Clarkson Chemistry Graduate Student Wins a Spot at ACS Summer School on Green Chemistry & Sustainable Energy

Clarkson Chemistry Ph.D. student, Oluwatosin Popoola, working in the lab of Professor Silvana Andreescu, the Egon Matijevic Chair in the Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science at Clarkson has been awarded a slot to attend the prestigious Green Chemistry Summer School 2023 in Golden, Colorado at the Colorado School of Mines.

The week-long program is an annual all-expenses paid program sponsored by the American Chemical Society, ACS Petroleum Research Fund, and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. The program receives hundreds of applications from all over the Caribbean, Central, North, and South American countries. Selection is based on the student’s resume and extended abstract describing the candidate’s research and impact on green chemistry and sustainability.

During the week-long program, students spend their time learning about sustainable chemistry topics from distinguished instructors, participating in poster sessions, and spending time getting to know each other. Typically, around 60 students participate each year representing a diverse group of graduate students. The experience is pivotal in developing life-long green chemistry champions—in fact, many early Summer School students have gone on to be leaders in their field, including ACS’s own Director of Sustainable Development, Dr. Adelina Voutchkova.

Oluwatosin’s project is to develop biocompatible materials and sensors and apply additive manufacturing methods for producing biodegradable films with the required stability, durability, and food preservation properties to increase the shelf-life of packaged food and enhance sustainability within the food chain.  

“Participation in this green chemistry summer school will be extremely beneficial for Oluwatosin’s professional growth and provide an opportunity for him to build his network, and enhance his knowledge in this field. Such interactions could lead to further dissemination and potential translation of his work to other green technologies and products. It also brings a great reputation to Clarkson” said Andreescu.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly materials are essential for achieving the UN sustainability development goal to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.”

Andreescu and her research team are developing smart sensors and 3D printed sustainable packaging to sustain the quality and increase the shelf-life of packaged food, thereby reducing food loss and food waste.

More details about this program can be found at https://www.acs.org/greenchemistry/students-educators/summer-school.html