Emmett W. Chapelle Scientist

Emmett W. Chappelle holds 14 U.S. patents and was recently recognized as one of 100 most distinguished African American scientists and engineers of the 20th century.

Chappelle has a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle.  He started with NASA in 1966 in support of NASA’s manned space flight initiatives.  He developed techniques to detect bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water and foods.

In 1977, Chappelle started research on using remote sensing through laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to determine vegetation health.  Working closely with scientists at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he advanced the development of LIF as a means of detecting plant stress.