Laurel Watts

retired

Atmospheric Composition & Chemical Processes

Affiliation

CIRES

I am the principal software engineer in a research group that operates airborne sampling instruments on a variety of platforms. The instruments include the Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CIMS) instrument for nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and water, the Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) for black carbon measurements, two Ozone Photometers, a Frost Point Hygrometer for water vapor measurements, and a micrometeorological system for airborne pressure and temperature measurements. The aircraft platforms include those designed for high altitudes (NASA WB-57F and Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)), medium altitudes (NCAR GV), and low altitudes (NOAA WP-3D).

Education

PhD  Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
MS    Chemical Engineering, University of Maine, Orono
BS     Biochemistry, University of Maine, Orono
PE     Licensed Professional Engineer
CLD  Certified LabVIEW Developer

Research

LabView programming on Windows, Mac, PXI, cRIO and FPGA platforms for CIMS, ozone and SP2 instruments.

Current Topics

New ozone instrument for the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

last modified: June 01, 2020