Green chemistry and engineering offer fundamental sustainable solutions to the global challenges facing this planet. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green engineering is the development and commercialization of industrial processes that are economically feasible and reduce the risk to human health and the environment. Green chemistry and engineering are absolutely essential to the development of solutions to global challenges.The impact of green chemistry and engineering approaches on sustainable development are significant, since these design philosophies unite the pursuit of economic prosperity with environmental and public health protection.
The annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference (www.GCandE.org) is organized each year by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute® (ACS GCI) with the active involvement of an organizing committee comprised of scientists from other non-profit organizations, U.S. government agencies, academic institutions and industry. Dr. Jennifer Young serves as the PI for the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
The 15th Annual GC&E Conference in 2011 will tie together the International Year of Chemistry and the 5th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry. Students participating in the GC&E workshop and/or conference will have a unique opportunity to engage in topics not commonly encountered in traditional university courses and conferences. The meeting is expected to convene a record number of approximately 600 plus leading international researchers from industry, academe, and government to discuss the latest advances in green chemistry and engineering from across the spectrum of the chemical enterprise. This dynamic event provides students with excellent opportunities to learn about the newest research developments across all topics of GC&E, dialog with other academic, industrial, and governmental researchers, and expand their network of professional contacts.
With the theme of "Global Challenges: Green Chemistry Solutions," the 2011 joint conference bridged chemistry, engineering, and sustainability focus areas to promote green chemistry and engineering to a global audience during the International Year of Chemistry. The goal of this NSF grant was to provide student education and participation by facilitating their attendance at the 15th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference (GC&E), joint with the 5th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry in Washington, DC on June 21-23, 2011. Additionally, the Student Workshop was on Monday, June 20, 2011 and a student outreach event was held on Thursday, June 24, 2011. Student (undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral) involvement was enhanced by NSF providing: Student travel scholarships to attend and participate in the GC&E Conference; A judged student poster session; Student awards presented at the GC&E Conference; A full-day Student Workshop (held prior to the conference); and A live opportunity to do hands-on training with local school-aged children on the day following the close of the conference. The National Science Foundation’s funding of $42,500 included $25,000 providing 38 student travel awards to undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students from 32 different colleges/universities for the 15th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference (see Table 1). All were designated as "NSF Scholars" and recognized in the printed program book. The award was extremely competitive with 80% of the applications selected for award through the judging process. The students were graduate students (61%), undergraduates (29%), and postdoctoral fellows (10%). These students represented engineering disciplines (26%), chemistry disciplines (40%) and other disciplines (34%). About half of these students also gave presentations during the conference. Through the design of chemical reactions and processes that reduce or eliminate negative impacts on human health and the environment, green chemistry and green engineering approaches seek to achieve the twin goals of economic prosperity and sustainability. Green chemistry and engineering are important tools in preventing pollution at the source and providing solutions to global sustainability challenges. The highly interdisciplinary workshop and conference allowed students to learn to present their research, learn the latest developments in green chemistry and engineering, and also expose themselves to the broader economic, social and political context in which these developments occur globally. Furthermore, through the workshop, students learned how to lead outreach activities. Educating the innovators of tomorrow is a crucial part in securing future sustainability through adopting green chemistry practices. The full-day student workshop was offered on Monday, June 20, 2011. This NSF grant also provided funding to offset speaker travel costs. The workshop was fortunate to have global leaders in green chemistry outreach and training as instructors. The Student Workshop focused more on having the NSF Scholars being trained as effective mentors and communicators of green chemistry. Even the brightest students in the classroom and laboratory can have a challenging time translating their science and research to the general public. The 2011 workshop was designed to take some of the lessons learned throughout the conference and put them into action. Students learned why green chemistry outreach is so valuable and how they can be a green chemistry ambassador at their school and in their community. Following the official close of the conference on Thursday, June 24, 2011, the Student Outreach Event was held to enhance the experience for student conference attendees and offer training and hands-on experience with leading outreach activities. After the morning’s training, these students led five outreach activities during a one-hour Student Outreach Event held at the National Education Association. Over 80 children and camp counselors from the YMCA and Camp Fire USA participated in the hugely successful activity. During the event, children had a chance to do five different green chemistry activities, including making blackberry solar cells, making glue, learning about biomimicry through a matching game, learning about the environmental impact factor (E-factor), and making a photoresist. Green chemistry offers concrete solutions to many of the environmental challenges that society faces, and inspiring the next generation of scientists through outreach activities is an excellent way to help create a sustainable tomorrow. Photos from the student workshop on Thursday, June 24, 2011 are shown attached: END.
