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2024 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award

Lyman A. Ripperton (1921–1978) spent his career as a practitioner in education and research for air pollution control. He left the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District in 1958 to assume a teaching and research position in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he initiated an air pollution education program that developed into one of the foremost of its kind in the United States. The Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award is presented to an individual who has inspired students to achieve excellence in their professional and social endeavors. It recognizes the ability that only a few educators possess: to teach with rigor, humor, humility, and pride. Recipients of this award are educators we would have chosen as our teachers if we had a choice. They are known by the accomplishments of their students.
 
A&WMA presents the 2024 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award to â€‹Frank Shun-Cheng Lee.

Professor Frank Shun-Cheng Lee has been a teacher, mentor, and research for nearly 30 years. Prof. Lee served as the primary advisor for 14 Ph.D. and 7 Master graduates, and as co-advisor for 9 Ph.D. and 8 Master graduates, respectively. Most of these graduated students joined research institutions, governmental organizations, or international firms, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Institution of Earth Environment of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Beijing Normal University, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong, Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited, etc. He prepared and taught environmental related courses to both undergraduate and graduate students, covering basic introductory courses to advanced topics on air and noise pollution, risk assessment, and remediation measures. Student feedback scores ranged from 3.51 to 4.35 on a 1 to 5 scale. He also served as the program leader for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University where he was responsible for overseeing the quality of teaching and enhancing teaching methods of young faculty members. Lee was also invited to serve as Adjunct Professor at institutions around Mainland China, including Peking University’s Shenzhen Graduate School, Xi’an Jiaotong University, the East China University of Science and Technology, Institute of Earth Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing Technology and Business University, and Donghua University.

Prof. Lee joined the Function Hub of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), HKUST(GZ) in 2023. He is currently the Acting Head of the Thrust of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science and a Professor at the Thrust of Sustainable Energy and Environment. Prior to joining the HKUST(GZ), he worked at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (formerly the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering) at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University beginning in 1994. He was appointed to the Chang Jiang Scholars program (Chang Jiang Scholars Programme is managed by the Ministry of Education of China) at Xi’an Jiaotong University from 2019 to 2021. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Health Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994.
 
Prof. Lee has been granted for over 50 research projects in the capacity of leading applicant during his university career, with the total granted amount of approximately USD 4.16 million. He has authored and co-authored more than 390 peer-reviewed journal articles, with over 28,000 citations an h-index of 100. He has been an active member of several international research associations, including A&WMA, ISIAQ, ASHRAE, and he was the Founder and Section Chair of the A&WMA Hong Kong Section during the period of 1996–1998. He also has served on professional panels by governmental organizations including the Education Bureau, Research Grants Council, Environmental Protection Department, Development Bureau, and Housing Authority of Hong Kong.
 
Prof. Lee received A&WMA’s Arthur C. Stern Distinguished Paper Award 2019. He was also awarded the Highly Cited Researcher (Cross-field) by the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science from the period of 2018 to 2021. The Asian Aerosol Research Assembly (AARA) elected Prof. Lee as a Fellow in 2019. His project focusing on the characteristics and climate impacts of the aerosols was awarded the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award on Outstanding Project Performance in 2012. Prof. Lee has been invited to serve in editorial boards of several international journals, including the Journal of the A&WMA (2001-2004), Atmosphere (2002-2005), Aerosol and Air Quality Research (2003-2006), Atmospheric Pollution Research (2009-present), Aerosol Science and Engineering (2017-present), and Catalysts (2021-present). He is also recognized as one of Stanford University’s “Top 2% of the World’s Most Cited Scientists”.
 
Prof. Lee owes much to the excellent students who he taught and advised throughout the decades, both to their exceptional creativity and research talents during their graduate studies and to their continued support and collaboration as respected colleagues.
Frank Shun-Chen Lee

Frank Shun-Cheng Lee

Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award