Ambassadors for Green Chemistry

Who are the ambassadors?

• Loyd Bastin, Widener University, Chester, PA
  

Dr. Loyd Bastin received his B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky in 1994 and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Washington in 2000. He has been an assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Widener University since 2004 where he teaches Organic and Biochemistry to science majors as well as nursing and pre-physical therapy majors. Dr. Bastin is extremely dedicated to undergraduate research and has involved his 20 research students in every facet of the experience. His research interests include the structure/function relationship of proteins involved in biomineralization and muscle relaxation as well as the design of Green Chemistry experiments. He has been interested in Green Chemistry since attending the Green Chemistry in Education Workshop in 2001 at the University of Oregon. Since participating in the workshop, Loyd has incorporated Green Chemistry into Organic Chemistry laboratories at two different institutions. He recently redesigned the Organic Chemistry laboratory curriculum to incorporate Green Chemistry and Inquiry-based learning throughout the sophomore organic chemistry course. He is currently working on the incorporation of Green Chemistry and Sustainability across the college and middle/high school curricula using an interdisciplinary approach.

• Martin Mulvihill, University of California, Berkeley, CA
  

Martin Mulvihill received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (2009) in synthetic chemistry. As a graduate student he worked for John Arnold and Peidong Yang, and his research focused on the modification of nanoscale surfaces for the design of new functional materials, including the development of a sensor to detect trace amounts of arsenic in ground water. As a postdoc, at LBL, he characterized the stability and fate of nanoparticles in soils and groundwater. In addition to conducting environmentally relevant research Martin has been engaged in educational outreach in many diverse settings. Martin has taught math and science in four very distinct communities: a residential high school for drop-outs, UC Berkeley, Reed College, and San Quentin State Prison. At UC Berkeley he founded the Green Chemistry and Sustainable Design Seminar, a graduate student organized seminar series which is now entering its third year. Martin is currently working at the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry developing interdisciplinary Green Chemistry curriculum for introductory chemistry labs and a series of graduate level seminar courses.

• Michael Gonzalez, US EPA, Cincinnati, OH
  

Michael Gonzales obtained his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas Š El Paso in 1992. He then went on to pursue his Doctorate in the area of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Florida. Under the direction of Professor Russell S. Drago, Michael performed and conducted research in the area of catalyst development for use in the production of industrially relevant chemicals, with an emphasis on pollution prevention. He was awarded his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry in 1997. He then joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1997 as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Post-Doctoral Fellow. He then joined EPA permanently in 1999 Michael then served as a primary investigator for the Green Chemistry and Engineering for Chemical Synthesis project. His research efforts are focused on the development of sustainable chemical processes which incorporate a holistic view of the on-going chemistry and processing. His areas of expertise include green catalyst development, process intensified chemical synthesis and utilizing chemistry to influence process design and operation. Michael is currently the Branch Chief for the Systems Analysis Branch.

• Dalila Kovacs, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
  

• Shane McGrath, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
  

Shane McGrath is a 4th year chemistry student at Grand Valley State University with an emphasis on environmental chemistry. He has been doing research for the past year on Cellulose Conversion using heterogeneous metal catalysts in green reaction conditions with his mentor Dalila Kovacs, as well as taking the class "Green Chemistry and Industrial Processes" and laying the groundwork for starting a Great Lakes Green Chemistry Network for students in the Midwest interested in Green Chemistry.

• Julie Haack, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
  

Dr. Julie Haack, currently serves as the Interim Coordinator for the University of OregonÕs new Green Product Design Network working to integrate efforts to build new knowledge around policy, economic models, business practices, communication and green chemistry to facilitate the invention of and market creation for greener products.

Haack also holds the position of Assistant Department Head, and tenured senior instructor in the Department of Chemistry. HaackÕs courses engage students in the study of chemistry by incorporating green chemistry principles into the curriculum. She is also the coordinator of a growing network of educators who teach green chemistry and who are working to develop educational materials for green chemistry. Part of this initiative was the creation of GEMs - a living database of educational materials Haack designed to facilitate the identification, development and dissemination of laboratory exercises, lecture materials, course syllabi and multimedia content that illustrate chemical concepts important for green chemistry.

Haack began her career in science at the UO, graduating with a B.S. in chemistry in 1986. She received her Ph.D. in biology at the University of Utah, followed by a postdoc in pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After returning to UO as an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow in chemistry, she worked as a Howard Hughes Research Associate.

