Possible BSc and MSc Thesis Topics
Below you find a list of possible topics for BSc and MSc theses in our group.
Feel free to contact us for further project ideas.
Contacts:
Dr. Nicolas Bukowiecki
Prof. Dr. Markus Kalberer
Dr. Stavros Stagakis
Dr. Christian Feigenwinter
Dr. Roland Vogt
Aerosol generator characterization:
We generate lab based aerosol using different techniques. One uses the organic coating unit (OCU) developed by the FHNW which oxidizes gasphase organic precursors with ozone and OH radicals to produce secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Despite using it for several measurement campaigns so far we still lack knowledge of how the OCU operates. The experiments will involve producing SOA under different conditions and measure it in the lab.
Offline filter method development:
Offline methods for aerosol analysis are widely used across different fields. Despite the fact that different methods are used, no unified protocol for ROS analysis has yet been established. To achieve the optimal measurement it would be necessary to determine the extraction time, solvent, filter handling and so on.
Online measurements:
Although offline measurements may have a high spatial resolution, they lack good temporal resolution. Online measurements like our Online Particle bound Reactive Oxygen Species Instrument (OPROSI) can continuously output ROS data within 15 minutes. It could be possible to measure ambient aerosol at the DUW to see changes during the day or investigate different lab produce aerosol to investigate the interaction between the OPROSI and the aerosol.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Further characterization of an instrument which generates metal nanoparticles. The student would generate different metal nanoparticles (Fe, Ti, Ag) and characterize them in terms of number and mass output. Using high resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), the nanoparticles can be investigated further in order to determine size and morphology of the particles. Alternatively, it is possible to implement a numerical model simulating the metal nanoparticle growth process. The results can then be compared to experimental data.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Detailed chemical characterization of lab and atmospheric aerosol aerosol using HPLC-MS. Development of a novel method to quantify particle-bound ROS. Both possible thesis topics will mainly be lab work with occasional collection of atmospheric aerosol on the roof of our institute building.
Contact: Markus Kalberer
Theses on this topic can involve several scales of data analysis, modelling and field measurements. The projects can focus on micrometeorological data analysis from stations across Basel. Moreover, the in-situ data can be combined or compared to existing urban surface exchange and rural ecophysiological models. Finally, the projects on this subject can potentially involve intensive field measurements of plant/soil ecophysiological variables with portable equipment.
Contact: Stavros Stagakis
Theses on this topic would involve satellite time-series or airborne Lidar data processing for extracting vegetation variables, such as leaf area index and tree 3D structures, to characterize the spatial and temporal changes of urban biosphere. This topic involves the use of GIS software and/or code development. It can be linked with field measurements of leaf area index with portable equipment.
Contact: Stavros Stagakis