Mira Modi Graduates From Barnard
I just finished up three years working in the Commane Atmospheric Composition group and I’m really proud to share all of the work that I have done in that time. I joined the lab in the summer of 2024, and my first project involved designing a methane flux chamber to measure CH4 emissions at manholes. Andrew and I spent the summer working to construct the chamber and ensure it did not leak. We tested it out at Lamont and learned that temperature, pressure, and days since rain are important factors in CH4 emissions from sewers.
In 2025, I joined the TEEMS project, measuring methane in East Harlem and the Upper East Side. My senior thesis was titled “Characterizing Sources of Methane in Upper Manhattan Using Vehicle-Based Street Sampling,” and I investigated what the dominant sources of methane were in each neighborhood as well as the impact of steam-heating on this. I found that natural gas was the most dominant methane source in both East Harlem and the Upper East Side.
It was a fascinating project, and I was so excited to contribute to a growing body of literature on street level driving surveys in urban cores. My experience at this lab was incredibly positive, with such a supportive team and incredible leadership. I knew how unique it was to find such a wonderful lab and I have learned so much from them, about effective scientific communication as well as what good science looks like.