CEE PhD student Ganesh Subramanian has received a prestigious fellowship from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for his work investigating indoor air pollutants. The ASHRAE’s Grant-in-Aid Fellowship program provides support for students pursuing an education related to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration, and encourages them to continue collaborating with ASHRAE in their careers.
Ganesh’s selection to the fellowship is related to his PhD work, “Discerning the emission rates, chemical composition, and oxidative potential of particles emitted from commonly used indoor sources”, which he pursues under the guidance of associate professor Vishal Verma.
At its core, Ganesh’s research focuses on understanding the health effects of particulate matter (PM) exposure in indoor environments. Through controlled-chamber experiments, he quantifies chemical and toxicological properties of commonly used indoor PM sources such as candles, humidifiers, air fryers, incense, etc., and works to develop an inventory that tracks and informs users on emissions produced by these sources. He additionally performs experiments in real-world environments to investigate how building characteristics like floor area, open windows and ventilation effect indoor PM exposure.
Already in his career, Ganesh’s work has generated several significant outcomes, including a demonstration of human-generated aerosols from sources such as skin/clothing, and the use of his emissions inventory to reveal how exposure to certain indoor sources for just one-hour could result in toxic PM exposure equivalent to inhaling outdoor ambient PM for an entire day. These accomplishments and his continuing work contribute to the growing understanding of how residential PM impacts human health.
In addition to his ASHRAE fellowship, Ganesh has also received the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) scholarship award for his academic excellence and professionalism.