Mari Lee

I am currently the interim Technical Director at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, serving the Environmental and Chemistry departments. I will be transitioning this September to a Visiting Associate Professorship in the Environmental Program, also at Colorado College.  I hold a BS degree in Chemistry from Hope College, in Holland, MI (2002) and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, MN (specialty: Physical Chemistry, co-advised between Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering, 2012).  My thesis research addressed issues related to global climate change. In particular, I studied new particle formation in the continental troposphere, a major source of cloud condensation nuclei, and thus contributing to regional cooling effects.  In the intervening years between undergrad and graduate school I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching chemistry and mathematics in rural Tanzania, East Africa. That sparked my interests in global public health issues, prompting me to conduct independent research on the exposure of women and children to indoor air pollution through the every day activity of cooking. In my free time I bike, rock climb, practice yoga and can often be found conversing over a good cup of coffee or pint of beer at the local brewpub.