Ning Gao
Assistant Professor of Chemistry

The opportunity to work with students of varying backgrounds and academic interests is one thing that chemist Ning Gao says she appreciates about the friendly and supportive working environment at St. Lawrence. “I have been given the opportunity to develop and teach traditional courses, research-based learning courses and First-Year Program courses. Through them, I get to interact with and help a wide spectrum of students,” she says.

This interaction has led to two recent publications, each co-authored by current and former students. They deal with Gao’s research into the development of computer models used in the investigation of the emission sources, transport, deposition, transformation and fate of mercury found in Lake Champlain and its basin. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Lake Champlain Research Consortium and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Born in Guangzhou, China, Gao came to St. Lawrence in January 2001; she is an active participant in the Integrated Science Education Initiative (ISEI). She received her B.S. in environmental science from Zhongshan University ( China), an M.S. in organic chemistry and an M.S. in physical geography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her Ph.D in analytical and environmental chemistry from Clarkson University.