From June 24 to 28, 2023, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) annual meeting was held in Tampa, Florida, USA. More than 2,050 industry professionals participated in the meeting. At the opening ceremony of the conference, LAN Li from the Department of Architecture, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University was awarded the Ralph G. Nevins Physiology and Human Environment Award. Mr. Farooq Mehboob, President of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, presented the award to her.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers established this Award in 1978 to commemorate Professor Ralph G. Nevins’  pioneering contributions to the field of the built environment. This award is awarded to a maximum of one person each year and aims to recognize young scholars around the world who have studied indoor and outdoor environments and have made outstanding achievements in improving the living environment and human health.

LAN Li received this award for her sustained and original research in the field of creating mechanisms and technologies for healthy and comfortable sleep and working environments. She is one of the few female researchers in the world to receive this award. She is also the third person—and the first female—from mainland China to win this honor so far.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers was founded in 1894 and currently boasts more than 57,000 members worldwide. It is one of the world's most recognized authoritative industry organizations in the field of the built environment. It conducts research, develops standards, publishes monographs, and certifies sustainable building technologies and equipment around the world through labeling and other means, thus improving the performance of building systems and the quality of the living environment.

Editor on Duty: Diwei Chen 

Responsible Editor: Qianqian Jiang