Atmospheric scientist Dr. Jacqui Koch has taught general education science courses to Hope College students since 2006. She has extensive experience with the development of online courses with at-home laboratory components.

Dr. Koch is currently affiliated with the Departments of Physics and Geological and Environmental Sciences. She regularly teaches online General Physics laboratories (mechanics, and electricity and magnetism) during the academic year, and Atmospheric and Environmental Change online during May Term. Previously, she also taught in the Department of Chemistry. Her diverse professional experience has included stints as a power plant design engineer, chemical engineer in the cereal industry, and in quality control for Nabisco. In her doctoral research, she employed in-situ testing and modeling of the effects of dust devils on the global climate budget. She also participated in public health testing and studies for atmospheric mercury in urban environments.

Areas of Expertise

• Atmospheric aerosols (contribution to the aerosol budget due to terrestrial dust devils)
• Atmospheric dynamics
• Online teaching pedagogy development
• Curriculum development to engage non-science majors in scientific inquiry
• Learning assessment development

Education

• Ph.D., atmospheric science and meteorology, University of Michigan, 2006
• M.S., atmospheric and space science, University of Michigan, 2003
• B.S., chemical engineering, Michigan Technological University, 1995

Honors, Grants and Awards

• “Assessing the Effectiveness of an At-Home Laboratory Component for a Non-Major Online Science Course at Hope College” (co-primary investigator), Michigan Space Grant, Consortium Research Seed Grant, 2012
• “Creation of the Hope Creative Science Initiative (CSI) Outreach Program,” Michigan, Space Grant Consortium Outreach Award, 2007

Selected Publications and Presentations

• General and College Physics I Simulation Lab Manual, with P. DeYoung et al., Hope College, 2022
• AWWA M71 Climate Action Plans: Adaptive Management Strategies for Utilities, American Water Works Association, 2021
• “Hope CSI: An Outreach Program Providing Free Resources to Teachers,” presentation at Michigan Science Teachers Association conference, 2008
• Aerosol-Climate Interactions: The Role of Convective Plumes and Vortices on the Global Mineral Dust Budget and Convective-Radiative Interactions, University of Michigan, 2006
• "The Role of Convective Plumes and Vortices on the Global Aerosol Budget”, with N. O. Rennó, Geophysical Research Letters, 2005
• “Convective-Radiative Feedback Mechanisms by Dusty Convective Plumes and Vortices,” presentation with N. O. Rennó at American Geophysical Union fall meeting, 2005
• “MATADOR 2002: A Pilot Field Experiment on Convective Plumes and Dust Devils”, with N. O. Rennó et al., Journal of Geophysical Research, 2004

Outside the College

Dr. Koch is an avid reader, and she is working on adding more fiction to her “To Read” list (she is a nonfiction junkie), so if you have any good recommendations, she is interested! She aims to work hard in her community and home to make sure everyone gets what they need. She looks forward to recharging with the kids watching obscure movies and taking regular beach breaks with her giant, loveable mutt.