Lowry elected 2018 AAAS fellow

by Alexandra George

Greg Lowry has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his efforts in advancing environmental engineering and the use of nanomaterials.

Innovators are problem-solvers, constantly generating ways to fix big and little issues. But an exceptional innovator might also think about impact: the impact of a new piece of technology on how people communicate or how a tiny particle affects the environment and could lead to a sustainable future. This recipe of innovation plus impact makes for scientists and engineers who are truly leaders in their field.

Greg Lowry, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has been working to advance new environmental nanotechnologies while studying how nanomaterials behave and interact with the environment. To recognize his efforts in both innovation and impact, Lowry has been elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as part of the newest class of fellows. Fellows are elected by their peers in honor of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

“It is an honor to become an AAAS Fellow,” said Lowry. “It is wonderful recognition for the hard work of many students and post-docs who have performed research in my lab over the past 18 years.

Lowry was elected for his distinguished contributions to safe and sustainable use of nanomaterials, remediation methods for contaminated sediments and brines, and mitigation of fossil fuel use impacts. His current research focus is on water quality and environmental nanotechnology, contaminant fate and remediation, and how nanomaterials behave in complex environmental systems. Lowry leads a collaborative research consortium called NanoFARM that studies the effects of nanoparticles on agriculture and how they could be used as fertilizers and fungicides for crops.

I am excited to continue to develop and deploy innovative nanotechnology-enabled solutions to solve society’s grand challenges.
Greg Lowry, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Lowry is one of 416 members awarded this honor, including Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Dave Farber. The AAAS’s first class of fellows was elected in 1874, when the society began recognizing individuals for their achievements across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry, and government.