CAREER: A Multiscale Study of Heavy Particle Transport in Sparse Canopies

植物冠层中的颗粒扩散是一个创新和综合性的项目，旨在整合大学水平的研究和教育，并将学习扩展到湖城当地高中。 它的目的是高峰学生在科学研究的兴趣，而他们参加实验室活动集中在关键假设的颗粒大气传输通过和以上植物冠层与大气标量运输和植物病理学在农业和自然生态系统中的应用。 该项目是建立在学习理论，并整合了气象学，生物学，物理学，工程学和数学学科。它是PI长期职业计划的一部分，与大学的使命一致，并满足学院和部门的目标。通过大气的粒子传输在许多生态系统中起着重要作用。这些生态系统的很大一部分通过植物冠层与大气层接触。 了解通过这些林冠，林冠和上覆大气之间，以及断开的林冠之间的传输对于了解这些生态系统如何运作以及如何管理任何积极或消极的影响至关重要。该项目的研究目标旨在调查这些问题，并对开发净生态系统通量的改进模型和防止导致植物疾病的空气传播病原体的传播至关重要。教育目标解决了NSF鼓励更多妇女和少数民族参加学术课程的优先事项，为STEM相关职业做准备。 包括一个广泛的评估计划，将跟踪参与学生对高中STEM职业的态度，并跟踪三年STEM课程的课程入学情况。 同样，学生跟踪将发生在本科阶段，招生数据是从每个犹他州高中，饲料到犹他州大学。智力MeritThe智力价值的项目来自于使用不同的方法来开发一个新的全面了解冠层几何形状的影响，在很宽的空间尺度上的流动动力学和粒子输运。 这种理解将导致新的模型，可以解释动量传输和粒子扩散的植物冠层，促进询问和回答有关冠层几何形状如何影响生态系统功能和服务，生态系统如何连接景观，粮食生产，农业生产者的经济安全，一般重粒子扩散的问题。 现有的重粒子扩散和沉积到植物冠层和从植物冠层沉积的模型没有包括水平异质性的影响（例如，植物和土地覆盖过渡之间的非植被空间）对流动动力学的影响。PI的目标是开发改进的模型，可以捕捉在广泛的空间尺度上的水平异质性的影响，以造福自然和农业系统。更广泛的影响通过与生物学家的直接合作，该项目将包含一个强大的跨学科组成部分，为研究生提供独特的经验，在他们的核心学科之外工作，并促进工程，大气科学和生物学之间的互动。这些跨学科的好处将延伸到本科生和高中水平在犹他州。积极的（动手）实验室经验将被设计为促进教学，培训和学习在所有这些级别，并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与。虽然目标是让学生参与，但该计划的一个关键组成部分将是高中教师的参与和培训及其对STEM入学的影响。该项目的成果将通过该项目的网站和参加高中和大学科学教育会议的人员广泛传播。社会将从研究中受益，从而更好地管理自然资源和作物生产。

Particle Dispersion in Plant Canopies is an innovative and comprehensive project designed to integrate research and education at the university level and to extend the learning to outreach at local area high schools in Salt Lake City. It is designed to peak student interest in scientific research while they participate in lab activities focused on key hypotheses regarding atmospheric transport of particles through and above plant canopies with applications to atmospheric scalar transport and plant pathology in agricultural and natural ecosystems. The project is well founded in learning theory and integrates the disciplines of meteorology, biology, physics, engineering and mathematics. It is part of the long-range career plan of the PI, is aligned with the University's mission, and meets College and Departmental goals.Particle transport through the atmosphere plays an important role in many ecosystems. Significant portions of these ecosystems interface with the atmosphere through plant canopies. Understanding the transport through these canopies, between canopies and the overlying atmosphere, and between disconnected canopies is critical to understanding how these ecosystems function, and how to manage any positive or negative effects. The research objectives of the project are designed to investigate these issues and are critical towards developing improved models for net ecosystem fluxes and to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens that cause plant diseases.The educational objectives address the NSF priority of encouraging more women and minorities to enroll in academic courses preparatory to STEM-related careers. An extensive evaluation plan is included that will track participating students' attitude toward STEM careers in high school and follow course enrollment in STEM courses for three years. Likewise, student tracking will occur at the undergraduate level, as enrollment data is available from each of the Utah high schools that feed into the University of Utah.Intellectual MeritThe intellectual merit of the project comes from the use of different approaches to develop a new comprehensive understanding of the impact of canopy geometry on flow dynamics and particle transport across a wide range of spatial scales. This understanding will lead to new models that can account for momentum transport and particle dispersion in and above plant canopies facilitating the asking and answering of questions related to how canopy geometry affects ecosystem functioning and services, how ecosystems are connected across landscapes, food production, the economic security of agricultural producers, and general heavy particle dispersion. Existing models for the dispersion and deposition of heavy particles to and from plant canopies fail to include the effect of horizontal heterogeneity (e.g., non-vegetated space between plants and land-cover transitions) on flow dynamics. The PI's goal is to develop improved models that can capture the effect of horizontal heterogeneity over a wide range of spatial scales to benefit natural and agricultural systems.Broader ImpactsThrough direct collaboration with biologists, this project will contain a strong interdisciplinary component giving graduate students unique experience working outside their core discipline and promoting interaction between engineering, atmospheric science and biology. These interdisciplinary benefits will extend to undergraduate students and to the high school level in Utah. The active (hands-on) laboratory experiences will be designed to promote teaching, training, and learning at all of these levels, and to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups. While the goal is to engage the students, a critical component of this program will be the involvement and training of high school teachers and their effect upon STEM enrollment. Results of the project will be disseminated broadly through the project's web site and conference attendance at high school and college science education conferences. Society in general will benefit from research leading to better management of natural resources and crop production.