Written by: Dr. Jun Wang

The first ever “Aerosol Day” event held on March 14th and 15th, brought together 35 researchers, faculty, and students from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and University of Cincinnati (UC) to share their latest findings and engage in critical discussions on aerosol measurement, characterization, and mitigations in occupational environment.

Presentations during Aerosol Day

The two-day event was a deep dive into the world of aerosol science and engineering, specifically how research interact with practices — Examples include developing innovative instruments to quantify hazardous air contaminants to how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes the future of aerosol studies. With a series of presentations and roundtable discussions, researchers presented their collaborative efforts in tackling issues such as crystalline silica, asbestos, metals, microplastics, etc.

Attendees from NIOSH and UC watch presentations during Aerosol Day

The first day, hosted at the UC Graduate Hotel, was a full-day symposium with 15 talks given by both NIOSH and UC researchers. The NIOSH Hamilton Building provided a fitting backdrop for the second day’s roundtable discussions, followed by lab tours. “The interactions between aerosol researchers from NIOSH and UC dated back to the 70s,” said Dr. Pramod Kulkarni, “with generations of aerosol researchers from both sides like aerosol pioneer Drs. Klaus Willeke [from UC] and Paul Baron [from NIOSH].”

This event was sponsored by the University of Cincinnati Education Research Center (ERC), one of 18 NIOSH ERCs nationwide.