John Warner, one of the founding fathers of green chemistry, will give a lecture titled “Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry” on Saturday (Sept. 25) at 10 a.m., in Room 101 of the Jordan Hall of Science at the University of Notre Dame.
Warner is the co-founder, chief technology officer and chairman of the board of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. Warner, who co-authored the seminal book “Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice,” will discuss green chemistry and how it is used to reduce the use and/or generation of hazardous substances in the design phase of materials development. Warner holds numerous patents and has worked extensively in the areas of semiconductor design, biodegradable plastics, personal care products and polymeric photoresists.
Warner’s talk will be immediately followed by a presentation by Ty Newell at 11 a.m., and green chemistry demonstrations for children of all ages by Amy Cannon at noon also in the Jordan Hall of Science.
Newell, professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, will discuss the Equinox House, a single family residence designed to have 100 percent of its annual energy requirements supplied by solar energy. He will review details such as the design, construction and cost for the Equinox House as well as unique features and technologies incorporated into the house.
Cannon is the co-founder and executive director of Beyond Benign, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable science and specializes in curriculum development, outreach, education and training. She will lead a demonstration that introduces biomimicry and applies green chemistry tools to creating glue, using safe materials.
All events are free and open to the public and are sponsored by the Notre Dame Energy Center Student Advisory Board and the College of Science. The events are part of Notre Dame Energy Week which occurs Sept. 24 to Oct. 3. The Warner lecture also is part of the College of Science Saturday Exploration Series, which occurs every home football Saturday.