Nilton O. Renno

Professor

Education:

Ph.D., Atmospheric Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

B.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering, Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil

Research:

Atmospheric convection, climate, planetary sciences, and instrument developmenet

Doctoral Students:

S Taniguchi
Manish Mehta
Jasper Kok

Specializations and Research Interests

• Atmospheric convection and climate
• Planetary atmospheres
• Instrument development
• Systems engineering 

Links

• Planetary Environment Research Laboratory
• Electric Field Sensor
• E-Static Shadows
• Multidisciplinary Engineering Design
• NASA Phoenix Mission to Mars
• Mars Science Laboratory
• MetNet Missions to Mars
• Liquid Saline Water on Mars

Honors, Awards and Accomplishments

• 2009 John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration as member of the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• 2008 Popular Mechanics Magazine Breakthrough Award for Innovation as member of the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• 2008 Popular Science Magazine's 2008 "Best of What's New" Grand Award in the aviation and space category as member of the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• 2008 National Space Club Astronautics Engineer Award as member of the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• 2008 Civil Space Award from the California Space Authority as member of the Phoenix Mars Mission Team
• Co-Investigator, Phoenix Mission to Mars
• Lead, Phoenix Atmospheric Science Theme Group
• Co-Investigator, MSL Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS)
• Co-Investigator, MetNet Mars Missions
• Chair, NASA Proposal Review panel
• Member, Mars Exploration Rovers EDL Advisory Board
• Member, Mars Exploration Rovers Atmospheric Science Advisory Board
• Member, NRC Research Associateship Review Committee

Professional Service

• Member, American Astronomical Society
• Member, American Geophysical Union
• Member, American Meteorological Society
• Member, International Scientific Organization for Soaring Flight

Publications

• Renno, N.O., B.J. Bos, D. Catling, B.C. Clark, L. Drube, D. Fisher, W. Goetz, S.F. Hviid, H. Keller,  J.F. Kok, S.P. Kounaves, K. Leer, M. Lemmon, M. Bo Madsen, W. Markiewicz, J. Marshall, C. McKay, M. Mehta, M. Smith, M.P. Zorzano, P.H. Smith, C. Stoker, S.M.M. Young, 2009. Physical and Thermodynamical Evidence for Liquid Water on Mars. Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research, Special Issue on Phoenix.
• Wang, J., F.J.F. Chagnon, E.R. Williams, A.K. Betts, N.O. Renno, L.A.T. Machado, G. Bisht, R. Knox, R.L. Bras, 2009. Why Clouds Follow Deforestation Over the Amazon? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi:10.1073/pnas.0810156106.
• Renno, N.O. and J.F. Kok, 2008. Electric activity and dust lifting on earth and beyond. Space Science Review, 137, 419-434.
• Renno, N.O., 2008. A general theory for convective plumes and vortices. Tellus, 60A, 688–699.
• Kok, J.F., and N.O. Renno, 2008. Electrostatics in wind-blown sand. Physical Review Letters, 100, 014501.
• Koch, J. and N.O. Renno, 2005. The role of convective plumes and vortices on the global aerosol budget, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, doi:10.1029/2005GL023420.
• Souza, E.P, N.O. Renno, and M. A. F. Silva Dias, 2000. Convective circulations induced by surface heterogeneities.  Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 57, 2915-2922.
• Renno, N.O., M.L. Burkett, and M.P. Larkin, 1998.  A simple theory for dust devils. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 55, 3244-3252.
• Renno, N.O., 1997. Multiple-equilibria in radiative-convective atmospheres. Tellus, 49A, 423-438.
• Renno, N.O. and E.R. Williams, 1995. Quasi-Lagrangian measurements in convective boundary layer plumes. Monthly Weather Review, 123, 2733-2742.

• See CV for complete list of publications.