2025 A&WMA Honorary Membership

Honorary Membership, not exceeding two each year, may be conferred upon individual A&WMA members who have attained eminence in some field related to the mission and objectives of the Association or who have rendered valuable service to the Association. Honorary members shall have the privileges of individual members and shall pay no dues. The nominator must also be a current A&WMA member.

A&WMA commends John Watson and awards him with an Honorary Association Membership.

Dr. John G. Watson holds the position of Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, where he has completed 43 years of air quality studies. His research has included: 1) evaluating, characterizing, and advancing methods to measure carbonaceous material in suspended particles; 2) developing and applying real-world, multipollutant emission measurement technologies; 3) designing and conducting aerosol characterization and source apportionment studies; and 4) estimating effects of air contaminants on human exposure, visibility impairment, and material/cultural artifact degradation. Source characterization has emphasized diffuse emitters, such as dust suspended by mechanical and windblown mechanisms, engine exhaust from high emitters, and biomass burning in domestic and wildland settings. His recent projects involved real-world emissions testing in the oil sands region of northern Canada, engine exhaust characterization in Hong Kong, designing air quality measurement networks in developing countries, and commercialization of a multi-wavelength thermal/optical aerosol carbon analyzer. His current efforts are directed at evaluation of microsensor/smartphone interfaces for detecting and remediating fugitive dust emissions and estimating excessive human exposures, determining causes of elements in stormwater runoff, and increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of particulate matter and visibility measurement systems.
 
Stemming from his service in the U.S. Peace Corps, Dr. Watson has cultivated relationships with scientists and regulators in rapidly industrializing nations with particular emphasis on China, India, and Brazil. He has hosted three Fulbright Fellows from India, involving them in ongoing projects and assisting them in aerosol studies and publications relevant to their regions. In 1998, he established a collaboration with the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xian, where is currently an Adjunct Professor. Over the past 45 years, Dr. Watson has organized and presented mini-courses and symposia related to aerosol measurement and source apportionment in various parts of China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, various parts of India, Viet Nam, Egypt, South Africa, Mexico, and Chile. As a journal editor, he has placed special emphasis on assisting foreign scientists to publish technically sound and useful articles.
 
Dr. Watson joined the Air & Waste Management Association as a student member in 1976 and became a full member upon his graduation from the Oregon Graduate Center in 1979. Since then he has been active in organizing and participating in many aspects of the A&WMA community, including preparing sessions at annual meetings and specialty conferences, chairing and serving on specialty conference organizing committees, recruiting new members, especially young professionals, serving on important committees, and contributing to the Association’s publications. His most important efforts have been in the area of publications, where he has made 109 contributions to the Journal, 43 articles in conference Proceedings and Transactions, and 14 papers in EM. Dr. Watson is the longest serving member of the Critical Review Committee at 45 years and the Publications Committee at 43 years. He authored or co-authored two Critical Reviews and has edited numerous others. He has participated in many critical review discussions, supplementing each Reviewer’s take with well-reasoned critiques and additional perspectives. He is a former Associate Editor for the Journal and frequently provides peer review of submissions by others. Dr. Watson spearheaded efforts to change the publication model from the self-published approach in which CADMUS was contracted only to printing to the joint publication approach with Taylor & Francis in which revenues are fairly distributed among the printer and the Association. He advocated for the one-year sequestration period, which protected library revenues while making older articles available in and open access mode. This greatly enhanced the Journal’s impact factor which is often used to rank scientific periodicals and encourage submissions from academic researchers.