Already a fellow of both the American Meteorological Society and American Association for Aerosol Research, University Distinguished Professor Sonia Kreidenweis has been admitted to yet another prestigious, exclusive scientific fellowship. Each year the American Geophysical Union inducts no more than 0.1 percent of its membership as fellows. Valued by their peers and vetted by a committee of fellows, AGU Fellows are selected based on their scientific eminence in the Earth and space sciences.
“Sonia has been a leader of the atmospheric chemistry program here at CSU for more than 25 years,” said Professor Jeff Collett, head of the Department of Atmospheric Science. “I have personally enjoyed and benefited from research collaborations with her over much of this time. She has been a terrific mentor to a large group of students and postdocs, many of whom have gone on to prestigious positions at other leading universities.”
Kreidenweis is well known for her research on atmospheric aerosol particles, their interactions with clouds, and their impacts on regional haze. Her research group conducts laboratory, field and aircraft measurements to characterize the physical and chemical properties of aerosols. They study long-range dust transport and its effects on air quality and climate. Federal and state agencies that have contributed funding to their research include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and NASA. Read more about her research.
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a fellow of my professional society,” Kreidenweis said. “Of course, this recognition is a reflection of the contributions of the many amazing students, postdocs, research scientists and collaborators that I have been privileged to work with over the years. Working together on new challenges has been a joy, and it means so much to me to see their achievements recognized through this honor.”
A leader in the field, Kreidenweis is a past president of the American Association for Aerosol Research and served on the executive committee of the American Meteorological Society. In addition to the national and international recognition she has achieved, Kreidenweis was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2014, the highest academic recognition awarded to faculty by Colorado State University. She is a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), based at CSU, and she was appointed the Associate Dean for Research for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, a position that guides the strategic direction of research at CSU.
“I would like to thank my colleagues in the Department of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State University for creating a supportive and collaborative environment that has enabled my group to follow our research interests and to work in so many parts of the world on interesting problems,” Kreidenweis said. “Also, we are grateful to our many sponsors, including NSF, NASA, DOE, EPA, NPS and NOAA, for funding our research, and especially their support of the education of a new generation of atmospheric scientists.”
Kreidenweis will be inducted at the AGU honors ceremony in San Francisco in December.