Suresh Dhaniyala, the Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor in Clarkson University's Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Department, has received a Fulbright-Nehru grant from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to study air quality and related health effects in India.

Suresh DhaniyalaHe will conduct his research and teaching activities in collaboration with faculty in the Environmental Health Engineering Department at Sri Ramachandra University (SRU), Chennai, India. His research will focus on understanding the contribution of very small airborne particles -- with diameters less than 100 nanometers -- to local air quality in India and their associated health effects.

These small particles are often formed as a result of combustion -- such as in vehicle engines, cook stoves and industrial processes. Populations that live close to highways and industrial areas are at a higher risk of inhaling these particles that could lead to health problems, including asthma, lung cancer and heart disease.

"There are unique health effects in India caused by exposure to small particles that we might not have here," Dhaniyala said. "In countries such as India, a larger proportion of the population lives closer to big pollution sources than here in the U.S. The combination of high concentrations of the smallest particles close to the emission sources and the number of people living near them could result in magnified health effects that need to be better understood."

Dhaniyala will work with SRU researchers to deploy next generation air quality monitors developed in his lab for long-term monitoring of the sub-100 nm particles, also called ultrafine particles. In addition, he will conduct workshops to advance local knowledge of air quality measurement techniques.

Dhaniyala said air quality in countries such as India and China has become a major public health issue and there is increasing awareness in these countries on the immediate need to effectively tackle this problem.

"There is definitely a big push to moderate and to keep track of air quality while also working on economic advances," he said.

Dhaniyala brings the number of Clarkson University faculty members to receive Fulbright Awards over the past decade up to 17. In all, 43 members of the faculty have received Fulbright Awards.

Dhaniyala joined the faculty at Clarkson in 2002. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota and has a master of science from the University of Delaware, and bachelor of technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States government and is designed to build relations between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.