Dabrowski presents at international conference

A. L. Hook Assistant Professor Jen Dabrowski was selected to give an oral presentation on pedagogical advances in teaching chemistry, entitled “Culinary Transformations: a Lesson in Connecting Non-science Majors to Green Chemistry and Sustainability through Food” at the International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry held in Reston, Virginia.

Investigating the intersection of green chemistry, sustainability and food is one means to engage non-science majors in the breadth and impact of chemistry in society and their everyday lives. Analysis of student reflections after discussion of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute’s “Design Principles for Sustainable Green Chemistry & Engineering” and implementation of the ACS GCI case study “Healthier Fats and Oils by Green Chemistry.” were provided. “Helping students realize the power and potential of science in their everyday lives is not only rewarding but critical in today’s global society. We need to have everyone take part in creating and maintaining a sustainable future,“ Dabrowski says.

For the first time, the International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry was combined with the Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, now in its 23rd year. The latter is hosted by the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute and is a meeting ground for advancing sustainable science and solutions. The International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry (GSC) brings the global green chemistry community together every other year to share research and education initiatives. While a wide variety of green chemistry and engineering topics are covered in the technical program each year, this year’s thematic focus on the stages of the chemical life cycle was intended to challenge the green chemistry and engineering communities to move towards a systems-​thinking approach that will help create a more sustainable future.