The University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regents has awarded the 2001 Regents Researcher Award to Dr. Judith Chow, a senior scientist in the Desert Research Institute's internationally recognized air quality program. Chow has directed a worldwide program of research focusing on the detection and analysis of extremely small airborne particulates which affect human respiratory health and impair scenic visibility.
A member of DRI's research faculty since 1985, Chow is a research professor in DRI's Division of Atmospheric Sciences. She has been the chief scientific investigator or a major collaborator on more than 40 large air quality studies and many smaller projects with a total contract value exceeding $15 million. She joined DRI after receiving her doctorate in Environmental Sciences from Harvard University.
DRI President Stephen G. Wells said Chow's research projects have been among the most significant air quality studies in the U.S. and the world, and her research results have been influential in national and international decisions to implement prevention and mitigation strategies. National sponsors of her work include the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Park Service, the Electric Power Research Institute, the Health Effects Institute, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Local, regional and international sponsoring agencies include the California Air Resources Board and the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Division.
Especially prominent are the State of Nevada Air Pollution Study, two Denver Brown Cloud studies, the Mexico City Particulate Study, and the currently ongoing particle measurements in the California Regional PM10/PM2.5 Air Quality Study and Southern Nevada Air Quality Study.
She has developed and applied methods to determine organic and light-absorbing carbon (from vegetation and combustion sources) in U.S. national parks to support improved visibility in these scenic areas. She was recently awarded a five-year, $3.3 million contract from the National Park Service's IMPROVE program to continue work on this project, which began in 1988. The awarding of this contract is explicit recognition of Dr. Chow's innovations in developing technology for air quality research.
Wells noted that Chow is a member of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council's Committee on Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter that was formed at the request of Congress. The committee is charged with identifying the most important research priorities in setting particulate matter standards, developing a conceptual plan for particulate matter research, and monitoring research progress on the relationship between particulate matter and public health.
"Given her broad and deep record of research accomplishment, it is not surprising that she is asked to play a role in guiding research policy that leads to the setting of national air quality standards," Wells said.
Chow also has been called upon to prepare and revise sections of the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality document pertaining to chemical analysis and pollutant source emissions. She has prepared EPA guidance materials for aerosol measurement methods, sampling strategies, and databases for the agency's guidance document on network design. The documents are intended for use by scientists and air quality managers across the country. Chow has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and 50 book chapters in the areas of aerosol measurement, chemical composition, and the determination of pollutant sources through laboratory and field analyses. Her more than 200 scientific presentations and training courses have influenced scientists, regulators, and industry throughout the world.
Shortly after joining DRI, Chow founded the Institute's internationally regarded Environmental Analysis Facility where she supervises a team of scientists and technicians in designing and implementing studies to quantify the state of air quality on local, regional, national, and international levels. The facility supports DRI's air quality work as well as analyzing air quality samples from researchers around the world.
The Regents Researcher Award, which includes a $5,000 stipend and a medal, is bestowed each year upon a faculty member from UNR, UNLV, or DRI with a substantial record of accomplishment that includes significant research and scholarly work and a successful record in winning competitive research grants and contracts.