Comment pubs.acs.org/est
Jerry Schnoor: The Impact on Others
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and “Agriculture: The Last Unregulated Source, April 7, 2014 (got me in trouble in Iowa)”. I know many appreciated the effort and risk Jerry took in sharing his opinion and often biting insight while taking a voice on many important topics in his editorials and his efforts to lead ES&T, even though he knew a result would be “got me in trouble”. His leadership at ES&T looked to strengthen ES&T as the premier journal dedicated to environmental topics and expand that impact globally. While we have all witnessed ES&T grow in impact globally, Jerry set this path long ago, as foretold in 2003 in “Internationalizing ES&T”, yet another editorial from Jerry’s thoughts and further from his heart and dedication to our field and to “us” as his colleagues. One can never look into another’s intention and “soul”. However, I feel part of Jerry’s inspiration as the leader of ES&T was to instill a culture for our field to lift our eyes from our lab benches and computer screens to be impactful beyond our knowledge generation on individual topics and to focus on the global issues and the challenges of our generation. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Nelson Mandela. While Jerry is clearly passionate about his work and our field he certainly knows how to have fun and not take himself too seriously all the time. Working close with Jerry, one sees that life and work are intimately related when you are impassioned about your work. Work and Life transects with our colleagues and peers, and Jerry certainly has a personal level impact his colleagues and students. Those that have worked around Jerry offer a consistent message of appreciating this passion and learning not only about scientific approaches, but also personal core values of how to deal with the people around us. All consistently noted a personal impact, beyond learning science and engineering. I’m sure Jerry will not remember this small event, but it certainly helped set me on a path I’d not anticipated. Many years ago as that lowly master’s student, I asked Jerry to Saturday morning breakfast at Bruegger’s Bagels with my parents visiting Iowa City. I’d not considered he’d be taking time away from his own, very beloved family when he was so wickedly busy. At the time it was a nice gesture, but realizing later how valuable time with family can be for someone as busy as Jerry. The impact of that gesture (and many similar ones) was imbedded in me and greatly impacted my career and not only the way I work with students, but also impacts the way I work with my colleagues, the staff on our team, my neighbors and my kids as well. I, like so many others, have been impacted on a core values level from working with Jerry as student, colleague and friend. And to answer the overwhelming #1 question I receive about Jerry, “Yes he is that nice and kind, all the time” He accomplishes so much with setting a culture of being progressive and positive, giving his all to those around him and setting an example.
erry Schnoor is certainly a unique individual. His passionate, deep personal resolve drive him to shoulder many big topics and this passion is paired with a desire to help others. He has pulled many of us to join the battle on grand issues and educate the next generation. With this combination of drive and talents, Jerry has directly impacted many individuals at a personal, core values level. Conveying Jerry’s impacts is perhaps easiest through examples. From an early day in graduate school, I stood in the hall outside his door, and I was rather upset that Jerry was spending time with undergrad students from Intro to Engineering in Jerry’s office hours before my weekly meetings. My work and ideas were clearly more important. How dare he waste a valuable master’s student time sketching free body diagrams? Quickly I realized that Jerry was also spending time with me (now a lowly master’s student) and delaying calls on university and ES&T business and on up the chain to EPA leadership and international collaborators. Over time I came to realize that many, many things were always important to Jerry, and among these, the most important were colleagues and people. One of the things that made Jerry so unique was that focus on what’s important in the moment and relation to the bigger picture. This connectivity of people through to topic was what Jerry truly excelled at as a scientist, leader, and mentor to many. These attributes also had great impact in leading ES&T for so many years and seeing ES&T grow in impact and in breadth to new continents under Jerry’s leadership. I also greatly appreciate Jerry’s use of quotes and one he’d shared was one by Henry David Thoreau: “Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” Sincerity and culture are corner posts to Jerry that are just as important as remarkable acumen and abilities. Though his sincere quality of person, Jerry sets a solid foundation that he stand upon in scientific work and in using this foundation as a position for strong speech on important topics. How many other editors would pen such memorable editorials as “Top Ten Stupid Environmental Policies” taking clear and open target at the Bush Administration while receiving funds from federal agencies and also having important advisor roles with EPA and NRC. Then a few year’s later Jerry noted “EPA will need to work faster and smarter” in an