Nichole Ruiz Graduates from Barnard

I recently graduated from Barnard as a computational biology major and completed my senior thesis with the Commane Atmospheric Composition group. During my thesis, I studied the offshore transport of smoke from the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. I was especially interested in understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of the smoke plume, as well as identifying what large-scale physical processes drove the aerosols offshore. We found that the smoke plume traveled over 13,000 kilometers offshore into a nutrient-limited region of the Pacific Ocean and was in part driven by the southern California Santa Ana winds.

It was an absolute joy to work with the lab throughout my thesis, and to have the opportunity to conduct research with a group of such genuine and motivated scientists. One of the core values that attracted me to the lab (apart from the exciting research) was the emphasis on building a strong professional network through collaboration to enhance the quality and nuance of our research. Through my weekly updates with Roisin, hours of learning meteorological data tools with Yuwei and Andrew, nerding out about atmospheric science with Mira and Raghav, and meeting with scientists outside of Columbia to learn more about my thesis subject, I became involved in a network that thrives on curiosity of the natural world, and a drive to improve the crises humans have created. My experience with the lab was formative, and affirmed my decision to pursue a career in research– I’ll be starting my PhD in Ocean Sciences at the University of Miami this coming fall! I leave Columbia and the lab feeling empowered in my research abilities, and hopeful for a future of collaboration within the atmospheric science community. I am really grateful to have been a part of this lab.