A national expert in atmospheric sciences and the environment will deliver the fourth lecture of the spring in the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Lecture Series at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 23.
Viney Aneja will give his talk, “The Impact of Agriculture on Air Quality and Climate: Is Nitrogen the Next Carbon?” in Room 622 of the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. Like other lectures in the series, his talk will be simulcast online.
Aneja is a professor in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University. He came to NC State in 1987 after conducting and supervising research at General Electric.
The main focus of his research is air quality, particularly in the agricultural sector, and how views on pollution are starting to take into account more factors than just focusing on carbon.
“Agricultural air quality is an important emerging area of environmental science which offers significant challenges to many aspects of research, policy, and regulatory frameworks,” said Aneja.
Aneja pointed out that it’s important to study not only different forms of pollution but also the different ways it impacts the world, from simple problems such as odor to more disconcerting ones such as pollutants that can cause illness through exposure.
He said that in the United States, ammonia, nitrous oxide, and reduced sulfur all pose particular threats overall, and that agriculture in particular is responsible for more than 90 percent of ammonia pollution. New approaches to agriculture could greatly reduce those totals, in turn helping the rest of the environment.
Aneja is a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Scientific Counselors Executive Committee and chair of its Subcommittee for Air, Climate, and Energy Research.
He holds five US patents and has published more than 170 papers, forty-seven technical reports, and two books on his research.
Those viewing the live webcast will be able to ask questions at the end of the discussion, while those interested in the presentation but unable to attend can watch an archived video.
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CONTACT:
Kim Cowart (865-974-0686, kcowart@utk.edu)