chemistry

John H. Seinfeld

John H. Seinfeld is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John H. Seinfeld rather than just read about it. In short: John Hersh Seinfeld (born August 3, 1942) is an American chemical engineer and pioneering expert in atmospheric science. His research on air pollution has influenced public policy, and he developed the first mathematical model of air quality, which has influenced air pollution tracking and research across the United States.

Key takeaways

John H. Seinfeld belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John H. Seinfeld to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John H. Seinfeld from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Hersh Seinfeld (born August 3, 1942) is an American chemical engineer and pioneering expert in atmospheric science. His research on air pollution has influenced public policy, and he developed the first mathematical model of air quality, which has influenced air pollution tracking and research across the United States. He has spent his career at the California Institute of Technology, where he is currently the Louis E. Nohl Professor of Chemical Engineering.

Education Seinfeld grew up in Elmira, New York, and attended the University of Rochester, where he earned a B.S. in chemical engineering in 1964. He then went to Princeton University, where he received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1967. His doctoral dissertation, entitled "Optimal control of distributed-parameter systems," was concerned with the theory of control and optimization of distributed-parameter systems, which are systems governed by partial differential equations.

Career Seinfeld joined Caltech as an assistant professor of chemical engineering in 1967. He originally continued his research in control theory, but soon became intrigued by the elevated level of smog in Los Angeles and shifted his research to investigate air pollution. At the time, atmospheric research relied on approaches like Gaussian plume models, and Seinfeld realized that his mathematical expertise could be applied to understand the underlying chemistry of the reactions occurring in the air. He then formed a research group, which formulated a chemical mechanism for ozone formation. In 1973 they developed the first large-scale urban air pollution model, which was applied to the Los Angeles basin. This work, published in three papers in the journal Atmospheric Environment, initiated a new field of scientific research devoted to the modeling of tropospheric pollution. The model also became the precursor for air pollution modeling that is now used nationwide by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Following this research, Seinfeld recognized that important information was missing in his understanding of pollution, and he began to focus on the formation and properties of aerosols. To conduct his research, he and his Caltech colleague Richard Flagan established a "smog chamber" at the university, with which they were able to conduct controlled studies of gasses and particulates found in the atmosphere. The chamber, the first of its kind, has since become standard in atmospheric science, and Seinfeld's research in this area is now considered fundamental to the understanding of aerosols and their role in air quality and climate. Seinfeld served as chair of the Division of Chemical Engineering and Applied Science at Caltech from 1990 to 2000. He is the author of hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and numerous books, including Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, which is considered a standard text in its field.

Honors Curtis W. McGraw Research Award (1976) Allan P. Colburn Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1976) NASA Public Service Medal (1980) National Academy of Engineering, Elected Member (1982) William H. Walker Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1986) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Elected Fellow (1986) George Westinghouse Award of the American Society for Engineering Education (1987) Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Rochester (1989) American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Elected Member (1991) American Chemical Society Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology (1993) Fuchs Memorial Award (1998) American Association for the Advancement of Science, Elected Fellow (1999) Warren K. Lewis Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2000) Nevada Medal (2001) Honorary Doctorate, Carnegie Mellon University (2002) Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award of the California Air Resources Board (2003) Aurel Stodola Medal (2008) Honorary Doctorate, Clarkson University (2009) Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2012) National Academy of Sciences, Elected Member (2013)

References

External links Faculty profile

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John H. Seinfeld

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John H. Seinfeld claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John H. Seinfeld before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John H. Seinfeld ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John H. Seinfeld

In research: John H. Seinfeld appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John H. Seinfeld in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John H. Seinfeld is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1942 births, 21st-century American chemists, Aerosol scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John H. Seinfeld outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John H. Seinfeld in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John H. Seinfeld means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John H. Seinfeld out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John H. Seinfeld in simple terms?

Why does John H. Seinfeld matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John H. Seinfeld?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John H. Seinfeld.