Arie Jan Haagen-Smit
Encyclopedia
Arie Jan Haagen-Smit was a Dutch chemist
. He is best known for linking the smog
in Southern California
to automobiles and is therefore known by many as the "father" of air pollution control. After serving as an original board member of the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, formed in 1960 to combat the smog, Dr. Haagen-Smit became the California Air Resources Board
's first chairman in 1968. Shortly before his death, of lung cancer, the Air Resources Board's El Monte Laboratory was named after him.
. He earned his M.A. degree in 1926 and Ph.D. in 1929. His work was on terpenes, a hydrocarbon
found in plants. His dissertation is titled “Investigations in the Field of Sesquiterpenes.”
. He was invited to lecture at Harvard University
in 1936 by Kenneth Thimann. He was appointed as associate professor by California Institute of Technology
in 1937 by Thomas Hunt Morgan
, and professor
in 1940, becoming one of the "Dutch Mafia" at Caltech. (One other member of the mafia was Frits Warmolt Went
.) Two other scientists and he jointly published a paper on traumatic acid
, a wound healing hormone, in Science
in 1939. He was the director of the Plant Environmental Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology from 1965 to 1971.
. Although his original concern started from the sickness of his plants, he had received many requests from government agencies to investigate air pollution. He identified ozone
, a chemical formed from the byproducts of automobile combustion and nitrogen oxide from local industrial fuel burning process. He developed an ozone test to measure the intensity of the smog. Automobile industry started to implement PCV valve
to reduce the hydrocarbon emission because of his promotion of clean air. This existing technology, which was developed for military vehicles to ford water during World War II
, reduced half of the hydrocarbon emission. He was appointed by Governor Ronald Reagan
as the first Chairman of the California Air Resources Board in 1968. He was fired by Reagan in 1974 for refusing to obey a directive to ease up on pollution control efforts.
1950 the Fritizche award of American Chemical Society
1964 the Tolman Award of American Chemical Society
1973 National Medal of Science Physical Sciences of the United States of America
1974 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
He was also the recipient of the Smithsonian Medal, the $50,000 Alice Tyler Ecology Prize, and the Rhineland Award.
He was the Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences
and the Royal Academy of Sciences of the Netherlands.
He was the trustee of the American Chemical Society.
1977 On January 3rd the existing California Air Resources Board Laboratory in El Monte, Ca. was dedicated to Dr. Haagen-Smit. It is called the "Haagen-Smit Laboratory."
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
. He is best known for linking the smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to automobiles and is therefore known by many as the "father" of air pollution control. After serving as an original board member of the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, formed in 1960 to combat the smog, Dr. Haagen-Smit became the California Air Resources Board
California Air Resources Board
The California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB or ARB, is the "clean air agency" in the government of California. Established in 1967 in the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, CARB is a department within the...
's first chairman in 1968. Shortly before his death, of lung cancer, the Air Resources Board's El Monte Laboratory was named after him.
Education
He attended the Rijks Hoogere Burger School in Utrecht. He graduated from University of Utrecht in 1922 with a major in organic chemistryOrganic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
. He earned his M.A. degree in 1926 and Ph.D. in 1929. His work was on terpenes, a hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
found in plants. His dissertation is titled “Investigations in the Field of Sesquiterpenes.”
Academic career
He stayed at the University of Utrecht from 1929 to 1935 as chief assistant. He became an expert in plant derived chemicals, particularly Auxins, a hormoneHormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
. He was invited to lecture at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1936 by Kenneth Thimann. He was appointed as associate professor by California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in 1937 by Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and embryologist and science author who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries relating the role the chromosome plays in heredity.Morgan received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in zoology...
, and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in 1940, becoming one of the "Dutch Mafia" at Caltech. (One other member of the mafia was Frits Warmolt Went
Frits Warmolt Went
Frits Warmolt Went was a Dutch biologist whose 1928 experiment demonstrated the existence of auxin in plants.Went's father was the prominent Dutch botanist F.A.F.C. Went...
.) Two other scientists and he jointly published a paper on traumatic acid
Traumatic acid
Traumatic acid is a monounsaturated dicarboxylic acid naturally occurring in plants. The compound was first isolated from wounded bean plants by American chemists James English Jr. and James Frederick Bonner and Dutch scientist Arie Jan Haagen-Smit in 1939...
, a wound healing hormone, in Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
in 1939. He was the director of the Plant Environmental Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology from 1965 to 1971.
Air Pollution Fighter
He started his air pollution research in 1948, when Southern California residents suffered with burning in the eyes from the smogSmog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
. Although his original concern started from the sickness of his plants, he had received many requests from government agencies to investigate air pollution. He identified ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
, a chemical formed from the byproducts of automobile combustion and nitrogen oxide from local industrial fuel burning process. He developed an ozone test to measure the intensity of the smog. Automobile industry started to implement PCV valve
PCV valve
A crankcase ventilation system is a way for gases to escape in a controlled manner from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine. A common type of such system is a positive crankcase ventilation system, the heart of which is a PCV valve—a variable-restriction valve that can react to changing...
to reduce the hydrocarbon emission because of his promotion of clean air. This existing technology, which was developed for military vehicles to ford water during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, reduced half of the hydrocarbon emission. He was appointed by Governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
as the first Chairman of the California Air Resources Board in 1968. He was fired by Reagan in 1974 for refusing to obey a directive to ease up on pollution control efforts.
Honors
1947 the Knight Order of Orange-Nassau of the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
1950 the Fritizche award of American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
1964 the Tolman Award of American Chemical Society
1973 National Medal of Science Physical Sciences of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1974 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is an award for environmental science, environmental health and energy. Tyler Laureates receive a $200,000 annual prize and a gold medallion...
He was also the recipient of the Smithsonian Medal, the $50,000 Alice Tyler Ecology Prize, and the Rhineland Award.
He was the Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
and the Royal Academy of Sciences of the Netherlands.
He was the trustee of the American Chemical Society.
1977 On January 3rd the existing California Air Resources Board Laboratory in El Monte, Ca. was dedicated to Dr. Haagen-Smit. It is called the "Haagen-Smit Laboratory."