Project Roomie 3: An undergraduate group project building an improved infrared spectral photometer
2023-09-01
Summary
Project Roomie 3 was an undergraduate physics research project concerned with building an, "Improved spectral photometer for undergraduate observations of atmospheric infrared heat flux and greenhouse gas absorption bands." Our team consisted of our primary investigator, Gerard T. Blanchard; my three teammates, Bryce A. Bowlsbey, James R. Dyess, and Ryan D. Rumsey; and myself, Justin B. Woodring. After completing the engineering aspect of the project the resulting equipment was attached to a weather balloon provided by LaACES (Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students) which is funded through LaSPACE grant-consortium's joint partnership with NASA. The equipment collected data on atmospheric infrared heat flux and greenhouse gas absorption bands. The data was later analyzed and presented at the Louisiana Academy of Sciences 2022 Annual Meeting and more recently the work was published in American Journal of Physics in 2023.