Faculty

Research Center Affiliation:

• Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center»

General Areas of Research:

· Pollution
· Sustainability
· Particles
· Nanotechnology
· Air Resources
· Biotechnology

Research Activities:

Lupita Montoya’s main area of research is the study of indoor air quality and the health effects of aerosols (a.k.a. particulate matter). She is especially interested in elucidating the role that various aerosols play in the development of disease or toxicity as well as developing methods for their measurement and control. In the case of allergenic aerosols, the focus is on the link to allergies and asthma. One major thrust of Montoya’s research is developing new mechanistic models for the study of these diseases. In this general area, Montoya is also trying to elucidate the connection between the physico-chemical characteristics of various nanoparticles (including carbon nanotubes) and possible effects in humans and environmental systems. Here, the focus is on the thorough physico-chemical characterization of the nanoparticles, including the development of new methods for evaluating surface energy of these particles, (since there are no standard methods available at this time). This work is presently being funded by the NSF Nanotech Center at Rensselaer and in collaboration with researchers in the Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science Departments at Rensselaer.

Present research in Montoya’s laboratory also includes the characterization of common indoor airborne pollutants and the development of instrumentation and techniques to detect, measure, model and control them.  One focus is the study and control of dispersion of particles in indoor environments and assessing human exposure to them. Collaborative research includes the development of experimental and computational models to assess these exposures. Funding is being sought to support research in the area of aerosol control (from nano- to super-micron sizes) using active flow control methods. This thrust is in close collaboration with researchers in the MANE department at Rensselaer. More recenly, our group is collaborating with researcers in the School of Architecture to sutdy the use of plants for improving air quality (e.g., through hydroponics indoors and green roofs outdoors). In this general area, Montoya is also working on the development and characterization of a personal air sampler for children.  This sampler is intended for applications in Public Health where large human exposure studies are often in need of small, affordable and rugged instrumentation. She is also starting to collaborate with researchers in the ECSE department on the development of sensors for environmental applications.

Finally, Montoya is developing a program in affordable and sustainable technologies for the developing world. So far, she has conducted most of this work within her design class (IED) and through independent projects with undergraduate students in various departments.  Montoya intends to continue this line of research and pursue further funding, particularly in the areas of indoor air quality, water, energy, and affordable housing. For these efforts, she has been able to secure funds through a Sustainable Visions grant from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (Lemelson Foundation) and the 2007/2008 Mondialogo Engineering Design competition through "An Ecological Home for the Andes", both in collaboration with colleagues at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru.