Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Showing 171-176 of 176 Results
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Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
Associate Professor of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTrained as an interdisciplinary social scientist theoretically grounded in psychology and decision science, my work has two aims. First, to understand how people make decisions to address the impacts of climate change. Second, to understand how robust interventions can empower people to make decisions that serve their lives, communities, and society.
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Tracey Woodruff
Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioMy research is devoted to identify and addressing environmental pollution exposures - petrochemicals, pesticides, plastics and other toxic contaminants - and the impacts on health. I focus on filling critical gaps in knowledge that will result in structural changes that improve health and reduce inequities. I collaborate across disciplines to create systemic solutions that integrate environmental health, public policy, and healthcare for significant public health advancements. My research expertise encompasses all aspects of understanding and characterizing environmental chemical exposures and their health impacts, especially on vulnerable and susceptible populations due to life stage, such as pregnant women and children, and demographics, such as poverty and race/ethnicity. I led multidisciplinary investigations to: identify and measure human exposures to environmental contaminants via modeling and biomonitoring including advanced methods for nontargeted analysis; identify biological mechanisms using in vitro and in vivo systems; assess the impact of multiple chemical exposures on pregnancy and child outcomes via epidemiology studies; and develop and apply methods for translating research findings into improved clinical care and public policy.
I have extensive expertise and experience in translating science into clinical and policy decision-making. I led the development of the Navigation Guide Systematic Review Methodology, the first systematic review method for environmental health science, developed in collaboration with multiple collaborators from international, national, and state governments, community groups, and the clinical community, integrates best practices from clinical medicine and environmental health evaluation. I continue to collaborate on systematic reviews including pesticides and Parkinson’s, and methodological improvements. I am widely recognized for my expertise in the use of science in decision making for environmental chemicals. I’ve been invited to testify before Congress and the State of California multiple times and I lead our Science Action Network that engages in bring best available science to regulatory decision-making. I have also collaborated with other faculty on empirical research to identify how industries adversely influence the scientific process.
Before Stanford, I was a Professor at UCSF and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment. I now with UCSF co-lead the UCSF/Stanford Environmental Research and Translation for Health Center funded by a NIEHS P30 mechanism. Prior to UCSF I served for over 10 years in the Office of Policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency. -
Richard Zare
Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science and Professor, by courtesy, of Physics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research group is exploring a variety of topics that range from the basic understanding of chemical reaction dynamics to the nature of the chemical contents of single cells.
Under thermal conditions nature seems to hide the details of how elementary reactions occur through a series of averages over reagent velocity, internal energy, impact parameter, and orientation. To discover the effects of these variables on reactivity, it is necessary to carry out studies of chemical reactions far from equilibrium in which the states of the reactants are more sharply restricted and can be varied in a controlled manner. My research group is attempting to meet this tough experimental challenge through a number of laser techniques that prepare reactants in specific quantum states and probe the quantum state distributions of the resulting products. It is our belief that such state-to-state information gives the deepest insight into the forces that operate in the breaking of old bonds and the making of new ones.
Space does not permit a full description of these projects, and I earnestly invite correspondence. The following examples are representative:
The simplest of all neutral bimolecular reactions is the exchange reaction H H2 -> H2 H. We are studying this system and various isotopic cousins using a tunable UV laser pulse to photodissociate HBr (DBr) and hence create fast H (D) atoms of known translational energy in the presence of H2 and/or D2 and using a laser multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect the nascent molecular products in a quantum-state-specific manner by means of an imaging technique. It is expected that these product state distributions will provide a key test of the adequacy of various advanced theoretical schemes for modeling this reaction.
Analytical efforts involve the use of capillary zone electrophoresis, two-step laser desorption laser multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and Hadamard transform time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We believe these methods can revolutionize trace analysis, particularly of biomolecules in cells. -
Howard Zebker
Kwoh Ting Li Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
My students and I study the surfaces of Earth and planets using radar remote sensing methods. Our specialization is interferometric radar, or InSAR. InSAR is a technique to measure mm-scale surface deformation at fine resolution over wide areas, and much of our work follows from applying this technique to the study of earthquakes, volcanoes, and human-induced subsidence. We also address global environmental problems by tracking the movement of ice in the polar regions. whose ice mass balance affects sea level rise and global climate. We participate in NASA space missions such as Cassini, in which we now are examining the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, to try and deduce its composition and evolution. Our work includes experimental observation and modeling the measurements to best understand processes affecting the Earth and solar system. We use data acquired by spaceborne satellites and by large, ground-based radar telescopes to support our research.
Teaching
I teach courses related to remote sensing methods and applications, and how these methods can be used to study the world around us. At the undergraduate level, these include introductory remote sensing uses of the full electromagnetic spectrum to characterize Earth and planetary surfaces and atmospheres, and methods of digital image processing. I also teach a freshman and sophomore seminar course on natural hazards. At the graduate level, the courses are more specialized, including the math and physics of two-dimensional imaging systems, plus detailed ourses on imaging radar systems for geophysical applications.
Professional Activities
InSAR Review Board, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2006-present); editorial board, IEEE Proceedings (2005-present); NRC Earth Science and Applications from Space Panel on Solid Earth Hazards, Resources, and Dynamics (2005-present); Chair, Western North America InSAR (WInSAR) Consortium (2004-06); organizing committee, NASA/NSF/USGS InSAR working group; International Union of Radioscience (URSI) Board of Experts for Medal Evaluations (2004-05); National Astronomy and Ionospheric Center, Arecibo Observatory, Visiting Committee, (2002-04; chair, 2003-04); NASA Alaska SAR Facility users working group (2000-present); associate editor, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (1998-present); fellow, IEEE (1998) -
Mengye Zhu
Social Science Research Scholar, Doerr School; Senior Scientist, NatCap
BioDr. Mengye Zhu (she/her) is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance and a Social Science Research Scholar at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Her research is focused on climate and environmental policy and political economy, with a particular emphasis on the science–policy interface. She examines key climate discourses, including energy transitions and methane mitigation, with special attention to the roles of “keystone actors,” such as state-owned enterprises. Her work also combines policy analysis with sectoral technical assessments, including leading the development of Global Methane Abatement Solutions Tracker (G-MAST). She has extensive policy engagement experience, supporting high-level climate and environmental dialogues and advancing international collaboration. Before joining Stanford, she worked as an Assistant Research Professor and China Program Co-Director at the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. She received a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Tsinghua University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
