Hola green chemistry.
by Fitzgerald, Paul
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Marissa Bender, MCIC, knows the importance of green chemistry and
its benefits for the environment. Green chemistry addresses the
reduction or elimination of harmful substances, and efficiency in
reactions and processes. She recently had the chance to share her
interest on this topic with other graduate students from around the
world at the National Science Foundation Pan-American Advanced Studies
Institute (PASI) on Sustainability and Green Chemistry that was held at
the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.
"We learned about green chemistry and engineering, how to
implement it in our research, how to teach it to high school,
elementary, and undergraduate students, how to ask for funding, and how
to possibly influence government policy. And we learned all about
benefits of green chemistry," Bender said during an interview.
"We also performed some green chemistry labs, participated in
group discussions, looked at case studies, attended lectures, and had
two poster presentation sessions." She had the opportunity to
present a poster regarding the use of grignard reagents in ionic liquids
and polymers, both of which are non-traditional, greener solvents. One
of the main goals of the PASI is to send all of the participants back
home to serve as agents of change.
"I am hoping to influence Saint Mary's University (SMU)
in a positive manner, beyond the chemistry department," she says.
"I would love to be able to speak to business students to
demonstrate how green chemistry is not only socially and environmentally
responsible, but beneficial for the bottom line as well."
Bender is a first-year student in the Master of Applied Science
program at SMU. She is currently working in the lab with Jason Clyburne,
MCIC, a professor of chemistry and Canada Research Chair, widely known
for his work in the field of green chemistry.
Bender received support for travel to Mexico via a number of
organizations that included the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research
at SMU, the American Chemical Society, the United States Department of
Energy, the National Science Foundation, ExxonMobil, and Sigma Aldrich.
She became interested in green chemistry during her undergraduate
days at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC.
"We worked with ionic liquids there," she said.
"Part of the appeal of ionic liquids is that they have the
potential of being recycled, and hence produce less waste. They also
have different reactivity than traditional solvents, so they are
interesting chemically as well. Coming from BC, environmental issues and
recycling were paramount, so it's exciting to be able to possibly
carry some of those ideals into my career," she says. She knew SMU
would be a good choice to earn her Master of Applied Science degree,
which she will complete next year.
"The University has several professors with a keen interest in
green chemistry and their initiatives have had an influence on the
chemistry program," she says. "This is unique in Atlantic
Canada with the next major 'green' centre at McGill."
Paul Fitzgerald
COPYRIGHT 2007 Chemical Institute of
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NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.