POTSDAM -- Clarkson University Distinguished Professor Philip K. Hopke, director of Clarkson’s Center for Air Resources Engineering & Science, will chair an expert panel established by the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Agency (AEMERA) and Environment Canada.

They will be tasked with conducting an external peer review to evaluate the scientific integrity of the implementation of the Joint Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM) environmental monitoring in the oil sands region since the launch of JOSM in 2012.

The panel is composed of U.S., Canadian and European scientists who will assess the rigor of the science for oil sands monitoring, transparency, and the use of internationally recognized standards and protocols, Clarkson said.

The panel will deliver its final report this fall, which will, in part, help determine the next steps on the oil sands monitoring design and implementation.

Hopke’s research is primarily related to particles in the air, including particle formation, sampling and analysis, composition, and origination. His current projects are related to solid biomass combustion, receptor modeling, ambient monitoring, and nucleation.

He has served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and a member of a number of National Research Council committees. He was a member of the NRC Committee on Energy Futures and Air Pollution in Urban China and the United States, the Committee on Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter, and the Committee on Air Quality Management in the United States.