The Second Annual New York Capital Region Applied Spectroscopy Symposium 

The presentation will focus on how a scientist with a background in development of optical instrumentation for fundamental molecular luminescence spectroscopic studies and applications in sensing established a productive research program in aerogel materials. Aerogels are solid materials with simply remarkable properties, including unusually high surface area, low density, and low thermal conductivity. These properties render aerogels useful in a wide variety of areas, from insulation to sensing, and from art to catalysis. This presentation will include an overview of how aerogel materials are made, highlight some prominent applications of aerogels and include recent work from the Union College Aerogel Lab, where an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students and faculty members is focusing on aerogel materials for sustainable building and automotive pollution mitigation applications.