Dr John Volckens
Colorado State University, United States
Helping the world breathe easier. And cleaner.
Growing up with asthma, Dr Volckens learned early on how scary it can be to fight to breathe. This experience, combined with his innate curiosity, love of nature and interest in all things mechanical, has defined his mission to create a world where the air is clean everywhere.
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He and his research students at Colorado State University use Mac to design and build devices that allow people to measure air quality. The measurements are captured on iPhone — through apps they’ve developed — to help people make informed decisions about the impact of the air they breathe. The greater Dr Volckens can scale his air pollution research, the greater effect he can have on global health.
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MacBook Pro. All the power Dr Volckens needs to analyse massive air quality datasets and render stunning visualisations of his findings on interactive dashboards. All at the same time.
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iPhone. Dr Volckens and his team develop custom iOS apps that serve as the user interface for his air sensors on iPhone. The apps collect hundreds of measurements, like temperature, humidity and air quality, from anywhere in the world in real time.
“My vision is to help everyone everywhere know what’s in the air they breathe. Apple technology makes that vision a reality.”
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Colorado State University