BYU media tip: Statistical sleuthing pinpoints polluters - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU media tip: Statistical sleuthing pinpoints polluters

Findings: A Brigham Young University statistics professor has improved the ability to track air pollution to its source. Professor William Christensen’s method reduces the misclassification rate by up to 33 percent compared to existing approaches.

Christensen analyzed Houston air samples to identify pollution from sources such as refineries, auto exhaust and brake dust. The air samples were analyzed for similarity to known combinations of particulate matter associated with these sources. Christensen’s method improves the ability to match emitted particles to their source by considering a wider variety of potential pollution sources than previous methods, which in some cases ruled out the true polluter. Christensen reports his findings in the new issue of the journal Environmetrics.

Relevance: The research, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides more accurate information to detect the greatest contributors to air pollution and to safeguard public health.

Writer: Jessica Witt

H-William20Christensen-25.jpg
Photo by the Ying Quartet

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

BYU business professors find ‘margins of error’ in workplace correlate with unethical behavior outside workplace

April 29, 2025
Tolerance standards may lead to better outcomes in the workplace, but researchers from the BYU Marriott School of Business recently published a study in the Journal of Business Ethics showing a paradoxical effect in other ethical domains.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU animation, AdLab students shine once again at Student Emmys

April 08, 2025
Students take top national honors in animation and commercial categories at the 44th College Television Awards
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU professional programs land high marks, engineering makes big jump in U.S. News grad ranks

April 08, 2025
BYU’s law and business programs remained highly ranked in the 2025 U.S. News Best Graduate School Rankings released today, while BYU’s engineering graduate programs made major jumps over previous marks.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=