NRC report looking at EPA. Jerry always emphasizes the need to have impact in protecting human health and protecting the environment, not just doing the work to create the data and papers. Impacts we can have go beyond data generation and being involved in policy issues, and speaking out for what we believe to be important. Jerry certainly spoke out on topics of importance. I know many appreciated Jerry’s editorials, and I had asked Jerry what editorials were his favorites. In usual form, I asked for a few and he said, “they are like my grandkids, I can’t pick a favorite”, and he sent 24 titles, adding his current commentary on each, for example: “Regulate, Baby, Regulate, September 1, 2010 (the truth, but it got me in trouble with Congress)”; “Keystone XL: Pipeline to Nowhere, April 29, 2013 (prognosticated that we won’t need the oil, and we don’t)”, © 2016 American Chemical Society
Special Issue: Jerry Schnoor's Lasting Influence on Global and Regional Environmental Research Published: July 5, 2016 6593
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01430 Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, 50, 6593−6594
Comment
Environmental Science & Technology
21. Keystone XL: Pipeline to Nowhere, April 29, 2013 (prognosticated that we will not need the oil, and we do not) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es4014129 22. How to Feed 10 Billion, December 18, 2013 (led to a Feature article with Willi Verstraete) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es4052507 23. Agriculture: The Last Unregulated Source, April 7, 2014 (got me in trouble in Iowa) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/ abs/10.1021/es5015168 24. When the Well Runs Dry, May 8, 2014 (overpumping groundwater means water reuse) http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/es502046f
I think this was written for Jerry: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops”, Henry Brooks Adams 1907.
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JERRY’S TOP EDITORIALS
1. Internationalizing ES&T, July 1, 2003 (because my goal was to internationalize the journal) http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/es032490b 2. Life at the University, September 1, 2003 (because it is so true) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es032548m 3. Emerging Chemical Contaminants, November 1, 2003 (because they are still emerging and we have not even tested all the high production volume chemicals yet) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es032604j 4. Pura Vida, May 1, 2004 (some cautious optimism after the third IPCC Assessment, what got into me?) http:// pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es040463v 5. Top Ten Stupid Environmental Policies, July 1, 2004 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es040551f 6. No Water, No Future, August 1, 2004 (a plug for water in the Millennium Development Goals) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es0405777 7. Open Access and You, April 1, 2005 (pretty accurate forecast for the publishing industry) http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/es053225o 8. When Science Gets Censored, August 1, 2005 (made some people angry) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ 10.1021/es0533139 9. No New Coal, January 1, 2008 (ahead of its time) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es087103i 10. Seven Ideas Lost on the U.S., March 1, 2008 (they’re still lost on us) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ es0870754 11. What the h?, May 1, 2008 (probably got the most attention of any of my editorials) http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/es0870395 12. LCA and Environmental Intelligence, May 1, 2009 (the importance of LCAs) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ 10.1021/es900867c 13. NEWater Future?, September 1, 2009 (water reuse) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es902153f 14. Regulate, Baby, Regulate, September 1, 2010 (the truth, but it got me in trouble with Congress) http:// pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es102534k 15. The Most Important Promise Ever Made, January 1, 2011 (MDGs) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ es1039216 16. Oceans: The Final Frontier, February 25, 2011 (people did not realize how much the oceans were warming and acidifying at that time) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ 10.1021/es200328b 17. The Snow Scorpionfly, July 13, 2011 (my best literary editorial, complete with sketch!) http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/es202194s 18. Cellulosic Biofuels Disappoint, August 19, 2011 (this is true) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es2026032 19. Obama Must Lead on Climate Change, May 3, 2012 (in his second term, he finally did) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/ abs/10.1021/es301670s 20. Salt: The Final Frontier, February 13, 2013 (the difficulty of getting rid of salt) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ 10.1021/es4004312
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Joel Gerard Burken* AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*
[email protected] Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The cover photo of Jerry Schnoor is courtesy of Timothy Schoon, University of Iowa.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01430 Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, 50, 6593−6594
