Amgen Scholars: Announcements of Opportunity

Below are Announcements of Opportunity posted by Caltech faculty for the Amgen Scholars program.

Announcements of Opportunity are posted as they are received. Please check back regularly for new AO submissions! Remember: This is just one way that you can go about identifying a suitable project and/or mentor. For additional tips on identifying a mentor click here.

Please remember:

Students pursuing Amgen must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or students with DACA status.
Students pursuing Amgen must complete the 10-week program from June 21 - August 25, 2023. Students must commit to these dates. No exceptions will be made.
Accepted students must live in provided Caltech housing.

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Project:

Diurnal simulations of Venus atmospheric chemistry

Disciplines:

Multidisciplinary, Chemistry

Mentor:

Yuk Yung, Professor, (GPS), yly@caltech.edu, Phone: 626 395 6940

Mentor URL:

https://www.gps.caltech.edu/people/yuk-l-yung (opens in new window)

Background:

Venus’ atmosphere is composed predominantly of carbon dioxide and molecular nitrogen with trace abundances of other gases. Carbon dioxide splits into carbon monoxide and atomic oxygen when it absorbs ultraviolet sunlight. The reverse process to produce carbon dioxide proceeds via catalytic reactions involving hydrogen and chlorine compounds. For several decades, one-dimensional, global simulations of the reverse process have been unable to match key observations. Observations and modeling capability are now suitable for three-dimensional simulations of these chemical processes. We are extending our one-dimensional, global photochemical model to simulate diurnal-variations in Venus’ atmospheric chemistry to better simulate the catalytic chemistry that converts carbon monoxide and oxygen to carbon dioxide.

Description:

We seek a dependable student who is excited to delve into model development in planetary atmospheric chemistry. The student will work with their mentor to set up and run diurnal simulations of Venus atmospheric chemistry, design numerical experiments to test hypotheses, and compare diurnal photochemical simulations with observations and/or the results from a general circulation model. Research work may include literature review, assessment of published laboratory and quantum chemistry research, modification of numerical simulation routines, visualization of model output, and statistical analyses to compare model results with observations.

References:

Mills, F.P., Allen, M., 2007. A review of selected issues concerning the chemistry in Venus’ middle atmosphere. Plan. Sp. Sci. 55, 1729–1740. doi:j.pss.2007.01.012.

Yung, Y., DeMore,W., 1999. Photochemistry of Planetary Atmospheres. Oxford University Press, New York

Student Requirements:

The student should have experience in a general chemistry or physics lab or have taken lab courses in chemistry and physics.

Programs:

This AO can be done under the following programs:

		Program	Available To
		Amgen Scholars	Non-Caltech students only
		SURF	both Caltech and non-Caltech students

Click on a program name for program info and application requirements.

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