DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES

Research Interests

My research is dedicated to understanding and addressing the disproportionate impact of traffic-related air pollution on historically marginalized populations in urban environments. This work employs high-resolution chemical transport models to evaluate the effectiveness of policy interventions, such as zero-emission vehicles, in improving public health and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in air pollution exposure. I also work on improving the representation of traffic-related emissions, particularly those associated with freight transport, within regulatory models. My goal is to leverage this research to better inform real-life policies to advocate for healthier, more equitable air quality in urban environments and advance issues of environmental justice.

Awards & Fellowships

Marion Sloss Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (2024)
International Society of Exposure Science's First Place Student New Researcher Poster Competition (2023)
Data Science Fellowship (2022, Northwestern University)
Dhirenda Sikdar Scholarship (2021, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Chancellor’s Graduate Award (2020 & 2021, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award (2020, Northern Illinois University)

Selected Publications

Lang, V. A., Turner, T. J., Selbig, B. R., Harris, A. R., & Kahl, J. D. W. (2022). Predicting Peak Wind Gusts during Specific Weather Types with the Meteorologically Stratified Gust Factor Model, Weather and Forecasting, 37(8), 1435-1446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-21-0201.1

Fritzen, R., Lang, V., & Gensini, V. A. (2021). Trends and Variability of North American Cool-Season Extratropical Cyclones: 1979–2019, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 60(9), 1319-1331. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-20-0276.1