Photo by Gary Morris

A summer research project took Valpo seniors Nathan Kellams and Ted Pietrzak across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, where they studied air pollution from China and how it is affecting other nations.

Kellams, a physics major from Portage, Ind., and Pietrzak, a meteorology major from Edwardsburg, Mich., worked with Valpo physics and astronomy professor Dr. Gary Morris to collect information on air pollution carried from China to Japan. The research team replicated the work of a Valpo research team that launched 10 research balloons from Hokkaido University in Japan before, during and following the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Kellams said direct comparisons between the two years of data will provide insight into the impact of China’s pollution on air quality in Japan since the Chinese government implemented drastic measures to cut down air pollution before the Olympics.

"I learned a great deal while doing this research in Japan," Kellams said. "I was introduced to the dynamics of the atmosphere and its different layers, as well as how this can influence different kinds of pollution."

Kellams says he gained experience preparing instrumentation to measure the pollutants, and also launching weather balloons with the instruments attached.

Pietrzak says his time in Japan was a unique experience, and his research was a life-transforming experience.

"It seems obvious that pollution has detrimental effects on the Earth and its inhabitants. The most obvious solution to this would be to try eliminating as much pollution as possible, which requires radical lifestyle change," said Pietrzak. "Instead of studying pollution or any other field of scientific research further, I would rather work on simplifying my lifestyle."

Dr. Morris is a leading research in the transportion of air pollution over long distances, and he said the data Kellams and Pietrzak helped collect will better quantify how much air pollution China is generating, show how that pollution is affecting neighboring Japan and indicate the effectiveness of China's pollution control strategy for the Olympics.

Beyond the research, Kellams said the immersion in a new culture was enriching.

"I also had the chance to appreciate the Japanese culture and learn what it is like to interface with those from another country in a scientific research setting," Kellams said.