AQ Buffs 2026: Annual Student-Led Air Quality Symposium

A CU Boulder student-led air quality research symposium

Date: Friday, February 27, 2026

Location: SEEC Auditorium (C120), CU Boulder East Campus

Join us for the Second AQ Buffs Air Quality Research Symposium, a student-led event designed to connect CU and Colorado Front Range students conducting air quality research. This symposium fosters collaboration and networking within the CU community, among different Colorado Front Range institutions, while engaging with Colorado-based industry and government representatives in the air quality field.

Meeting Program

The meeting will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and will feature research talks, a poster session, a career panel,  a networking lunch, and a keynote talk, providing a platform to share your work, develop your presentation skills, and build professional connections.

Schedule (subject to change):

Panel discussion: Career Paths in Air Quality

We are excited to host a career panel discussion with representatives from a variety of Air Quality career paths, including industry, academia, national lab, and federal and state government. 

	Dr. Tehya Stockman, Air Quality Policy and Program Specialist with Adams County, Colorado
	Sam DiBaggio, EH&S Data and Analytics Engineer, Ovintiv
	Dr. Shantanu Jathar, Associate Professor, Colorado State University
	Dr. Qing Ye, Research Scientist V, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
	Dr. Kelsey Bilsback, Principal Scientist, PSE Healthy Energy

Keynote 

Abstract

A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it deepened our understanding of how diseases spread through the air. However, gaps in knowledge remain about the detailed mechanisms of transmission and the effectiveness of engineering-based interventions in real-world settings. This seminar will feature findings from two studies, one on ventilation and one on ionization. Using a novel experimental setup resembling childcare settings, we studied the impact of ventilation rate on influenza virus transmission between ferrets. We exposed four recipient ferrets to a donor infected with influenza virus at low and high ventilation rates. Surprisingly, the transmission efficiency of the virus was 50% in both cases. In the second study, we evaluated the effectiveness of in-duct ionization for reducing airborne bacterial contamination in a large lecture hall. We collected bioaerosol samples at multiple locations in the room with the ionizer on and off. Ionization did not significantly reduce total bacterial concentrations nor culturable bacterial counts. These findings highlight the need to account for behavioral and environmental factors when designing engineering-based interventions for airborne disease transmission.

Bio

Linsey Marr is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research group studies pollutants in indoor and outdoor air. She is especially interested in emissions of microorganisms into the air and how they are transformed in the environment. Prior to the pandemic, she was one of a small number of researchers who studied viruses in the air. Marr is a MacArthur Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research, American Geophysical Union, and International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate. She received a B.S. in engineering science from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and completed her post-doctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Key Deadlines

• Abstract submission and participant registration open: January 9, 2026
• Abstract submission close: February 6, 2026
• Abstract decisions made by February 13, 2026
• Late-breaking poster submission close: February 17
• Participant-only registration close: February 17

Register here to attend

Please fill out this form to register to attend or to submit an abstract to present.

Photo competition

The symposium also features an air quality-inspired photo competition. Submit your photos related to AQ research or AQ impacts in the form below. No AI-generated photos are allowed. Attendees will vote on the submitted photos during the symposium and the winning photo will receive a prize!

Use the registration link above to submit your photo to the competition.

Photo competition winners must be present at the event in order to claim their award.
 

Cost

Free to attend. Participants must register using the link above by February 6, 2026 so we can arrange catering orders. Lunch, coffee, and snacks will be served.

Posters can be printed for a fee at InkSpot at the UMC, INSTAAR in SEEC, ITLL at the Engineering Center, FedEx, and many other locations.

Organizing committee

Environmental Engineering Graduate Students:Betsy Farris, Dorian Schwartz, Gabriela Cortes, Grace Berg, Kate Rodelli, Rileigh Robertson.

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Students:Esther Ozuruoha, Jeong Eun Kim.

Chemistry Graduate Students: Lee Feinman, Matt Shulman.

Faculty Adviser:Marina Vance

Interested in joining our organizing committee? Please email Rileigh Robertson for more information.

Inclusion and Accessibility

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to providing equal access to individuals with disabilities. If you are planning to attend this event and require accommodations, please contact Marina Vance no later than 7 days before the event. We will make all reasonable efforts to fulfill requests submitted after the deadline.

Sponsors

A big thank you this year's sponsors!

CU Boulder Sponsors

Environmental Engineering (EVEN) Program, University of Colorado Boulder.

Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Colorado Boulder.

Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG), University of Colorado Boulder.

Industry Sponsors

Original Code Consulting

Original Code Consulting provides LabVIEW software development from instrument drivers to complete applications, and has decades of experience with atmospheric instrumentation.

2B Tech

2B Technologies develops analytical instruments for atmospheric and environmental measurements.

Would you like to become a sponsor? Please email Gabriela Cortes for more information.

Presentation List

Session I: Morning platform presentations

This session will run from 9:15 to 10:45 am. Presenters and titles are shown in bold.

Session II: Afternoon platform presentations

This session will run from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Presenters and titles are shown in bold.

Poster presentations

Posters will be available for viewing in the meeting room throughout the day and will be presented at 12:00 - 1:30 pm. Presenters and titles are shown in bold.

Meeting Archive

First AQ Buffs, 2025