UC TSR&TP
Trainee
Lee Anne Sgro
Lee Anne Sgro
Doctorate Student
University of California, Berkeley
As an undergraduate, Lee Anne Sgro pursued a double degree from Carnegie-Melon University in Mechanical Engineering and in Engineering and Public Policy. "I was very interested in how technology is integrated into society, and how people approach technology on a policy level," Sgro explains. During her sophomore year she participated in a Department of Energy research project at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, while attending two classes at UC Berkeley. One class on air pollution was taught by Catherine Koshland from the School of Public Health at Berkeley. "I became familiar with Professor Koshland's work, which was especially interesting because it combined air pollution issues with mechanical engineering and public policy," said Sgro.
Upon graduation from Carnegie-Melon University, Lee Anne applied to the Masters Program in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. For the past two years, Sgro has been working closely with Professor Koshland, performing research on reduction of combustion pollution. Using a bench scale, combustion driven, flow reactor, she has analyzed several processes that occur in the post-flame region of the reactor. "By varying several factors such as temperature, compound concentration, or amount of oxygen, we're hoping to establish a fingerprint of each reaction and how to control it, "said Sgro. "Unfortunately, the industry standards for emissions have been based on destruction of a parent compound, so as that form of the toxic substance has been eliminated, the reactor is considered 'toxicant compliant'. The reality of the situation is that by-products are being produced from some of these reactions, and some of those by-products are more toxic than the parent compound." Recently, the research team constructed a new bench scale reactor. In this reactor, the important parameters related to combustion can be controlled independently of each other. "We will have more control over the reaction and a better ability to watch the stages of the reaction process," said Sgro. "With this reactor, we will be able to determine what type of conditions are needed to acheive complete destruction of a substance, where no toxic by-products are generated." So far, Koshland's research team has established that for some compounds there is an ideal range of temperatures for the destruction of each substance. Although a reactor may be running extremely hot (1000-1500 degrees K) to destroy a compound completely, due to the hot temperature, it may form another compound that is more toxic. Sgro hopes to establish the exact temperature ranges for complete breakdown of halogenated hydrocarbon compounds. In addition to her graduate research work, Lee Anne Sgro also volunteers as a physics tutor for high school students from Martinez, CA. She enjoys teaching, and upon completion of the Ph.D. program at UC Berkeley, Sgro hopes to combine teaching with work as a consultant. She values her experience as a UC Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program Trainee. "I think it's interesting and helpful to see all of the different fields. The UC Toxics Program has allowed me to continue my interest in both mechanical engineering as well as public policy," said Lee Anne Sgro. "I have been fortunate to have support to continue my pursuit of an 'out of department' minor."
| <-Sept/Oct. 1995 |