2015-2016 Lectures at the Leading Edge
Technology, If Necessary, but Not Necessarily Technology: The Role of Technology in Global Development and Global Health
Yu-Ling Cheng, University of Toronto
Soft Materials and Complex Fluids via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly: From (Nano)Structure to Function to Applications
Paschalis Alexandridis, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
University at Buffalo (UB) – The State University of New York (SUNY)
Buffalo, NY 14260-4200, USA, www.cbe.buffalo.edu/alexandridis
Soft materials, also known as complex fluids, present diverse and interesting properties and function which emanate from nano- and meso-scale organization of constituents such as polymers, particles and solvents. Prime examples of tunable materials are polymers, in particular, block copolymers comprising covalently-linked blocks of different chemical nature or conformation. Selective solvents may disrupt certain types of polymer organization but can promote others. Added solvents thus provide valuable degrees of freedom for controlling the morphology and, hence, structure/property relationships, of polymers and can dramatically affect the local mobility. Incorporation of “hard” (metallic, ceramic, semiconductor) nanoparticles into a “soft” polymer matrix can modify dramatically the structure and dynamics, and also confer novel properties (mechanical, optical, electrical, catalytic).
The presentation will highlight the interplay between (A) fundamental aspects (interactions, thermodynamics, structure, dynamics) of soft materials based on block copolymer self-assembly in selective solvents, and (B) applications of such self-assembled systems in the (a) structuring of waterborne complex fluids with properties tailored for pharmaceutics, (b) environmentally benign synthesis of nanoparticles in a size- and shape-controlled manner, and (c) formulation of polymer gels with ionic liquids as potential electrolytes for energy applications.
BIOGRAPHY
Paschalis Alexandridis is a UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo (UB), The State University of New York (SUNY), where he has served as Acting Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in UB’s School of Engineering and co-Director of the Materials Science and Engineering program. He has a PhD in chemical engineering from MIT and has carried out postdoctoral research in polymer and surfactant physical chemistry at Lund University.
Alexandridis’ research utilizes molecular interactions and supramolecular assemblies to develop products with desired properties and function. Ongoing projects address structuring via self-assembly and directed assembly, dispersants, nanocomposites, ionic liquid solvents, polymer electrolytes, and polymer dissolution. He has authored over 140 journal articles (cited over 9500 times) and is coinventor of 6 US patents on pharmaceutical formulations, superabsorbent polymers, and nanomaterial synthesis.
Alexandridis is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2012), and the recipient of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Schoellkopf Medal (2010), Bodossaki Foundation Academic Prize in Applied Science (2005), SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity (2011) and in Teaching (2006), and UB’s Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award (2012). He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, and has chaired Area 1C: “Interfacial Phenomena” of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Investigating the Role of Transportation Models in Epidemiologic Studies of Traffic Related Air Pollution and Health Effects
Dr. Marianne Hatzopoulou, Associate Professor
Civil Engineering, University of Toronto
From land-use regression to dispersion modeling, this talk explores the development of air pollution exposure surfaces for the City Montreal with a particular emphasis on the role of transportation and emission models in assigning a measure of exposure to traffic-related air pollution. We start by comparing the distribution of the spatial estimates of NO2 derived from a transportation/emissions model, a land-use regression model, and a dispersion model. We investigate the reasons behind the agreement and disagreement between these measures in the context of the land-use and built environment of Montreal. We then compare estimates of health risk using these different exposure estimates relying on two case-control studies of breast and prostate cancer. We ask the question: Under which conditions could transportation models replace expensive monitoring techniques and computationally intensive atmospheric dispersion modelling?
September 30, 2015, 3 – 4 PM | Wallberg Building, 200 College Street | Room 407
2015-2016 Lectures at the Leading Edge
Engineering Education – What’s in Store for the Next 100 Years?
Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University
TATP seeks to prepare graduate students and teaching assistants for the realities and demands of teaching by providing a peer-based support network.
2015-2016 Lectures at the Leading Edge
Finding the Right Balance – from Small Molecules to Membrane Proteins
Dame Carol Robinson, University of Oxford
In developed countries, legacy sites, the consequence of past releases to the environment of hazardous materials, represent a continuing potential threat to human health and the environment as well as imposing significant financial burdens on private and public resources. While substantial progress in site restoration has been achieved in many countries over the past four decades, many sites remain with contamination above levels allowing for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. Various technical and institutional barriers have resulted in much longer timeframes to meet remedial goals than was predicted in the early stages of addressing this environmental challenge. I will provide an overview of the legacy site challenge, primarily focused on the US experience, and discuss lessons learned in the pursuit of legacy site restoration that may be of value to other nations in earlier stages of industrial development.
Speaker biography: Michael C. Kavanaugh, P.E., BCEE
Principal, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., a 1200 person professional services firm specializing in environmental science, and environmental and geotechnical engineering. He is a chemical and environmental engineer with over 40 years of consulting experience. His areas of expertise include hazardous waste management, site remediation with particular focus on groundwater remediation, industrial waste treatment, risk and decision analysis, fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, water quality management, water and wastewater treatment, potable and non-potable water reuse, and strategic environmental management. He is a Member of National Academy of Engineering Fellow, US Water Environment Federation.