Much of SRI's work over the years has been sponsored by government agencies and industry consortia, reflecting the regional, national, and global implications of its research. Sponsoring agencies include the California Air Resources Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Gas Research Institute, and the Electric Power Research Institute. Areas of research have included field measurements, lab studies, and theoretical and computer modeling. One of SRI's first projects, in the late 1940s, was to conduct a study to determine the cause of smog generation in the Los Angeles basin. A major cause of poor air quality is the emission of nitrogen oxides from combustion in mobile and stationary sources, a serious and stringently regulated pollutant, especially in California.
Nitrogen oxides contribute to smog.
For many years, SRI has conducted studies to study the chemistry of its formation in flames. Presenting the Clean Air Award to SRI International was Brian Adams, master of ceremonies for the award luncheon. Dr. David Crosley, senior staff scientist in SRI's Molecular Physics Lab, accepted the award on the institute's behalf. Founded in 1946 as Stanford Research Institute, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of global markets for more than 50 years.