Commemorative Session

‍Prof. David Pui contributed to the development of the mobility classification technique for producing monodisperse aerosols of known sizes. This work led to the Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) and nanoDMA commercialized by TSI and has been the workhorse in the field of aerosol science and nanotechnology. His electrometer method for determining the particle number concentration is the basis of an ISO standard for calibrating condensation particle counters. David is well known for his work on aerosol charging and neutralization, aerosol sampling and transport, and aerosol generation by electrospray. Winning the Fuchs Memorial Award, the pinnacle of aerosol science, was a fitting tribute to David’s achievement. His induction into the National Academy of Engineering adds one more prominent distinction to his exceptional career. The research of David also has a broad impact in a variety of industries. He is the director of Center for Filtration Research which is considered as the leading international center on air and water filtration. In the recent years, his team has developed large-scale air cleaning systems for urban pollutants that are deployed in China and India.

“Reflection on 50 Years of Friendship and Collaboration on Aerosol Science and Technology“ - David Y.H. Pui

I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with many aerosol pioneers (iara.org/AerosolPioneers.htm) and outstanding students/post-docs/scholars over the past 50 years. The friendship and collaboration have continued today with many of them. All these activities are fun and most satisfying while contributing to the aerosol science and technology…. (Read more)

“Friendship Creates Intercontinental Cooperation in Aerosol Research“ - Heinz Fissan

Prof. Dr. David Pui and I met for the first time in Minneapolis in 1972. He was a master’s student in the Particle Technology Laboratory of Kenneth Whitby and Benjamin Liu. I spent my second year as a postdoc in the U.S. working further on my Ph.D. topic “Flame spectroscopy for analyzing the gas phase in combustion processes”. In the first year at the University of California, La Jolla, I heard a lot about the increasing smog (aerosol) problem, mainly caused by the particles from combustion processes (traffic). In the Particle Lab everybody including Dave were already involved in this topic. I started to use flame spectroscopy for the detection of soot in flames. After I went back to Germany, I accepted the offer of a professorship with the topic “Aerosol Measurement Technology” at the new University Duisburg – Essen. I started to keep the connection I had to the Particle Lab at the University of Minnesota, especially to Dave Pui…. (Read more)

“From Aerosols to Friendship“ - Wladyslaw (Vladek) W. Szymanski

In the beginning there was an aerosol. As a student of physics, I was looking for an interesting topic for my PhD thesis and talked in 1978 with several possible supervisors. One of them was professor Othmar Preining. He convinced me swiftly that what I really wanted was a PhD thesis related to the physics of aerosols with him as a supervisor.  I agreed and he gave me some reading material: few papers and a blue book with the title: “Experimental studies of diffusion charging of aerosols”, a PhD thesis by David Y.H. Pui.....(Read more)