June 1, 2026
Professor Emeritus Michael (Mike) Pilat passed away on November 6, 2025. A lifelong Husky, Pilat earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering and his doctorate in civil engineering from the UW, joining the faculty in 1967 and rising to full professor by 1978.
Pilat was a pioneer in air resources engineering and air pollution control, directing the Air Pollution Training Center and leading the department’s Air Resources Laboratories. He invented a device for measuring particulates in industrial chimneys — work that took him around the world and made a lasting contribution to environmental protection. Before joining the faculty, he worked at Boeing and the U.S. Public Health Service. Pilat retired in 2009 after more than four decades on the faculty.