Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Caltech Scientists to Discuss Post-Fire Air Quality in Online Event

Researchers to share data on pollution levels and health impacts following 2025 Los Angeles wildfires

Caltech in Pasadena will host an online discussion about air quality and health concerns following the recent Los Angeles fires.

The free webinar, “Conversations After the Fires: Air Quality and Health,” will take place Friday, May 2, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Scientists from Caltech, JPL and other institutions will share findings from their research on air pollution after the 2025 Los Angeles fires. These researchers began collecting and analyzing data immediately when the fires broke out.

Caltech graduate student Haroula Baliaka, who leads two air quality monitoring networks, will join the panel discussion. She studies elevated particulate levels in Los Angeles despite decades of air quality regulations.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Sina Hasheminassab will participate, bringing expertise from his work with NASA’s Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols satellite mission.

The event also features Lea Hildebrandt Ruiz, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Rima Habre, associate professor at USC. Both are contributors to the LA Fire HEALTH Study.

Caltech science writer Lori Dajose will be moderating the conversation.

Registration is required for participation. To register, go to https://caltech.zoom.us/webinar/register/3617436263696/WN_xS_kvAZSSlu_ItjX74sQuA. The first 3,000 registrants will be on Zoom, and additional viewers will be directed to YouTube.

The webinar is part of a series presented by the Caltech Science Exchange in partnership with the Resnick Sustainability Institute and the Linde Center for Global Environmental Science.