS T32 training program in “Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology,” and Director of the Texas A&M University Superfund Research Center. His studies on health effects of chemical agents resulted in over 320 peer-reviewed publications which were cited over 33,000 times (h-index=86). He has served on and chaired several US National Academies committees, and World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs working groups.

He is serving on the advisory board for Texas Department of Public Health. He served on the Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology for the National Academies, the Board of the Scientific Councilors of the United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Research Committee of the Health Effects Institute. Dr. Rusyn received a Doctor of Medicine degree from Ukrainian State Medical University in Kyiv (1994) and a Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2000). He conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf. Dr. Rusyn’s laboratory is funded by grants and cooperative research agreements from the National Institutes of Health and US Environmental Protection Agency, institutional funding from Texas A&M University, the industry, and other sources.

Abstract: The interdisciplinary nature of bioaerosol study demonstrates both the complexity and importance that this class of aerosols have with our environment and health. Even defining the scope of bioaerosol research is challenging due to its multifaceted nature, spanning diverse motivations and communities. Airborne bacteria, spores, and pollen exert far-reaching influence on natural ecological systems, climate change, and the hydrological cycle. From combating infectious diseases and biowarfare threats to managing seasonal allergies and agricultural crop health, bioaerosols impact nearly all sectors of society and human health. Yet, deeper understanding continues to be challenged, in part, by disconnects between diverse researcher communities and the disparity between scientific questions that drive investigations.

Over the past quarter-century, notable surges of interest have pushed bioaerosol science forward and often into the forefront of the public’s awareness of scientific research. Each surge has also helped foster new connections between ideas and scientists, introduced new techniques, and amplified both opportunities and challenges within the field. Throughout that arc, the American Association of Aerosol Research (AAAR) has been pivotal in advancing bioaerosol science by offering perspectives from deep expertise in the intertwined disciplines necessary to sufficiently understand aerosols. The COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the complexity of aerosol dynamics and their critical role in disease transmission and public health. Over the last three years, countless AAAR members have worked tirelessly to play crucial roles in driving transformative science, advocating for scientific understanding, and educating the public.

The timing seems opportune to pause and reflect on some of the historical context for the growth in bioaerosol research and recent advancements, both within AAAR and more broadly. While the invitation to address this broad topic is daunting, the talk aims to shine a light on victories and advances of bioaerosol research and to pull in anecdotes from still more experienced researchers for illustration. The goal is to provide both perspective for the contributions AAAR and its members have made to this critical sector of scientific and societal progress and to inspire younger scientists to embrace the non-linear, but interconnected path of aerosol research.

Biography: Alex Huffman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Denver (DU). He received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Pepperdine University and a doctoral degree in Atmospheric/Analytical Chemistry from the University of Colorado-Boulder before working as a postdoctoral scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany.

He is an experimentalist whose projects flow, from his primary expertise as an aerosol scientist and analytical chemist, into countless adjacent disciplines. Most of his research focuses on the development, improvement, and application of strategies to detect and quantify biological aerosols, related proteins, and other aerosol-phase analytes of environmental or health interest. Among many projects, his group uses fluorescent and Raman spectroscopy to analyze bioaerosols in outdoor and built environments. They have also helped lead development and improvement of multiple real-time aerosol instruments, including single-particle fluorescence sensors, particle counters, and cloud condensation nuclei counting instruments.

He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed research articles and reviews, in addition to scientific and news media editorials. He has mentored five PhD students, four MS students, and more than 60 undergraduate researchers since joining the faculty at DU in 2012, and teaches primarily environmental, analytical, and general chemistry courses. He has been a member of AAAR since ~2005 and calls the organization his professional family. He has previously served on multiple AAAR committees, several times as a tutorial speaker, as the bioaerosol working group chair, and is currently finishing his term as a AAAR board member.