Bill Text: VA SJR140 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Linsey Chen Marr, Ph.D.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ140ER) [SJR140 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR140-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Linsey Chen Marr, Ph.D., an esteemed environmental engineer and the Charles P. Lunsford Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was named a MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2023; and
WHEREAS, Linsey Marr joined the faculty at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University after graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Harvard University, earning a doctorate in environmental engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and completing postdoctoral training in earth, atmospheric, and planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and
WHEREAS, Linsey Marr's research interests incorporate atmospheric science, public health, nanomaterials, and infectious disease as her studies investigate indoor and outdoor air quality and the ways in which airborne pathogens move through the environment and affect human health; and
WHEREAS, by drawing from both research on traditional particulate pollutants and chemical and biological studies of pathogens, Linsey Marr has helped to uncover how time, atmospheric conditions, and particle size determine virus viability in aerosols, greatly enhancing our ability to combat airborne infectious diseases; and
WHEREAS, from determining how humidity levels shape influenza virus stability and infectiousness to highlighting how COVID-19 may be carried by small aerosol particles, Linsey Marr has made significant contributions to our understanding of how infectious diseases are spread, leading to improved public health strategies and outcomes; and
WHEREAS, in addition to publishing her research in preeminent academic journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Environmental Science & Technology, Linsey Marr has also made an impact by effectively communicating her ideas to policymakers around the globe; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of future pandemics underscore the importance of Linsey Marr's work, as her efforts carry with them the potential to improve quality of life and save lives around the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Linsey Chen Marr, Ph.D., a leading environmental engineer and the Charles P. Lunsford Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, for being named a 2023 MacArthur Fellow; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Linsey Chen Marr, Ph.D., as an expression of the General Assembly's high regard for her contributions to science and to the health and well-being of our world.
