Inhaling dirty air same as if kids smoke
CNN - April 21, 2008   Children are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution because their lungs don't fully form until they are adolescents. They also have higher exposure because  they  tend to spend more time outside than adults.  ... Michael Chang, an atmospheric research scientist at GEORGIA TECH in Atlanta,  is responsible for monitoring air quality and issuing smog alerts in Atlanta. He also tries to educate residents by telling them to pay attention to the warnings. Many parts of the U.S. are now transitioning to higher temperatures and more humid summers.  "The stuff we put into the atmosphere lingers longer" Chang said. He compared the air quality in many big cities to a chemical soup of thousands of compounds, including ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. ( full story...  | Michael Chang )

Georgia Air Quality & Climate Summit to be held May 6-7  on Georgia Tech campus

A biennial forum for the exchange of information related to all aspects of air quality and climate in Georgia, this year's  summit will be held on May 6 at the Ferst Center for the Arts on the campus of Georgia Tech and continue on May 7 at the GTRI Conference Center located in Midtown Atlanta.

Delegates will hear what our scientific, government, and business leaders believe about climate change in Georgia and any, actions they may be taking in response. In turn, delegates will respond with advice on ways in which a concerted and comprehensive statewide climate action plan might be developed. Finally, participants will learn about the latest developments in Georgia's air quality - from new air quality standards, to managing smoke from prescribed burning in forests, to what one needs to know about smog and exercise. ( more info/register to attend )

Faster test detects fake Tamiflu drugs
Forbes - April 7, 2008  A fast method to detect fake Tamiflu, the mainstay medication for preventing and treating bird flu, has been developed to stop counterfeiters trying to make money off the demand for antivirals that fight the deadly disease. Chemists in Georgia are scheduled to describe how Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS) can determine the authenticity of large batches of Tamiflu up to 20 times faster than conventional methods. "It's a one-step process that doesn't require any extensive sample preparation,"  said Dr. Facundo M. Fernandez, of the GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY in Atlanta. (full story... | Facundo Fernandez )

Finding the best foot forward
Naturenews - March 12, 2008   Professor Dan Goldman, a physics professor from Georgia Tech, and his group has discovered a way to predict, from the size and mass of an animal’s foot, how much speed it will lose as the material over which the animal is moving changes, e.g., from hard packed to loose sand. These findings may help design better robots for planetary exploration and other purposes.  ( article-pdf |    spreken zie deutsch?  - audio clip | Goldman Crab Lab )

Recent awards & honors
We'd like to acknowledge  our student and faculty  award & honor recipients. If we've missed anyone please let us know for inclusion in next month's edition!  ( full story... )