• Jim Hutchison, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
  

Dr. Hutchison joined the faculty at the University of Oregon (UO) in the fall of 1994 where he is currently the Lokey-Harrington Professor of Chemistry and Associate Vice President for Research and Strategic Initiatives. His research interests are in green chemistry, materials chemistry and nanoscience. He led the development of the UO's nation-leading curriculum in "green" (environmentally-benign) organic chemistry, launched the university's pioneering Center in Green Nanoscience and is a member of the Governing Board of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. He founded, and now directs, the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative (SNNI). The SNNI is a virtual center that unites 30 principle investigators at University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory around the goals of designing greener nanomaterials, greener nanomanufacturing and the integration of green materials into clean tech applications. He has won a number of awards, including an NSF-CAREER award and the 2003 Oregon Academy of Science Outstanding Teacher of Science and Math in Higher Education. Hutchison is an Alfred P. Sloan research fellow and a Camille Dreyfus teacher-scholar. He is the author of more than 90 refereed publications, three book chapters and a text book (Green Organic Chemistry: Strategies, Tools and Laboratory Experiments).

• Lallie McKenzie, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
  

• Dana Garves, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
  

Dana Garves has been working in Green Chemistry for four years as a student, an active community member and an educator. She has been a teacher's assistant for 5 terms of green chemistry and two years at the Green Chemistry in Education Workshop (University of Oregon), as well as taken all the green chemistry related courses at the University of Oregon. Dana works with Julie Haack (along with the Green Chemistry Education Network) to help other educators of various levels implement green chemistry into their curriculum. dana also works actively with the GEMs database during her four years as an undergrad.

• Irvin Levy, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
  

Irv Levy is Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. He has been on the faculty at Gordon College since 1985. Beginning in 1994 his students have participated in green chemistry outreach from local to national venues. This Green Organic Literacy forum (GOLum) project has introduced thousands of people to the principles of green chemistry. Irv joined with Paul Anastas and Kathryn Parent to edit the recent book Green Chemistry Education: Changing the Course of Chemistry. Irv has organized and participated in the production of green chemistry workshops in California, Oregon, New Hampshire, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC. He is the co-chair of the Division of Chemical Education's Green Chemistry program for high school teachers at this ACS national meeting.

• Dwight Tshudy, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
  

Dwight joined the faculty in the Fall of 2004 and is an Associate Professor of Chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Prior to coming to Gordon, he spent almost 14 years working in the central analytical labs for Xerox Corporation in Webster, NY. At Gordon, Irv Levy introduced green chemistry, and now Dwight is committed to bringing green chemistry across the curriculum. Dwight attended the Green Chemistry in Education Workshop in 2008 at the University of Oregon. He also attended the Gordon Research Conference on Green Chemistry in 2008. He teaches the first semester of general chemistry where he introduces green chemistry to entering students. He also teaches the analytical chemistry sequence where juniors and seniors incorporate green chemistry principles to areas outside organic reactions. He recently finished a sabbatical with Terry Collins at The Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University where he used his interest in chromatography and mass spectrometry to study degradation reactions using the TAML catalyst and hydrogen peroxide system.

• Kim McCabe, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
  

Kimberly McCabe is currently a junior at Gordon College. Originally from Rhode Island, she is a biology major hoping to make it into medical school. She is a co-creator of the "Backstage at the ACS" event which was prompted by an assignment in her organic chemistry class. GOLum projects are aimed at getting undergraduate students involved in promoting and learning about green chemistry. In organizing this event and considering green chemistry applications, Kimberly hopes to have the opportunity to work in green chemistry during the remainder of her college career and bring aspects of green chemistry into the medical field.

• Jesse Doiron, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
  

Jesse Doiron is a sophomore at Gordon College where he is pursuing a degree in Biology as well as Secondary Education. He is originally from Vermont but hopes to remain in Massachusetts to pursue his Masters degree in education and become a high school biology teacher. Jesse is a co-creator of the Backstage at the ACS, Green Chemistry Ambassador Event, which was a GOLum project for his Organic Chemistry Class. GOLum projects are done by undergraduate students to expose them to green chemistry while they help to advance the field. Jesse hopes to use the knowledge obtained from this project to educate future students about the expanding field of green chemistry, making them aware of all that it can offer.

BACK

The Green Chemistry Education Network (GC Ed Net) serves as a catalyst for integrating green chemistry in chemical education at all levels. As a network of educators we support opportunities to research, develop, implement and disseminate green educational materials. The GC Ed Net reaches out to all chemistry educators through collaboration and mentoring, facilitating professional growth, and fostering the synergistic integration of green chemistry in education.