Award winner: Rachel O’Brien, an assistant professor in William & Mary’s Department of Chemistry, recently received a five-year CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to continue her research, which she is doing with a team of undergraduate W&M students, two masters students and a third graduate student joining the group in the fall. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Photo - of - by Adrienne Berard | May 25, 2021
It took a pandemic for the world to understand the importance of something Rachel O’Brien has been researching for the better part of two decades.
O’Brien, an assistant professor in William & Mary’s Department of Chemistry, is an expert on tiny airborne particles known as aerosols. Aerosols are created when fine solid bits or teeny liquid droplets are suspended in air or another gas. Dust, haze and smoke are all examples of aerosol