Dr. Judith Chow, foreground, with technical staff
in the Environmental Analysis Facility she founded at DRI.
(Photo courtesy of Desert Research Institute)
(Photo courtesy of Desert Research Institute)
DRI Scientist Dr. Judith Chow to receive major international award for air quality research
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Dr. Judith Chow, foreground, with technical staff
in the Environmental Analysis Facility she founded at DRI.
(Photo courtesy of Desert Research Institute) |
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Dr. Judith Chow, a senior scientist in the Desert Research Institute's internationally recognized air quality research program, will receive the Frank A. Chambers Award from the Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA) at the association’s annual meeting in Baltimore June 25. The Chambers Award is the highest recognition for scientific achievement presented by AWMA, which is the world’s largest scientific organization addressing air quality research and management issues. [http://www.awma.org/]
Chow has been a member of DRI's research faculty since 1985 and will be the third DRI air quality scientist to receive the Chambers award, the highest number for any single research or academic organization. A research professor in DRI's Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Chow also received the 2001 Regents Researchers Award as the top scientist in the University and Community College System of Nevada.
She has directed a worldwide program of research at DRI focusing on the detection and analysis of extremely small airborne particulates which affect human respiratory health and impair scenic visibility. Chow has been the leading scientist on more than 45 large air quality studies and many smaller projects with a total contract value exceeding $20 million.
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 analytical methods for detecting and describing air pollutants in samples from projects conducted across the United States and in many foreign countries.
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 the Southern Nevada Air Quality Study.
Chow 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. Wells said the awarding of this contract is explicit recognition of Dr. Chow's innovations in developing technology for air quality research.
Chow received her doctorate in Environmental Sciences from Harvard University and 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.
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.
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.
A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale. Nearly 400 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI's annual $33 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the state of Nevada for administrative costs.
