Dr. James Sherman is a well known name around campus. Not only does he teach in the Physics and Astronomy Department, but he also leads the collaborative research at the AppalAir facility on campus, along with Dr. Neufeld in the Biology department. Dr. Sherman has been awarded several grants for various research projects, and this past summer, Ethan Barber was fortunate enough to travel to Spain with him as Dr. Sherman's research assistant. Malagaa, Spain hosted the European Aerosol Conference this past September where keynote speakers came from the US, Italy, Australia, and Greece. The purpose of the conference, as stated on their website is to bring together scientists, engineers, researchers, companies, institutions and users involved in science, technology, impact, measurements, and characterization of aerosols either coming from natural sources or having anthropogenic origin. Recent advances on atmospheric aerosols, indoor aerosols, health effects & medical devices, aerosol technology, instrumentation or basic aerosol processes form the main core of the conference topics.
Ethan had this to say about his experience:
Dr. Sherman and I were fortunate to embark on an enriching journey to Málaga, Spain this semester, where we had the privilege to participate in the European Aerosol Conference 2023. During this event, we had the opportunity to share our work, build valuable connections with colleagues from around the globe, and gain insights from their expertise. Not only did this experience allow me to *attempt* to communicate in my very basic Spanish, but it also provided us with a platform for collaboration with scientists from institutions that share our research focus and employ similar instrumentation as we do at AppalAIR (Appalachian Atmospheric Interdisciplinary Research site). Moreover, we were granted the chance to engage with various equipment vendors who produce the innovative instruments we have recently integrated into our research projects as part of the new grants awarded to our group. A surprising highlight of the trip was running into a former Appalachian State student, who graduated from the Chemistry Department several years ago and is now a post-doctoral researcher working in the Swiss Alps. This journey was an extraordinary and transformative experience that pushed me beyond my comfort zone, as I interacted with leading scientists and researchers in their respective fields. I am deeply grateful for this unique opportunity and highly recommend that other students seek out research groups in areas of their interest and become involved as soon as possible.
