Air Quality Data Analysis Internship - Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)

The Air Quality Data Analysis team at SAO is a world leader in the measurement of a variety of trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere from satellites and airplanes, using backscattered solar ultraviolet and visible radiation. They’ve developed algorithms for the retrieval of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, bromine monoxide, formaldehyde, water vapor, glyoxal, and sulfur dioxide. These gases are produced from a variety of natural and manmade sources, including the burning of fossil fuels, industrial production, volcanic activity, biogenic byproducts and biomass burning. The team has produced products from instruments on NASA and European meteorological satellites, as well as instruments flown on NASA’s research airplanes.

This internship will teach students how to analyze the spatiotemporal distributions of trace gases. For example, an intern might analyze OMI and OMPS products over Central America to determine spatial patterns in the distribution of formaldehyde. Their findings would then contribute to the team’s plan of taking remote sensing measurements of trace gases in the Panama Isthmus, which is part of a new Grand Challenge Award between SAO and STRI. Interns will also gain hands-on experience in real scientific collaboration, and further their understanding of atmospheric physics and chemistry.

Apply Through: SOLAA

Application Deadline: Currently not accepting applications

Stipend: $500 per week

Term: 1-3 months

Eligibility: An undergraduate or graduate student with the following attributes would benefit most from this internship.

• An interest in physics, chemistry, and the study of the atmosphere
• Knowledge of programming language (such as IDL, MATLAB or Python)
• A desire to work with big data sets and learn how to study them

Contact Email: ggonzalezabad@cfa.harvard.edu

Contact Phone: 617-496-7938