Dr. Cassandra Gaston and her group are interested in the physicochemical properties of aerosols that critically impact Earth’s climate, ecosystem health, carbon cycling, and human health, yet many aspects of these processes remain poorly constrained. Much of her research is focused on Saharan dust aerosols that are transported to South America, the Caribbean, and the South and Southeastern United States. Her group operates a research facility at Ragged Point in Barbados, the Barbados Atmospheric Chemistry Observatory (BACO) that has been used to study the impacts of African dust for over 50 years. This dust is thought to fertilize both the Atlantic Ocean and the Amazon Rainforest as well as affect clouds and air quality.