Dr. James Boulter,
Assistant Professor

Analytical &

Atmospheric

Chemistry

Current CV (pdf)

with my labradoodle, Marty  

Current weather conditions at UWEC

Sustainability at UWEC

The MasterSingers

UWEC ACS Student Affiliates (ACS-SA)

Professional preparation

Courses

Research

Chemistry of atmospheric ices

My current research activities are focused on laboratory investigations to better understand the temperature-dependent microscale morphology and heterogeneous reactivity of ice cloud particles in the terrestrial middle atmosphere and in planetary atmospheres.  Earlier research efforts have been broadly distributed around topics related to heterogeneous chemistry and of atmospheric particulate matter.  After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University, I worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO to develop and evaluate heterogeneous photocatalytic techniques for the destruction of toxic waste, both in gas-phase and aqueous waste streams.  In my doctoral research, I designed and evaluated a sampling inlet to isolate and analyze atmospheric aerosol particles.  I also participated in field measurements of atmospheric ozone uptake over the arctic snowpack at Summit, Greenland.  My postdoctoral work included laboratory experiments to evaluate possible heterogeneous reactions of atomic oxygen on meteoritic dust and water ice surfaces representative of particles present in the terrestrial middle atmosphere.  In each case, I have enjoyed finding opportunities to work across the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines to apply tools of chemistry to environmental, atmospheric and planetary sciences.

Recent student presentations

• Doering, S.R., Strobush, K.M., Boulter, J.E. “Effect of dissociated oxygen on the infrared spectra of low-temperature water ice films” 237^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Salt Lake City, UT, 25 March 2009, Abstract Phys330

• Morgan, C.G., Boulter, J.E., Doering, S.R., Vane, R. “Low-Power Remote Plasma Cleaning” 51^st Society of  Vacuum Coaters Technical Conference, Chicago, IL, 24 April 2008, Abstract P-17

• Volkert, A.A., Boulter, J.E., “LC-MS analysis of biogenic carbonyl compounds using novel derivatization agents” 235^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New Orleans, LA, 7 April 2008, Abstract CHED1104

• Strobush, K.M., Doering, S.R., Boulter, J.E., “Low-temperature ammonia ices: Structure and interactions with organic adsorbates” 235^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New Orleans, LA, 9 April 2008, Abstract PHYS630

• Hooper, M.C., Strobush, K.M., Boulter, J.E., “Ethylene adsorption on crystalline and amorphous water ice.” Abstracts of Papers, 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Chicago, IL; 26 March 2007; CHED 1413

Publications

• S.R. Doering, K.M. Strobush, J. Marschall, J.E. Boulter, “The effect of microwave-frequency discharge-activated oxygen on the microscale structure of low-temperature water ice films” J. Chem. Phys. 131 (2009) in press.

• Boulter, J.E., Marschall, J., “Measurement of Effective Knudsen Diffusion Coefficients for Powder Beds used in Heterogeneous Uptake Experiments” J. Phys. Chem. A 110 (2006) 10444-10455, doi: 10.1021/jp062866i.

• Marschall, J., Boulter, J.E., “An Analytic Model for Atom Diffusion and Heterogeneous Recombination in a Porous Medium” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 39 (2006) 3849-3857, doi: 10.1088/0022-3727/39/17/022.

• Boulter, J.E., Cziczo, D.J.,  Middlebrook, A.M., Thomson, D.S., Murphy, D.M., “Design and Performance of a Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor” Aerosol Sci. & Tech. 40 (2006) 969-976, doi: 10.1080/02786820600840984.

        Note that the Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (PCVI) lives on in continuing work at NOAA, Boulder and several other locations!

• Boulter, J.E., Morgan, C.G., Marschall, J., “Ice Surfaces in the Mesosphere: Absence of Dangling Bonds in the Presence of Atomic Oxygen” Geophys. Res. Lett. 32 (2005) L14817, doi: 10.1029/2005GL022560.

• Helmig D., Boulter J., David D., Birks J., Cullen N., Steffen K., “Ozone and Meteorological Boundary-Layer Conditions at Summit, Greenland” Atmospheric Environment  36 (2002) 2595-2608, doi: 10.1016/S1352-2310(02)00129-2.

• Boulter, J.E., Development of a Low-Pressure “Counterflow Exchanging Virtual Impactor” for Aerosol Analysis and Measurement of Ozone Mixing Ratios and Meteorological Parameters through the Boundary Layer at Summit, Greenland. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Colorado at Boulder (2002)

• Boulter, J.E., Birks, J.W., “Gas-Phase Chemiluminescence Detection” in Chemiluminescence in Analytical Chemistry.  Ed. García-Campaña, A.M., Baeyens, W.  New York: Marcel Dekker, (2001) 349-391.

• Jacoby, W.A., Blake, D.M., Fennell, J.A., Boulter, J.E., Vargo, L.M., George, M.C., Dolberg, S.K., “Heterogeneous Photocatalysis for Control of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air” Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association. 46 (1996) 891-898, doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.08.018.

Funding

• NASA Geospace Sciences (with Co-I Jochen Marschall of SRI International): “Laboratory Studies of Atomic Oxygen Effects on Ice Formation and Structure in the Mesosphere”

• Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Award: “Laboratory Studies of Hydrocarbon Uptake on Mixed Ammonia Hydrate and Sulfide Ices Present in the Jovian Atmosphere”

• UWEC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs: Summer Research for Undergraduates Grants & Faculty/Student Collaboration Grants

Professional Affiliations

James E. Boulter, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry, Phillips 450

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

105 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54702
(715) 836-4175; boulteje@uwec.edu