Dr. William R. Pierson, 69, pioneering air quality researcher and senior research manager with DRI, died in Reno, January 1, 2000. Pierson developed new methods of analyzing real-world auto emissions, showing that government and industry fleet and laboratory tests failed to account for many operating variables that significantly added to air pollution levels.

The author of more than 100 publications, Pierson earned a Ph.D. in Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry from MIT in 1959, and served on numerous government and industry groups and professional organizations identifying air quality research priorities. Pierson was a Fellow of the Air and Waste Management Association and the recipient of that association’s Franklin A. Chambers Award for major contributions to the science of air pollution control.

A memorial service was held at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, on January 21.

For a complete obituary and further information on Pierson’s research career, visit the DRI news archive at: http://newsletter.dri.edu/1999/winter98-99/Tunnelrats.html and http://newsletter.dri.edu/1996/q196/NewsletterText.96.1.html#Tales