Public Safety is tracking a significant snowfall that will be arriving in our area late Sunday morning (Jan. 25). It will snow heavily throughout the day and evening eventually tapering off Monday (Jan. 26) with 10-14 inches expected statewide. A sleet and freezing rain mix is also possible along the shore. Temperatures will be in the teens and twenties.
Due to this significant winter storm and the extensive campus clean-up operations that will need to take place, all in-person day and evening classes scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2026 have been cancelled. All scheduled in-person classes will transition to being held online or remotely. Additional information on the virtual format for each class will be provided by your instructor.
Faculty have been asked to prepare for Online or Remote sessions in the event of in-person meeting cancellations. These options will be determined by the Faculty member and all questions should be directed to the Faculty teaching each course section. Faculty also have been asked to be very understanding and accommodating of the individual situations of their students who may have difficulty managing these alternative online or remote class meetings on short notice.
Please note that only essential employees, as previously determined by their respective department leaders, should report to campus. All other employees should fulfill the requirements of their role remotely.
Campus operations for residential students, unless otherwise noted, will operate as scheduled, though hours may be modified or changed based on the conditions. Separate messages will be sent from the Peterson Library, the Beckerman Recreation Center, and Dining Services regarding any changes to their normal hours of operation. The Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation will remain open for residential students to use for study space and to participate in online classes.
Off-campus students that live in the City of West Haven should abide by the city’s parking ban during inclement weather to avoid having their vehicle tagged and towed. Please check the City of West Haven’s website for further information on their snow parking ban.
The Charger Blog
University of New Haven professor Chong Qiu is incorporating undergraduate and graduate students, as well as middle and high school students from the region, into his research as he seeks to secure a National Science Foundation grant.
January 28, 2019
Chong Qiu believes in citizen science and that both longtime scholars and beginners can help move scientific research forward and "add knowledge to the library of mankind."
The assistant professor of Chemistry is at work on a complex research program and pursuing a significant National Science Foundation research grant to study the properties of aerosols (also known as particulate matters) in the atmosphere and delving into "the chemistry and physics of aerosol, which exists in the air we breathe in every day."
His collaborators are graduates and undergraduates from Chemistry, Biology and across the fields of the Tagliatela College of Engineering. They also include high school and middle school students from around the region, as young as 12, who are collecting micrometeorites from rainwater "using tools designed from simple plumbing parts."
"One of the goals is to move aerosol research forward by investigating chemicals, such as amines, that were previously not thought to be important and our discovery indicated otherwise," Qiu said.
"We are trying to contribute a piece to the larger puzzle."Chong Qiu, Ph.D.
The research hones in on aerosols – tiny particles suspended in the air, with sizes ranging from a few nanometers to a few micrometers. "These are very important to us, without them we wouldn’t have precipitation but, on the other hand, having too much in the atmosphere can be toxic," he said.
The study could help to shape understanding of the impact of air quality on climate change, weather forecasting and human health. "We are trying to contribute a piece to the larger puzzle," Qiu said.
Graduate and undergraduate students are conducting laboratory experiments, doing computer modeling and field work, using and testing low-cost devices that measure pollutant levels in the atmosphere. "Traditionally you had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to measure those levels, but we are trying to test portable devices that are a fraction of the cost," Qiu noted.
Meanwhile, teams of engineering seniors will design and construct equipment and instruments, such as a thermal denuder that determines the volatiles in ambient aerosol for their Senior Design project. "The engineering students are perfectly positioned to construct such a device," Qiu said. "It’s mutually beneficial, giving them the chance to do research and build the instrument. It will cost 10 times less than a commercially available instrument and it can be customized to specifically suit our research."
"I couldn’t wait to become part of the chemistry program because of the faculty in the program and because chemistry is so uniquely positioned in the Tagliatela College of Engineering."Chong Qiu, Ph.D.
Qiu was drawn to the University of New Haven because of this kind of collaborative possibility. He arrived in 2016, setting out immediately to work with faculty and students across the disciplines. "I couldn’t wait to become part of the chemistry program because of the faculty in the program and because chemistry is so uniquely positioned in the Tagliatela College of Engineering," he said. Qiu teaches analytical chemistry courses, including Quantitative Analysis and Instrumental Methods.
Qiu grew up in Central China, the son of two blue collar workers who encouraged his love of science. He pursued a Bachelors in Chemistry in China and his Ph.D. at Texas A & M. As an assistant professor at the University of Northern Alabama, Qiu received a National Science Foundation-Atmospheric Geospace Science grant to investigate "Kinetics and Mechanism of Restructuring of Atmospheric Soot and Associated Impact on Light Absorption." It was there that he began to wonder about the role amines play in the atmosphere.
Qiu says he’s energized daily by his teaching and research, having the opportunity to look closely at minute particles that may have a very large impact on environmental and human health.
By involving middle and high school students in research, he said he hopes they discover the magic and power of science and engineering and consider making it their life’s work. "We need to continue to encourage talented students to pursue STEM fields," he said. "And I hope we can galvanize support for science and discovery."
University News
New University-wide council will advance strategic partnerships, immersive student opportunities, and innovative research, supporting the University’s strategic plan the development of its pioneering Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.
The Charger Blog
Entrepreneur David Sussman, Pompea College of Business Advisory Board Member and chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, is collaborating with University of New Haven students, faculty, and staff to create a program and app that helps Chargers support each other to achieve academic, personal, and professional goals. It’s called Uccountability.
University News
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie will serve on the Board of Directors and as America’s Chief Manufacturing Officer for the newly launched American Manufacturing Futures Institute.