Name:

RICARDO J. MORALES_De_JESUS, Ph.D.

Address: University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras (UPR-RP)

Physical Sciences Department

PO Box 23323, San Juan PR 00931-3323

Telephone: (787) 383-7612

Fax: (787) 763-7305

Email: rjmorales@uprrp.edu

EDUCATION

May 2002 Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry – University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR.

May 1996 B.S. Chemistry – University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR.

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES

June 2006 - present: Associate Professor, UPR-RP, Physical Sciences Department
August 2005 – present: Technology Coordinator, UPR-RP, Physical Sciences Department
August 2004 - present: UPR-RP, Affiliate Member for the NASA Space Grant Consortium.
August 2002 – May 2006: Assistant Professor, UPR-RP, Physical Sciences Department

MENTORING:

Supervision and mentoring of two (2) masters and (5) undergraduates every semester.

TEACHING INTERESTS:

General science for non-science majors, including dialogic approach, constructivism, critical thinking and bibliographic research experiences. Implementation of technology-rich environments into classroom activities, including Course Management Systems, Virtual Laboratories, Student-centered Environments.
Implementation of the AMS Online Weather Studies meteorology course, including the participation in the AMS Online Weather Studies Diversity Project.

RESEARCH INTERESTES:

Collaborative scientific research in atmospheric chemistry, with emphasis in analytical method development, field campaign management, field meteorology, weather monitoring networks and Caribbean climatology. Education and Outreach.

RECENT APPOINTMENTS:

March 2006 – present: Principal Investigator to the Innovative Developments to Enhance Aerospace Education and Research (IDEAS-ER) Program of the NASA - Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium (NASA-PR-SGC) under title Development of a web-based learning community to increase the participation of teachers and students in activities related to meteorology.
March 2006 – present: Co-Principal Investigator to the Innovative IDEAS-ER Program of the NASA-PR-SGC under title The Climatic Impact of the Changing Lowlands on the Caribbean National Forest in Eastern Puerto Rico.
Summer 2006: Research Grant Fellow for an onsite visit at the Pennsylvania State University teacher training workshop Wonders of Weather for Science Teachers.
Summer 2005: Research Grant Fellow for an onsite visit at the National Weather Service Training Center, Kansas, to implement the Online Weather Studies Geosciences Diversirty / National Dissemination Project.

RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS:

1. Adriana Gioda, Olga L. Mayol-Bracero, Gabriel José Reyes Rodriguez, Gilmarie Santos Figueroa, Ricardo J. Morales-De Jesús, Jeff Collett, Stefano Decesari, Maria Cristina Facchini, Emanuela Finessi 2006. Organic Carbon in Cloud Water and Aerosols from a Tropical Marine Environment. AGU Annual Meeting Proceedings.

Gioda, A., Mayol-Bracero, O.L., Morales-García, F., Morales-De Jesús, R.J., Decesari, S., Emblico, L., and Collet, J., Chemical Characterizationof Cloud Water at the East Peak, PR, during the Rain in Cumulus Over the Ocean Experiment. (RICO). 12^th AMS Conference on Cloud Physics, Madison, Wisconsin, 10-14 July, 2006.

3. Morales_De_Jesus, R., Blanco, R., Rodríguez, J. & Rosario, O., Source apportionment study of the Caribbean submicron organic aerosols. Submitted for Publication to the Journal of Atmospheric Environment.

4. Mayol-Bracero, O.L., Rosario, O., Corrigan, C.E., Morales, R., Torres, I., Perez, V., 2001. Chemical characterization of submicron organic aerosols in the tropical trade winds of the Caribbean using GC-MS. Atmospheric Environment (35), 1735.

5. Kirchstetter, T., Novakov, T., Morales, R. & Rosario, O., 2000. Differences in volatility of organic aerosols in unpolluted tropical and polluted continental atmospheres. Journal of Geophysical Research 105(D21) 26,547.

PRESENTATIONS:

6. Morales, R. August 2006. Puerto Rico Weather Web Inauguration, NASA Explorer School, Marcelino Canino Canino, Dorado.

7. Morales, R. July 2006. Education and Climate: Building a sustainable weather network by incorporating science teachers into current research activities in meteorology. Poster Presentation at the Seventh International Conference on School and Popular Meteorological and Oceanographic Education, Boulder, Colorado.

8. Morales, R. April 2006. Education and Climate Presentation. Panel Moderator on Education in Caribbean Climate, First Caribbean Climate Symposium, UPR - Mayagüez.

9. Morales, R. January 2006. Education and Climate: Building a sustainable weather network by incorporating science teachers into current research activities in meteorology. Poster Presentation at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta Georgia.

10. Rodríguez, A., Morales, R., Mayol-Bracero, O. & Rosario, O., March 2005. Organic characterization of cloud water samples collected on the Caribbean National Forest. Oral Presentation at the 24th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting, UPR - Mayagüez.

11. Mayol, Y., Morales, R., Mayol-Bracero, O. & Morales, E., March 2005. Basic climatology of Puerto Rico and the nearby Caribbean: its importance in atmospheric research. Oral Presentation at the 24th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting, UPR - Mayagüez.

12. Morales, R. April 2004. Current State of Planet Earth: Challenges and Alternatives. College of General Studies, University of Puerto Rico.

13. Rivera, R., Morales, R., Mayol-Bracero, O. & Rosario, O., March 2004. Quantitative study of the tropical submicron organic aerosols using thermal desorption / Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (TD/GC/MS). Oral Presentation at the 23rd Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting, UPR, Humacao Campus, PR.

14. Morales, R. November 2002. Life, the ocean and climate: correlations of the organic composition of aerosols and oceanic microlayer samples. Research Seminar for the Continued Education and Divulgation Program, Physical Sciences Department, UPR, Rio Piedras Campus, PR.

15. Rodriguez, J., Morales, R. & Rosario, O., October 2002. Source apportionment study for the tropical submicron organic aerosols. Poster Presentation at the 21^ST Annual American Association for Aerosol Research Meeting, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 7-11, 2002.