I have been instrumental in bringing green chemistry to Simmons during the last six years, and my students have taken this crusade to both national and international audiences. I am passionate about empowering my students to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom. I see that as essential to my work here at Simmons. For several years now, I have been working with my students on the "Cups to Cleaners: Trash to Treasure" project. Under my tutelage, Jennifer Boice, a 2008 graduate, developed a method for converting biodegradable plastic cups used in the Fens dining area into a "green" cleaner able to remove lime scale and soap scum in the College‘s bathrooms. The project grew to include more than 12 students and is now led by Cassandra Cacoq, a senior, and several other juniors and sophomores. Several students have been invited to present their work at professional association conferences, including the American Chemical Society‘s national meeting and the Materials Research Society‘s international conference. Two of the students from the studied in Santa Fe, Argentina, last summer working on the synthesis, characterization, and modeling of a new ‘green’ polymer. The collaboration is currently thriving, in large measure due to the diligence and quality of our students‘ work. Together with Dr. Debora Martino we are seeking support from the National Science Foundation to strengthen our collaboration. It has been exciting for me to be able to contribute to the ‘greening’ of Simmons and I look forward to working more with students on various green chemistry projects.
Simmons soccer pushed Emmanuel College into double overtime to take the 2-1 victory over the second-seeded Saints in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship game on Saturday. Freshman Lian Atturio (Hanover, Mass.) scored both goals for the Sharks, including the game-winner, which came in the 117th minute. Senior goalkeeper Rachel Elliot (Amherst, N.H.) made 11 stops to help lead fifth-seeded Simmons to the Championship title. With the win, the Sharks earn an automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III tournament, Simmons' first national appearance since 2004.
Finding time in the early weeks in November for fun diversions is always a challenge. Midterm exams and papers are being returned. The end of the semester is now in sight, particularly as students anxiously wait for their spring course registration times, so that they can save their seat in a particular lab section, or ART 138 - Basic Photography, which most have to wait to take until their senior year because of it's strong popularity. Students are entrenched in what seems as though mountains of coursework and homework, while faculty know it is only a matter of time until the mountains are on their plate to grade!
Thankfully, this past week a group of 20 excited students and faculty found time and gathered to have some fun in the chemistry lab, making bars of soap. Students gathered after "chem sem," our weekly Chemistry Seminar course to take a brief respite and cook a mixture of lard and other oils in a solution of lye on a somewhat "larger than normal scale." Students also were able to make use of excess gycerine, a waste generated in the production of biodiesel, in the soap, which is an additive typically used as a moisturizer. Irv Levy, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Gordon College and fellow Green Chemistry Education Network Member, who developed this specific recipe, was on hand to help us with the large scale soap production.
Once the reactions were complete, students scented the soap with natural plant extracts and added raw uncooked oatmeal to serve as exfoliants as desired, and poured the mixtures into the bar molds. In roughly one month, the bars of soap will have cured and solidified and will be ready to use.
If you would like a recipe to make your own bars of soap safely at home in your kitchen there is a host of information you can find on the web. Check out the pictures posted soon.
Like the beginning of any classic Mr. Bill episode, you may be exclaiming
"OH NO!" Not chemistry! While chemistry in our society has
garnered a somewhat tarnished image and the reputation of the dreaded Organic
Chemistry course precedes itself, I hope to change your mind through weekly blogs about fun,
innovative and even 'green' topics within our 'wonderful world of chemistry.'
You may wonder, what green and chemistry could possibly have
in common?Well, there is a
rapidly developing movement with the world whose goal is to
develop products and processes that are 'benign for human health and the
environment.' This movement collectively termed "Green Chemistry" is changing
the face of chemistry and the world around you.
Products of the green chemistry movement are
already right under your nose!From common household cleaners and cold beverage containers made from
corn, to furniture and homes constructed without formaldehyde glues or resins.Each and every innovative item helping
us maintain our quality of life while striving to be more benign for human
health and the environment.
As one of the founding members of the Green Chemistry Education
Network, I work to spread the word in educational arenas across the globe.As a research scientist, I involve
students directly within Green Chemistry research at Simmons College.Stay tuned next week for a look into a
research project that our students have championed over the past two and a half
years at Simmons involving the newest greener polymer on the commercial market,
poly lactic acid.
The next time you grab an iced coffee, check your cup for
the "Natureworks, PLA," or "Greenware" logos.
For learn more about the company involved in creating PLA, see:
http://www.natureworksllc.com/
See you next week!
Take care,
Be Green!
Rich
PS: No trees were harmed in the posting of this blog entry,
although countless electrons were seriously inconvenienced.
