Matthew Elrod, assistant professor of chemistry at Hope College, has received a "Cottrell College Science Award" from Research Corporation in support of his on-going research on ozone depletion.
According to Elrod, the precise nature of the
chemical reactions leading to ozone depletion is not yet
fully understood. One challenge, he noted, is that about
400 different chemical reactions are occurring in the
atmosphere simultaneously.
He explained that to understand how they
interrelate and eventually lead to depletion of the ozone
layer, the reactions must be studied one at a time. The
individual results can then be compiled and examined
together, such as through computer modeling.
Elrod is using the $32,900 grant from Research
Corporation to study a particular class of reactions
involving the methyl peroxy radical molecule which are
suspected to lead to ozone depletion.
Research Corporation is a foundation for the
advancement of science. The "Cottrell College Science
Program" supports basic research in chemistry, physics and
astronomy at public and private, predominantly undergraduate
colleges.
The projects recognized are judged on the basis of
originality, significance and feasibility. The involvement
of undergraduate students in meaningful ways is also a key
consideration. Between three and five Hope students work
with Elrod on his research, during the school year and
summer alike.
Elrod also received support for his research
through two grants in 1996: from the Camille and Henry
Dreyfus Foundation Inc., through the "Camille and Henry
Dreyfus Faculty Start-up Grant Program for Undergraduate
Institutions," and from the American Chemical Society
through its Petroleum Research Fund.
He joined the Hope faculty in 1996. He holds a
bachelor's degree from Grinnell College, and a doctorate
from the University of California at Berkeley.