Meng Zhou earned his PhD in informatics from the University of Iowa in Dec.'23 and has embarked on a new role as an assistant scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His research focuses on using satellite remote sensing to monitor environmental conditions, particularly pollutants like PM2.5 and nighttime wildfires. The unique aspect of Zhou’s work is that he utilizes sensors that operate at night, leveraging moonlight scattered by polluted air to monitor air quality. For wildfires, he developed an innovative algorithm to assess their intensity and combustion phases, providing critical data on how many pollutants, such as PM2.5, black carbon, and CO, will be emitted to the air by the wildfire.

Zachary Morris, who graduated this May 2024 with an MCS degree, was chosen to receive the award for “Academic Excellence in the Masters Program” for 2023-24. This competitive honor recognizes academic prowess, the variety and difficulty of courses taken along the way, as well as instructor feedback.