Rigorous peer review is critical to maintaining the high quality and integrity of the research papers published in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (JA&WMA). The Associate Editors and I greatly appreciate the support of thousands of reviewers for participating in the peer review process over the past year, thereby helping to ensure that published research is accurate, trustworthy, and meets the highest standards of scientific study within the environmental field. The peer reviewers listed on pages 3–13 provided objective and constructive comments, thereby improving the quality of papers published in 2018. In keeping with JA&WMA’s longstanding tradition, therefore, this issue is dedicated to those peer reviewers for their valuable time and effort in this cause.
Each year, we present an outstanding reviewer award. This past year, 10 reviewers were recognized by A&WMA with a certificate of appreciation for their dedication to scientific excellence in reviewing the manuscripts submitted in 2017 and 2018: Jan Baeyens; Oliver Chang; Prakash Doraiswamy; Zuber Farooqui; Ravindra Khaiwal; Karen Obenshain; Juan F. Saldarriaga; Hosam El-Din M. Saleh; DeZhi Sun; and Ronald Williams. These reviewers provided thorough reviews on multiple manuscripts in a timely manner, which helped the authors improve the quality of their papers. Indeed, thanks to our Associate Editors’ diligence and reviewers’ timely responses, we have been able to maintain an average time of less than 80 days from initial manuscript submittal date to first decision.
In addition to the contributions from peer reviewers, eminent scientists from around the world serve as Associate Editors, playing a central role in the operations of JA&WMA. Their breadth of expertise and experience provides more complete coverage in air and waste management science and technology, bringing new diligence to the manuscript peer review and publication process. The Associate Editors also serve as key representatives of JA&WMA in their respective countries and scientific disciplines, seeking out new topics and special issues on topics of interest to the environmental community. This past year, we welcomed Drs. Jhumoor Biswas of the Indian Institute of Social Welfare Business Management, Kolkata, India; Christian Carrico of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico; Zaher Hashisho of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Stephanie Bolyard of the Environmental Research & Education Foundation; and Timothy Townsend of the University of Florida as new Associate Editors. JA&WMA’s Associate Editors are listed on the inside cover page of each issue.
Each year, A&WMA presents a prestigious award named for Dr. Arthur C. Stern, a former president of the association and eminent scholar in the air pollution field, to recognize those who have greatly advanced the air and waste management field through the publication of their research papers in JA&WMA. A selection committee consisting of experts drawn from industry, government, and academia work with me in selecting individuals who have contributed substantially to the environmental field through JA&WMA. Please join me in congratulating the winners of the 2019 Stern Award: Drs. Jun-Ji Cao, Zhen-Xing Shen, Judith C. Chow, John G. Watson, Shun-Cheng Lee, Xue-Xi Tie, Kin-Fai Ho, and Yong-Ming Han for their paper “Winter and Summer PM2.5 Chemical Compositions in Fourteen Chinese Cities” (J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc. 2012, 62(10):1214–1226). This paper presents the first comprehensive measurement of fine particulate matter total mass and its chemical composition for the largest cities in China, demonstrating the need for considering a variety of emission reduction strategies to help improve ambient air quality in China. Guidelines for the nomination for the Stern Award are available online at www.tandfonline.com/uawm. I encourage you to send your nominations for the 2020 Stern Award to [email protected] by September 15, 2019.
I will continue to further enhance JA&WMA’s stature with the support of the contributing authors, peer reviewers, Associate Editors, and members of the Editorial Review Board and Publications Committee. Finally, I would like to thank A&WMA headquarters staff, Nancy Bernheisel, Lisa Bucher, and Stephanie Glyptis, for their invaluable assistance in managing the journal.
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