Team

CREATE AQI brings together a strong team of researchers and decision-makers in Northern Utah with expertise in air quality, embedded systems, children's and student athlete's health, and decision-making.

Kerry E. Kelly
Title: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Email: kerry.kelly@utah.edu

Kerry Kelly (PI), Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, has expertise in cost-effective air quality sensor measurements, data quality, and Utah’s air quality.  She served 8 years on Utah’s air quality board and currently serves on Utah’s air quality policy board.

Heather Holmes
Title: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Email: h.holmes@utah.edu

Heather Holmes (coPI), Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, has extensive expertise in air quality modeling, wildfire smoke transport modeling, and human exposure modeling of ambient pollutant concentrations. She received an NSF CAREER award and a Fulbright scholar award to Australia. She serves on Utah’s air quality policy advisory board.

Sara Yeo
Title: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Email: sara.yeo@utah.edu

Sara Yeo (coPI), Associate Professor, Communication, specializes in science and risk communication. Currently, she is interested in how emotions and humor affect the formation of public attitudes toward science and technology.

Derek Mallia
Title: Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Email: derek.mallia@utah.edu

Derek Mallia (coPI), Research Associate Professor, Atmospheric Sciences, has extensive expertise in dust transport and modeling.

Dr. Ross T. Whitaker
Title: Professor, School of Computing
Email: whitaker@cs.utah.edu

Ross Whitaker (coPI), Professor, School of Computing, has extensive expertise in image processing and statistical modeling.  He has been developing strategies to automatically screen low-cost air sensor data and accurately visualize air quality in complex terrain.

Alejandra Maldonado
Title: Toxicologist and Assessment Manager, Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Alejandra Maldonado is a toxicologist and assessment manager for Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). She serves on DHHS’s Air Quality Workgroup, which provides public health and inter-agency risk communication during poor air-quality events.

Gilbert Castaneda
Title: Health Assessor, Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Gilbert Castaneda is the health assessor for Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). He also has significant air quality experience.

Nancy Daher
Title: Associate Professor, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine (DFPM), Division of Occupational & Environmental Health (OEH)

Nancy Daher, associate professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Family & Preventive Medicine (DFPM), Division of Occupational & Environmental Health (OEH). Her interests span a wide range of air quality topics, including particle sampling methods and exposure generation systems, source apportionment, as well as toxico-chemical characterization of fine, coarse, and ultrafine particles.

Teri Davis
Title: Physical Education/Curriculum Content Specialist, Utah Board of Education

Teri Davis, Specialist Curriculum Content, Media/Instructional Materials Center, PE Specialist, and Curriculum Content Specialist with the Utah Board of Education.

Brenan Jackson
Title:Assistant Director, Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA)

Brenan Jackson, Assistant Director of the Utah High School Activities Association.

Jesse Joseph
Title:Asthma Program Coordinator, Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Jesse Joseph is the DHHS Utah Asthma Program Coordinator.

Nichole Shepard
Title:Asthma & Healthy Aging Program Manager, Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Nichole Shepard is the DHHS Asthma & Healthy Aging Program Manager.

Lisa Walker
Title: Licensed Athletic Trainer, Springville High School

Lisa Walker, Licensed Athletic Trainer, Springville High School.  Lisa has also served as a past chair of and is a current member of the Board of Utah Athletic Trainers Association.

Lexie Wilson
Title: Air Quality Scientist, Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

Lexie Wilson, air quality scientist, Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

Tristalee Mangin
Title: Project Manager and Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering
Email: tristalee.mangin@utah.edu

Tristalee Mangin, project manager and PhD student with expertise in low-cost sensors and data science.

Raven Reitstetter
Title: Senior Engineer, Chemical Engineering
Email: raven.reitstetter@utah.edu

Raven Reitstetter, senior chemical engineer, has experience with chemical sensors and analytical chemistry.

Kai Wilmot
Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Atmospheric Science

Kai Wilmot, post-doctoral fellow, Atmospheric Science. Kai has expertise in air quality forecasting and an interest in developing an understanding of how dust and wildfire aerosols are impacting the American West and how this may further inform our understanding of the role of aerosols on the global scale.

Sergio Armendariz
Title: Graduate Student, Sociology

Sergio Armendariz is a Doctoral student in the Department of Sociology, and he specializes in qualitative methodology. Additionally, Sergio serves as the recruitment coordinator for the HAPPIEST project at the University of Utah.

Maxwell Gesteland
Title: Undergraduate Student, Computer Science

Maxwell Gesteland is an undergraduate student in computer science with significant experience in software development and web-based data visualization. Maxwell is currently serving as a research assistant.