The University of Toledo’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will welcome a leading expert on plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems to present a free, public lecture on Monday, Oct. 5.
Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason of Gannon University will present the second annual Arthur H. Black Science Education and Research Lecture, titled “The Perils of Plastic,” at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in Wolfe Hall Room 1205.
Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason of Gannon University is a leading expert on plastic pollution and the director of Project NePTWNE at Gannon University.
“Dr. Mason is well known for her research into the prevalence and impact of plastic pollution, including our evolving understanding of how plastics move through freshwater ecosystems like the Great Lakes,” said Dr. Jon Kirchhoff, a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We’re excited for her to share her insights with our students and with the community.”
Mason is the director of a water quality and economic revitalization initiative called Project NePTWNE at Gannon University, as well as an expert on plastic pollution whose body of research has influenced policy and public awareness. In “The Perils of Plastic,” she will discuss plastic as a paradox in the world of materials science, with the same qualities of versatility and durability that make it attractive for myriad applications also making it an environmental bane with impacts on human health.
The Arthur H. Black Science Education and Research Lecture is named in honor of the late Arthur H. Black, an analytical chemist who enjoyed a six-decade association with UToledo as a student, educator and administrator. After Black retired as an associate dean in 1983, he continued to teach chemistry as a part-time instructor until 1996.
Dr. Curtis Black, his son and a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, will share brief remarks ahead of the lecture.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is raising funds toward an endowed professorship named in honor of Dr. Arthur H. Black.
For more information on the professorship, contact Jim Sulier, philanthropic advisor for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at james.sulier@utoledo.edu. To donate, go to UToledo Foundation website and select the Arthur H. Black Professorship under the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Visitor parking for “The Perils of Plastic” is free in Area 12, excluding disability, metered and reserved spaces. All other visitor parking requires payment through the ParkMobile app, a parking meter or a daily permit via ParkUToledo. Visit the ParkUToledo website for more information.
