Kirk R. Smith

Kirk R. Smith (January 19, 1947 – June 15, 2020) was an American expert on the health and climate effects of household energy use in developing nations. He held a professorship in Global Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focused on the relationships among environmental quality, health, resource use, climate, development, and policy in developing countries.[2] Smith contributed a great deal to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the work of the IPCC (including the contributions of many scientists) was recognized by the joint award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Smith was a recipient of the 2012 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his work with cookstoves, health, and climate. He is also credited with designing and implementing the first randomized controlled trial of the health effects of indoor air pollution (IAP) from cookstoves.[3]

Kirk Smith
Born(1947-01-19)January 19, 1947
Berkeley, California, U.S.
DiedJune 15, 2020(2020-06-15) (aged 73)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley A.B., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Known forFirst cookstove RCT
Contributions to IPCC
AwardsTyler Prize (2012)
Heinz Award (2009)
Co-Author of Nobel-Winning Climate Report (2007)
Scientific career
FieldsEnvironmental Health
Global Health
Energy Policy
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Tsinghua University (honorary)[1]
Doctoral advisorsJohn Holdren, Robert C. Spear, West Churchman
Doctoral studentsManish Desai, L. Drew Hill (final), David Holstius, Nicholas L. Lam, Sumi Mehta, Kyra S. Naumoff, Amanda L. Northcross, David M. Pennise, Ajay Pillarisetti, Amod K. Pokhrel, Ilse Ruiz-Mercado, Morten A. Schei, Lisa M. Thompson, Feng Tsai (first)
Websitewww.kirkrsmith.org

Early life

Smith was born in Berkeley, California, on January 19, 1947. His father, Robert Nisbet, worked as an attorney and served as the first general manager of AC Transit. His mother, Ruth Smith, worked at a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War and conducted research with Timothy Leary. His parents divorced when he was four, and he subsequently adopted his stepfather's surname.[4] He grew up in the California East Bay, where he attended Piedmont, California public schools and the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, he received his Bachelor of Arts (1968) in Physics and Astronomy, his Master of Public Health (1972) in Environmental Health Sciences, and his Doctorate (PhD) (1977) in Biomedical and Environmental Health with a focus on Energy & Environment.[5]

Career

Smith's studies at Berkeley led to developments in coal-ash recycling and nuclear risk assessment, and were conducted under the advisorship of the Science Advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, John Holdren. Smith moved to Hawaii after completing his PhD; there he founded the Energy Program at the East-West Center. He was in charge of the center's work on energy research problems in the Asia-Pacific regions until 1985, when he became the coordinator for environmental risk research. After a decade as coordinator, he returned to UC Berkeley in 1995 and became a member of the faculty at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Smith was a Professor of Global Environmental Health, the founder and co-Director of the university's Global Health and Environment Program, and Associate Director for International Programs at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health.[6] His work followed is mantra: "You don't get what you expect, you get what you inspect."

Death

Smith died on June 15, 2020, at his home in Berkeley. He was 73 and had suffered a stroke and resulting cardiac arrest.[4]

Selected honors and awards

References
  1. Waldmandate=June 18, 2020, Peter. "The U.S. Is Purging Chinese Cancer Researchers From Top Institutions". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Kirk R. Smith, Nobel Prize recipient and environmental health giant, dies at 73". Berkeley Public Health. University of California, Berkeley. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. "Biography – Kirk R. Smith". Kirk R. Smith. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  6. "2012 Tyler Laureates". Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. University of Southern California. June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "The Heinz Awards :: Kirk Smith". www.heinzawards.net.
  9. Rhodes, Clarence. "Annual Meeting – ISESWeb".
  10. "National Academy of Sciences". nas.nasonline.org.
  11. Siddayao, Corazon M.; Griffin, Lisa A., eds. (January 1, 1993). Energy Investments and the Environment: A Collection of Papers Prepared for a Workshop Organized by the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank in October 1990. World Bank Publications. p. 240. ISBN 9780821323984.

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