Dr. Hong He delivers the 2019 L.M. Fingerson / TSI Incorporated Distinguished Lecture at U of MN

For the last sixteen years, the University of Minnesota College of Science & Engineering and TSI Incorporated have hosted an annual public lecture in the school of Mechanical Engineering. Each year, organizers, led by Dr. David Pui, the L. M. Fingerson/TSI endowed chair holder in Mechanical Engineering, invite a distinguished scientist in a relevant field of aerosol science to present a graduate-level seminar on their area of expertise. The endowment, underwritten by the TSI Board of Directors and TSI co-founder Mike Fingerson in 1998, provides funding for this annual event.

This year, the hosts were pleased to welcome Hong He, Professor and Chief Scientist at the Center of Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment (CERAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Professor He spoke to students, faculty, and TSI representatives on September 18. He presented a lecture on air pollution, atmospheric science, and the development of the CAS-sponsored CERAE. His lecture, Research Frontiers of Regional Atmospheric Environment in China, explained the background, the discoveries and the objectives of the organization he represents. For more details, read the lecture abstract, below.

"It was an honor to have Dr. He in Minnesota, sharing his research and experience in atmospheric research, air pollution, and air quality with students," said Dr. Kenneth Farmer, II, Chief Technology Officer at TSI. "His award-winning work as a scientist has led to prevention and control strategies for pollution that are applicable worldwide."

During the event on September 18, the Head of the Mechanical Engineering department, Dr. Susan Mantell presented Dr. He with a plaque honoring him as the 16th L.M. Fingerson / TSI Incorporated Distinguished Lecturer.

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Lecture Abstract

Regional Atmospheric Environment in China Research Frontiers of Regional Atmospheric Environment in China by Hong He, Professor and Chief Scientist, Center of Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment (CERAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences

Over the past 5 years, the primary emission of air pollutants in China has decreased markedly. As a result, the concentration of PM2.5 decreased significantly, whereas the ozone concentration showed an upward trend. Achieving the long-term improvement of the air quality in all regions in China is not only required for China’s economic development, but also an important research topic in the field of atmospheric environment. This is the background for the establishment of Center of Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment (CERAE) by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In this talk, the research directions, platform construction and capacity building of CERAE will be introduced, and the latest discoveries will be shared and discussed.

About Dr. Hong He

Hong He is the Chief Scientist of the CERAE, Deputy Director of the Institute of Urban Environment (IUE), and Deputy Director of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), CAS. Professor He received his doctorate in chemistry (Ph.D.) at the University of Tokyo in 1994. He studied and worked in Japan, the United States, and Canada for 11 years, and thereafter joined RCEES through the “Hundred Talents Program” of the CAS in 2001. His work has focused primarily on fundamental and applied research in environmental catalysis and heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry, with a series of achievements in areas of diesel emission control technologies, catalytic indoor air purification, and haze formation mechanisms. He is also the Chief Scientist of the “Formation Mechanism and Control Strategies of Haze in China” project as part of the Strategic Priority Research Program of the CAS. Professor He was awarded the National Technology Invention Award (China) in 2011, the National Science and Technology Progress Award (China) in 2014 and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation in 2017. He was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2017.