E15: Wildfire Research, Part Two | Nan (Nancy) Ma, Assistant Professor, and Rachel Hurley, PhD Candidate, Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering
Researchers across departments at WPI are studying how wildfires start, spread, and impact communities. In this episode of The WPI Podcast, Nan (Nancy) Ma, assistant professor, and Rachel Hurley, PhD candidate, both in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, discuss their work to understand the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor environments. Ma studies the effects of smoke exposure on children’s sleep health. Hurley conducts research on how building materials found indoors absorb and re-emit smoke particles. This is the second of two episodes focused on wildfire-related research at WPI. See Episode 13 for a discussion with researchers in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering about their studies on wildfire behavior.Related links:Wildfires ExplainedWPI Experts on WildfiresPublished study referred to in Nancy Ma interviewEPA information on protecting yourself from wildfire smoke indoorsAmerican Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers: wildfire response resources