Morphology of Aerosols from Combustion
Una studied the health and climate relevant properties of aerosols generated from flaring operations. This included the mixing state of soot and salt particles produced by flares from oil and gas operations. She used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to visualize particle morphology. This work has also led to the development of 3-D models of soot particles to better understand the morphology of soot. The images below show renderings of 2 different soot solid models as well as 2-D TEM images of particles from different combustion sources. The wildfire particles were collected at UBC during the major smoke episodes of summer 2018.
Before beginning her graduate studies Una completed a dual degree, a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering and a B.A. in modern languages and literature, from Montana State University where she was a member of the NCAA ski team. After her undergraduate studies she worked as a reliability engineer for SKF Canada Ltd. developing maintenance programs for clients to improve reliability of rotating equipment. In her spare time Una likes to spend time in the mountains skiing, mountain biking and climbing.