  Lindsey Klinge  Lindsey Klinge  National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention
2011  Chemistry PhD Candidate  I am a transfer student from the
University of Pennsylvania to Drexel University. I earned a BA
in Chemistry and Mathematics from the State University of New
York at Purchase College in 2011, and I was a SULI Intern at
Brookhaven National Laboratory for several years during my
undergraduate career. Presently, I study both physical and
analytical chemistry, and I work for Dr. Peter DeCarlo in the
Drexel  Air Resources Research Laboratory (DARRL).  My primary
research interest is in characterizing aerosol particulate
matter harmful to human respiratory health. Diesel soot has a
fractal-like morphology that is much harder to model than
spherical particulate. Additionally, diesel soot is quite
hygroscopic, which means the particles readily adsorb water. The
size of diesel soot particles can vary depending on humidity,
which in turn may increase or decrease the