University and Community College System of Nevada
P.O. Box 60220 Reno, Nevada 89506
Public Information Office
Reno (702) 673-7313
Las Vegas (702) 862-5414
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Desert Research Institute University and Community College System of Nevada P.O. Box 60220 Reno, Nevada 89506 |
Contact: John Doherty Public Information Office Reno (702) 673-7313 Las Vegas (702) 862-5414 |
Dr. Judith Chow, an international expert in air quality measurement and analysis at the Desert Research Institute, has been awarded the 1997 Alessandro Dandini Medal of Science which annually recognizes the highest scientific achievement by a DRI faculty member.
A research professor in DRI's Energy & Environmental Engineering Center, Chow received the award, including a $1,00 prize and a $5,000 contribution to the DRI faculty endowment, from Countess Angela Dandini, widow of the late scientist and former DRI presidential assistant who is the award's namesake.
Chow is involved in several major national and international air quality project and is an acknowledged leader in the scientific community's ongoing effort to characterize the smallest and most health-threatening airborne particles. She is presently coordinating the air quality field's most advanced technical conference focusing on the difficult challenges of accurately collecting and describing "PM2.5" particles as mandated by new federal standards.
The federal government has recently established more stringent air quality standards to control inhalable particles that measure 2.5 micrometers (about one-twentieth of the diameter of a human hair) or less. The new standard regulates particles only a quarter the size of those controlled by the previous "PM10" standard. The chemical volatility and instability of these tiny particles is pushing the scientific community to improve the state of the art for measurement and analytical methods.
Chow has published mor than one hundred peer-reviewed scientific articles and received national and international scientific honors for her research accomplishments. Her air quality modeling work has been applied to pollutant reductions in Reno, Las Vegas and several major California regions.
The Dandini Medal was established by Countess Dandini in 1992 after the prototype medal design and the concept for the DRI faculty award were found among Count Dandini's papers following his death.
In addition to acquiring the DRI research park in Reno which now bears his name, Cont Dandini conducted an extensive research program taught at the University of Nevada, Reno an d served as its ceremonial marshall, obtained numerous patents from his inventions and, at one time, owned and operated an innovative brick foundry.