The April 6, 2023, launch of the rocket carrying TEMPO. Photo credit: SpaceX.
Jun Wang, the James E. Ashton Professor of Engineering, contributed to a project that Time magazine named one of its best inventions of 2023.
Wang, also a professor and departmental executive officer of chemical and biochemical engineering, is Iowa’s lead investigator on NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring Pollution (TEMPO). The space instrument hovering 22,000 miles above North America is expected to help scientists understand the sources of pollution by revolutionizing how real-time air quality data is collected.
Wang is developing a novel algorithm for TEMPO to map how smoke particles from fires are distributed in the atmosphere. Time noted the invention as a breakthrough in real-time air quality info.
Also in 2024, Wang was one of six Iowa faculty members to be honored with a Regents Award for Faculty Excellence for extraordinary contributions and a sustained record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. In addition, Iowa’s vice president for research recognized Wang as the 2024 Scholar of the Year, celebrating nationally recognized achievement in research, scholarship, and/or creative activities.