Emily V. Fischer is an Atmospheric Chemist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

. She earned notoriety from her work on the WE-CAN project and on PAN, specifically its role in changing the distribution of oxidants in the troposphere. She has received many honors including the prestigious

James B. Macelwane Medal The James B. Macelwane Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union to three to five early career scientists (no more than 10 years beyond having received their Ph.D.). It is named after James B. Macelwane, a Jesuit priest and one of ...

which is "given annually to three to five early career scientists in recognition of their significant contributions to Earth and space science." Fischer is also a role model and activist in galvanizing support for women in STEM fields.

Early life and education

Fischer was born in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. She was drawn into atmospheric science when, at age eleven, Hurricane Bob hit her home state in August 1991; blown away by nature's phenomenon, she called her local meteorologist to ask "what made wind". After a year at

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

, she transferred to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

, where she graduated with a B.S. in

Atmospheric Science Atmospheric science is the study of the Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere and its various inner-working physical processes. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather forecasting. Climat ...

in 2002. In 2005, she earned M.S. in Earth Sciences from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

, Durham. Finally, after studying transpacific air pollution on

Mount Bachelor Mount Bachelor, formerly named Bachelor Butte, is a dormant stratovolcano atop a shield volcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range of central Oregon. Named Mount Bachelor because it stands apart from the nearby Three Sisters, it ...

, OR, she earned her PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

in 2010.

Career and research

Following her PhD research in 2011, Fischer became a NOAA Environmental Fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment. There, she "explored the processes controlling the distribution of the most important atmospheric oxidants, the hydroxyl radical and ozone." In 2013, she became an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University where she works today. Her most notable work was done on the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN) project. The goal of the project was to study both the chemical make-up and travel of compounds produced by wildfires. Additionally the project pioneered a satellite technique for measuring PAN that now gives scientists a panoramic perspective.

Select publications

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Awards and honors

* In 2019, Fischer received the James. B Macelwane medal from the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

* In 2019, she was chosen by students in the CSU Atmospheric Science Department as Professor of the Year. * In 2018 Fischer received the CSU Graduate Advising and Mentorship Award. * 2011-2013 she was a

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

Climate and Global Change and a Harvard Center for the Environment Fellow.

Public engagement

In 2014, Fischer along with fellow scientists launched a program Promoting Geoscience, Research, Education and Success (PROGRESS). Through "a professional development workshop, access to female mentors and role models, and online discussions and resources" PROGRESS aims "to introduce the women to geoscience careers, to establish connections among students, to help participants identify role models and the value of mentoring, ndto discuss how to overcome expected hurdles."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Emily V Living people Atmospheric chemists University of Washington College of the Environment alumni Colorado State University faculty 21st-century American chemists American women chemists Scientists from Rhode Island Year of birth missing (living people) American women academics 21st-century American women scientists