Scientists’ submissions describe how Picarro analyzers are used to research greenhouse gases, global warming, and whether life might have existed elsewhere in our solar system

Santa Clara, CA — Oct. 3, 2023 — Picarro Inc., a leading provider of gas concentration and stable isotope analyzers and monitoring systems for industrial emissions, today named the four Picarro Hero Award winners. Through this award program, Picarro is recognizing its customers and their world-changing work as part of the company’s yearlong celebration of its 25th anniversary. Picarro invited scientists to submit descriptions of their work and how Picarro analyzers have helped them. The submissions revealed the broad range of research that Picarro analyzers are being used for.   

“These remarkable scientists are the embodiment of our company's mission to provide cutting-edge analytical tools for groundbreaking research”, said Joel Avrunin, Vice President, Environmental Picarro. “Their exceptional work in advancing our understanding of our planet, from air to water to soil using Picarro analyzers is truly commendable. We are proud to honor these individuals for their contributions to science and environmental stewardship.”

The Picarro Hero Award Winners
Picarro selected three of the winners and asked the public to vote for a “People's Choice” winner. The four Picarro Hero Award Winners are: 

• Ido Rog of the University of Zurich and Agroscope in Switzerland and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel – Ido has made many discoveries related to carbon regulation of plants, trees, and forests using Picarro analyzers. In addition to his ecophysiological research, he worked with underprivileged communities to develop sustainable agricultural practices.
• Jeff Welker, the UArctic Research Chair at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Oulu Finland – Jeff has logged thousands of nautical miles aboard the US Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy to study water vapor and seawater isotopes using Picarro analyzers.  His research is showing how a warming climate results in sea ice loss, which impacts the Arctic water cycle and changes global precipitation patterns.
• Whendee Silver of UC Berkeley, the Silver Lab, and the Marin Carbon Project – Whendee has provided notable key data on greenhouse gas fluxes and mechanistic drivers for regional, state, and national climate change mitigation planning using Picarro analyzers.  Her studies have informed scientists of the patterns and drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in forests, grasslands, agricultural ecosystems, and waste management practices. These projects are so significant, they have received recognition from the White House and national networks.
• Jennifer Stern of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center won the “People’s Choice” Award  – Jennifer is studying analog environments on Earth to try to understand the cycling of carbon and nitrogen on Mars, and whether life could have ever arisen elsewhere in our solar system. She has also been using Picarro analyzers as analogs for the tunable laser spectrometer (TLS) on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the Curiosity Rover. She’s even taken the analyzers to remote laboratories to measure the C isotopic composition of pyrolyzed carbonate samples to emulate the SAM instrument on Mars.

Visit the Picarro Hero Awards Gallery to learn more about the winners, their work, and all the finalists. 

About Picarro
Picarro is a leading provider of solutions to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, trace gases, and stable isotopes across many scientific and industrial applications. Industrial solutions range from ethylene oxide emission measurement for sterilization facilities to mobile leak detection technology for utilities companies to trace gas analysis for semiconductor fabrication and pharmaceutical isolators. Services providers, regulators and researchers trust our patented Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) technology to enable the detection of target molecules at parts-per-billion (ppb) levels or better resolution. For more information on Picarro’s portfolio of solutions