Dr. Barbara Zielinska Receives DRI's 2002 Alessandro Dandini Medal of Science

Dr. Barbara Zielinska, a senior air quality scientist and atmospheric chemist at the Desert Research Institute, has received DRI's 2002 Alessandro Dandini Medal of Science for advancing the Institute's capabilities for detecting, identifying, and quantifying harmful chemical components in air pollution samples. The Dandini Medal is DRI's highest annual recognition for scientific accomplishment by a member of its research faculty.

Zielinska, a member of DRI's research faculty since 1989, has conducted research across the nation

and in several foreign countries, focusing on the characterization of organic compounds in ambient air, their chemical transformation in the atmosphere, and determination of their emission sources. She also serves on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee advising the agency's director on policy and technology applications.

Zielinska established and manages DRI's state-of-the-art Organic Analytical Laboratory, an internationally regarded facility for analyzing air samples for trace amounts of organic air pollutants identified as being adverse to human health. The laboratory also conducts analyses to identify the sources of volatile organic compounds and organic particulates, many of which are known or suspected cancer-causing substances.
Zielinska received the minted medallion and $1,000 prize from Countess Angela Dandini, the award's sponsor and widow of the medal's namesake. Countess Dandini established the award following her husband's death in 1992. The late Dandini had been an inventor, engineer, scientist, educator, and visionary who succeeded in establishing what is now the Dandini Research Park in Reno, home to both the northern Nevada campus of DRI and Truckee Meadows Community College.

Zielinska's research has led to an extensive publication record, including 40 publications since joining DRI, and she is regularly invited to give presentations on the collection and analysis of organic emissions and ambient aerosols at meetings and symposia worldwide. Zielinska received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lodz.