UTSA doctoral student Iyare Oseghae working on a Pandora spectrometer. The instrument measures columnar amounts of trace gases in the atmosphere. These gases absorb specific wavelengths of light from the sun in the ultraviolet-visible spectrum.
OCTOBER 12, 2023 — Atop the Durango Building on UTSA’s Downtown Campus will soon sit an instrument connecting UTSA to a global monitoring network of atmospheric pollution.
A five-year, $590,017 NASA grant is supporting the project, led by Alberto Mestas-Nuñez, associate professor of instruction in the UTSA Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
The project will make UTSA part of the NASA Pandora Project as well as a member of the Pandonia Global Network of stations, which is a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency to provide long-term measurements of air quality and atmospheric composition to calibrate satellite sensors.
UTSA is among 15 Minority Serving Institutions partnering with NASA to expand research opportunities in earth sciences.
“This is a great opportunity. There’s a lot to learn,” Mestas-Nuñez said. “To have this instrumentation in San Antonio at UTSA, collaborating on this global project, will surely help us attract new students to our education and research programs and potentially help us develop new programs.”
The Pandora Project uses spectroscopy to study ultraviolet and visible wavelengths of light to determine the composition of the atmosphere and its interactions with the Earth’s environment. The ground-based networks are unique with the ability to measure total column and vertical profiles, observing different layers of the atmosphere at once.
Mestas-Nuñez is working alongside fellow UTSA faculty members Daniel Pineda, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Geography and Environmental Sustainability Assistant Professor Neil Debbage; and Mechanical Engineering Professor Kiran Bhaganagar. Also on the team are UTSA Environmental Science and Engineering doctoral student Iyare Oseghae and UT-Rio Grande Valley Professor Amit Raysoni.
UTSA researchers will be tasked with maintaining the device to ensure quality data is collected. The data will be transmitted to the central server of the Pandonia Global Network, where it will be processed and made available in real-time to the public. Levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde in the atmosphere will be studied by combining the observations measured by the network with those from Earth-observing satellites.
“We’ll use the data after the algorithms have been applied to convert the spectrometer sunlight measurements into gas concentrations—which is what we need,” Mestas-Nuñez said. “We will get a good handle on the pollution in the air and be able to study air quality and the processes associated with it. For example, we could study where the air pollution is coming from, where it is going, as well as what time of the day, day of the week, or month of the year the pollution is most prevalent.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This academically rigorous mathematics-based summer enrichment program prepares middle and high school students for advanced studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Participants learn about problem-solving systems, develop greater awareness of STEM careers and strengthen their research skills.
UTSA Main CampusArchaeology 101 will introduce campers to archaeology and build on learned skills through experimental activities (like cave painting, weaving, and garbology).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusThe camp exposes rising high school juniors, rising seniors and incoming college freshman to the many facets of the criminal justice system. Students will have opportunities to learn the functions of police in society and apply scientific theories to criminal investigations by examining a mock crime scene.
UTSA Main CampusThe Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center invites you to join us for the Summer Bridging Institute. This institute will focus on being lifelong growers and continually seeking to increase our skills as educators.
UTSA Downtown CampusArchaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusCraft a comic to create your own narrative and find your voice through storytelling. Participants will learn to create characters that are self-reflective and through a community lens.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusCome enjoy a discussion on art as a self expression in the age of moving technology and telling your story with a community.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.