Binaku, Katrina

Advanced Lecturer


Education

Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2014, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Chicago
B.S. Chemistry, Criminal Justice, 2008, Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

Research Interests

Multi-variate statistics serve as a valuable tool to uncover relationships between air pollutant(s) and meteorology. Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) exemplify such statistical methods, unveiling linear relationships between specific air pollutants [trace gasses and soluble aerosol species] concentrations and meteorological variables like temperature, wind speed, wind direction, etc. Daily physical sampling and quantification of aerosols, gas monitors for trace gasses, as well as a weather station to record meteorology in Chicago was required to build the data sets used to test several hypotheses regarding variability of air pollutants’ concentrations and use of CCA, PCA.

Although my interest remains in air pollution and statistical analysis, my current focus is undergraduate teaching. Continuous development and adaptation of lab experiments for an ever-changing student population has been underway since my start as a full-time faculty member at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Chicago in 2013. Notably, establishing standardization of course content across all first-year laboratory sections through effective coordination and communication stands out as an accomplishment that enhances consistency of student learning and feedback. I am also directly involved in revising course structure and content for the first two years of introductory chemistry lecture & lab courses.

Courses Taught

Publications/Research Listings