Cafe Sci Orlando announcements for 2011-03: "Cleaning Up the Mess"
Chad MILLER
* Topic, "Cleaning Up the Mess: Using Chemistry to Degrade Persistent
Pollutants in the Environment"
* Science news item, fish evolve in only 60 years to survive PCB
pollution
Topic, "Cleaning Up the Mess: Using Chemistry to Degrade Persistent Pollutants
in the Environment"
Hi. This month we will have a fascinating discussion at our Cafe Sci at
7PM on Wednesday 2 March, at Taste, in College Park.
The chemical industry's discovery and production of new compounds have
led to great improvements in many areas of our lives. However, the
effects of these substances on the environment were poorly understood,
and they were often assumed to be harmless. Time and much research have
shown that not only do some of these chemicals persist in nature but
they can also be toxic to many forms of life. Dr Geiger's presentation
will describe the extent of contamination by some of these chemicals
and the processes that a team of researchers have used to develop
"green" technologies for environmental clean-up.
Dr. Cherie Geiger is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at UCF, and
past president of the Florida Academy of Sciences. Among her areas of
current research are new catalyst systems for removing and destroying
PCBs from painted surfaces, soils, and sediments; catalysts for
removing heavy metals from fresh-water and marine soils and sediments;
and synthesis of new screening aerosols that don't harm the
environment. She has won several awards in the past two years
including: The Federal laboratory Consortium Commercialization Award,
NASA Invention of the Year Award, Government Commercialization of the
Year Award, Induction into the Space Act Hall of Fame, and Induction as
one of the 2007 Intel Environmental Laureates in the Tech Museum of
Innovation.
Dr Geiger spoke at Café Scientifique in late 2008.
Directions
Taste
717 W. Smith Street
Orlando, United States
32804
Taste is near the corner of Princeton Street (really Smith Street after
the fork) and Edgewater Drive, so about 2 minutes from I-4 to parking.
One can park on the street or in the parking lot behind Taste.
* From Downtown and south, drive north ("east") on I-4 through
downtown. At the exit for Princeton Street, exit and turn
left/west.
* From Altamonte Springs and north, drive south ("west") on I-4
toward downtown Orlando. At the exit for Princeton Street, exit and
turn right/west.
From I-4, drive a few blocks to Edgewater Drive. At the intersection,
you should see a orange building ahead of you, labeled "Taste". Park on
the street or behind Taste.
Fish evolve in only 60 years to survive PCB pollution
Tomcod in the Hudson River have evolved to be resistant to pollution,
according to [1]a study published earlier this month. PCBs dumped by
General Electric for thirty years have a strong impact on many fish,
but were especially perilous to bottom-feeding fish like these cod.
Selective pressure has changed the population to drop six base-pair of
DNA, AHR2, which makes them less succeptable to damage from the toxin.
The mutation that is normally in about 10% of the population spread
nearly completely in a surprisingly brief period.
References
1. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/nlmc-agm021611.php