ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ

Ìý

Patrick Wiecko at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Name: Patrick Wiecko
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Advisor: Daven Henze
Program: 5th Year PhD Student, Environmental Engineering

Patrick Wiecko is studying studying how changes in air pollution impact global health burdens. His modeling works to quantify human health benefits of reducing pollutants like nitrogen oxide, which is generated by fossil fuel combustion.

I was born in Toronto but my family moved to St. Louis when I was just entering middle school, so I like to think that my upbringing is a fusion of the two cities’ identities.Ìý

In addition to that, my parents are both from Poland, which I think sometimes shows up unexpectedly in my personality. Growing up, I really looked up to my dad in all things and since he was an engineer, I figured I wanted to be an engineer as well. In high school I found chemistry and physics really interesting, so I decided to pursue chemical engineering in my undergrad.

However, I knew I wanted to switch professions towards the end of my senior year when it came to actually finding a job. My first internship as a chemical process engineer made me resent the monotony of daily industry work, so I decided to go in a different direction.

My research advisor pushed me towards applying to grad school for air quality research, which is how I met my current advisor. I found his modeling work very interesting and directly applicable in the real world, so I decided to join his lab where I am now starting my fifth and (hopefully) final year.

ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ was the only program that I visited and felt immediately welcomed. The current students were all very friendly and faculty were all genuinely interested in what I wanted to accomplish in grad school, and the view of the Flatirons from campus really solidified my decision. The collaborative environment within my lab also attracted me, which is something unfortunately not very common among other labs at other universities I applied.

The thing I grew to love most about ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ is the work hard-play hard atmosphere among grad students. During the week, everyone is very focused on their schoolwork or projects, but as soon as 5 o'clock rolls around on Friday it’s a different atmosphere.Ìý

From grabbing food and drinks at happy hours on Pearl Street to getting ready for a weekend backpacking trip, there is always something going on and everyone is more than happy to accommodate anyone wanting to join.Ìý

I even picked up skiing during my first year here, and I will miss the accessibility to the powder-filled mountains dearly when I leave.