“Water, Water Everywhere: Any to Drink?” TIE Talk with Mary Shultz

The Tufts Institute of the Environment welcomes you to attend the February edition of our monthly speaker series TIE Talks.

This Wednesday, February 6th, TIE will host Mary Shultz, Professor of Chemistry at Tufts, to discuss her unique perspective on the global water crisis and possible chemical solutions to solving this problem.

The talk is entitled “Water, Water Everywhere: Any to Drink?”

Water is said to be the next World crisis: indeed, it will make the current energy crisis seem like child¹s play. The issue is not so much having water (though the distribution can cause difficulties) but having clean, safe water. This talk will not only present some of the daunting statistics on the current status of water in the world, but also bring it home concerning our own water supply. Looking to solutions for cleaning contaminated water, the talk will set out the constraints and current progress based on using sunlight and photo active catalysts to clean water supplies. Chemical principles used to guide catalyst development will be emphasized. Background in chemistry is helpful, but not necessary as the needed principles will also be
presented.

This is not just another PowerPoint! TIE Talks is an opportunity to engage with other thoughtful, environmentally-focused faculty, students, staff and alumni in a casual atmosphere.

Indian food is provided; interaction and lively conversation encouraged!

Hope to see you there!

You can also RSVP on Facebook.

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Speaker bio: Born in Cosmos, Minnesota on a farm with a well too near to the cow feed lot, Professor Shultz nearly died before attaining the ripe old age of one! Thanks to a scientific minded and involved family physician, that crisis past, but instilled a life-long passion for conservation and environmental issues. After obtaining a bachelor¹s degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Professor Shultz received her Ph.D. degree in theoretical chemistry from M.I.T. A post doctoral stint with the Nobel Prize winner, Nicolaas Bloembergen introduced her to nonlinear laser spectroscopy. She now applies nonlinear laser spectroscopy to study reactions and interactions on surfaces. One of those surfaces is the photocatalyst,
TiO2. (You encounter this every day as the white coloration in your toothpaste!) She is now enhancing the efficiency of environmentally friendly TiO2 via modification with Earth abundant elements with the goal of generating a viable material for cleaning water. This passion has led her to consult with scientists in China on issues of cleaning water. In addition to her position as Professor of Chemistry at Tufts University, she is a Visiting Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her work with water was recently recognized by elevation to Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.