Dr. Hans Moosmüller Dr. Hans Moosmüller has seen the light--and it's his favorite research tool. An associate research professor with DRI's Energy and Environmental Engineering Center, Moosmüller uses laser spectroscopy and optics to explore the earth's atmosphere.

A look at his current research projects gives you an idea of the various atmospheric processes Moosmüller is investigating. For instance, he's developing sensitive methods of measuring aerosol light absorption. He's also working on a novel light source to help make remote measurements of temperature and wind velocity in the mesopause, the atmospheric region 90 to 100 kilometers above the earth. And he's helping to develop a novel interferometer for atmospheric turbulence measurements. Moosmüller is also looking forward to an upcoming sabbatical when he?ll study measurement of atmospheric trace gases with new ultrasensitive optical techniques.

And while things like interferometers, laser spectroscopy, and trace gases might sound, well, up in the clouds, Moosmüller says it's all grounded in the basics. "My work stems from an interest in applying basic science, like physics, to practical problems," he asserts. Air quality is among those practical problems being addressed. Moosmüller is participating in the planning, field work, and data analysis of major air quality studies in southeast Texas, Colorado, and southern California.

A native of Germany, Moosmüller earned a Ph.D. in physics from Colorado State University, where he also conducted postdoctoral research. He is a member of the Air and Waste Management Association, the American Geophysical Union, and the Optical Society of America. Besides his position at DRI, he also serves on the graduate faculty of the physics department at the University of Nevada, Reno. Moosmüller lives in Reno with his wife, Janis, and their two sons. Together they enjoy the outdoors by gardening, bicycling, backpacking, and camping.

Dr. Weixin Cheng does a lot of the dirty work at DRI, but he doesn't mind. A member of DRI's Biological Sciences Center, Cheng?s specialty is what goes on below the surface of the plant world. He studies soils, roots, and the microbial and nutritional processes of plants that most of us never even consider. He's particularly concerned about how potential environmental changes may be altering these important processes and affecting plant systems.

Cheng is currently at work on three different projects involving the effects of carbon dioxide on plants and soils. One, funded by Japan's Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, is looking at the relationship between elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and soil carbon storage. DRI's unique plant growth facilities are helping this project, along with a similar study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF-funded study is concerned with rising carbon dioxide and temperature. A final carbon dioxide study, conducted in collaboration with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is investigating the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on soil microbial biomass.

Besides his carbon dioxide research, Cheng is also conducting important work in the tiny underground world scientists call the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere is defined as the root surface of a plant and the zone of soil surrounding the root. The processes that occur here play a critical role in ecosystem function, although until now, researchers have had a hard time getting reliable data on this hidden part of the world. "Due to methodological limitations," explains Cheng, "most of our understanding of the rhizosphere is based on data from experiments carried out under highly artificial laboratory conditions, which may or may not be relevant to the real world." Cheng's current project, funded by the NSF, may help change that. He is looking at rhizosphere processes in situ--in a natural soil setting--using a novel isotopic trapping method.

In addition to his research projects, Cheng is a member of the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Civil Engineering. He teaches courses on environmental microbiology and isotopic techniques in environmental sciences. Cheng received a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia and is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the International Association for Ecology, and the Soil Science Society of America. He lives in Reno with his wife, Li Zhang, and two daughters.