Leung Tsang elected to the National Academy of Engineering
A professor of electrical engineering and computer science is awarded one of engineering’s top honors.
Michigan Engineering News
The National Academy of Engineering recently announced that Leung Tsang, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is among the latest class of researchers welcomed into the society. The NAE cited Tsang’s, “contributions in wave scattering and microwave remote sensing theories for satellite missions.”
“Election to the NAE is among the highest honors accorded in our profession,” said Alec D. Gallimore, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering and the Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor of Engineering, in his message sharing the announcement with the Michigan Engineering community. “Professor Tsang is a world-renowned expert in the field of theoretical and computational electromagnetics, and in particular microwave remote sensing of the earth.”
Tsang played a major role developing theoretical models for measuring many facets of the planet’s workings, using microwave sensors mounted on satellites missions for continual global monitoring. His models have improved the accuracy of these measurements for a variety of purposes. Surveys of soil moisture help researchers understand and predict water cycles and droughts. Knowing how much water is locked up in snowpack enables the tracking of water resources and the prediction of floods.
Measurements of ocean wind are important for predicting and monitoring weather, particularly hurricanes. Vegetation and forest surveys inform studies of crop yield, agriculture, ecology and the global carbon cycle. And all of these, plus measurements of polar ice caps, sea ice and ocean salinity, contribute to an ever clearer picture of the global climate and the effects of heating.
“It is a great honor to be elected a member of NAE. It is a recognition for myself, my collaborators, postdocs and students. I acknowledge my colleagues for their encouragement. I thank my family for their continuous support,” said Tsang.
Tsang is one of 106 new NAE members in the class of 2020. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Optical Society of America, and the Electromagnetics Academy.
Dean Gallimore is also an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and a professor both of aerospace engineering and of applied physics.