Release
Demerjian Joins EPA Board Executive Committee
Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 12, 2006) -- Kenneth L. Demerjian, director UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science professor, has been invited to serve on the executive committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC). The two-year appointment starts on May 29, 2006.
Demerjian, an expert on air quality, studies the chemical and physical processes affecting anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, and their impact on air quality and the global atmosphere. These processes are critical to understanding the "chemical climate" and to the development of effective air quality mitigation strategies on local, regional and global scales.
In 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) $3.5 million six-year cooperative agreement to conduct comprehensive studies into the causes, makeup and potential health effects of atmospheric pollutants. Matching funds from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) make this project one of the most comprehensive air quality studies performed in New York State history.
As the principal investigator of the project, Demerjian has lead a team of more than fifty scientists from ten participating institutions, who have been collecting and interpreting data around metropolitan New York and the state to identify the size and composition of particulate matter and its associated primary and secondary sources. The goal of the study is to demonstrate the use of data and associated analysis techniques to track progress of mitigation strategies in support of an accountable air quality management system, and is based on the principle that providing a sound scientific basis for informed effective decisions in the management of air quality in New York State and the nation benefits society both environmentally and economically.
In April 2006, the University honored Demerjian by naming him the first recipient of the Ray Falconer Endowed Chair in atmospheric sciences. Demerjian, who earned his master's and doctoral degrees in physical chemistry from The Ohio State University, joined the University at Albany in 1986.
The Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide advice, information, and recommendations about the Office of Research and Development (ORD) research program. Demerjian currently serves on the BOSC subcommittee on particulate matter and ozone.
