Nilton O. Renno

Professor

Education:

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

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

Research:

Thermodynamics, geophysical fluid dynamics, and instrument development

Doctoral Students:

S Taniguchi
Manish Mehta
Jasper Kok
Douglas Halleaux

Specializations and Research Interests

• Atmospheric convection and climate
• Instrument development
• Planetary science
• Systems engineering
• Thermodynamics

Links

• Electric Field Sensor
• E-Static Shadows
• Liquid Saline Water on Mars
• Mars Science Laboratory
• MetNet Missions to Mars
• Multidisciplinary Engineering Design (Eng 450)
• NASA Phoenix Mission to Mars
• Planetary Environment Research Laboratory
• Sensorial Hospitality: Light on the Cosmos

Honors, Awards and Accomplishments

• 2009 NASA Group Achievement Award "For utstanding performance in the planning for the execution of the science for the Phoenix mission”

• 2009 NASA Group Achievement Award “For outstanding achievement in the development and operation of the Phoenix spacecraft leading to the first landing in the Martian arctic”
• 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 and NRC Proposal Review panels
• Member, Mars Exploration Rovers EDL Advisory Board
• Member, Mars Exploration Rovers Atmospheric Science Advisory Board

Professional Service

• American Astronomical Society (AAS)

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)

• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• American Meteorological Society (AMS)

• Institute of Physics, UK (IOP)

• International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)

• Organization Scientifique et Technique Internationale du vol a Voile (OSTIV)

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. Possible physical and Thermodynamical Evidence for Liquid Water on the Phoenix Landing Site. Geophys. Res., 114, E00E03, doi:10.1029/2009JE003362.
• Zorzano, M.-P., E. Mateo-Martí, O. Prieto-Ballesteros, S. Osuna and N. Renno, 2009. The stability of liquid saline water on present day Mars. Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L20201, doi:10.1029/2009GL040315.
• Ruf, C., N.O. Renno, J.F. Kok, E. Bandelier, M.J. Sander, S. Gross, L. Skjerve, and B. Cantor, 2009. The Emission of Non-Thermal Microwave Radiation by a Martian Dust Storm. Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L13202, doi:10.1029/2009GL038715.
• 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.