Arthur H. Black Science and Educatioin Research Lecture

The Perils of Plastic Monday, Oct. 5 | 4 p.m. Wolfe Hall (WO), Room 1205 Speaker: Sherri "Sam" Mason, Ph.D., Director of Project NePTWNE, Gannon University Dr. Mason was among the first to study the prevalence and impact of plastics pollution within freshwater ecosystems, with a focus on the Great Lakes. A chemist by training, she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, at Austin, and completed her doctorate at the University of Montana as a NASA Earth System Science scholar. Having risen through the typical academic ranks, she now serves as the Director of Project NePTWNE, a water quality and economic revitalization initiative, at Gannon University in Erie, PA. Learn more: www.gannon.edu/about-gannon/initiatives/project-neptwne/ Abstract: Plastic provides a real paradox in the world of material science. It is incredibly strong but without the mass that similar strength materials usually possess. In addition, it is very moldable so it can be contorted into a myriad of common place, super-utilitarian items. The versatility and durability of plastic allow it to be used in place of many natural materials, but these same features make it an environmental bane. In this lecture we will explore this paradox and what it means for the waters we love so much, as well as its impacts on human health. Much attention has been paid to plastic as an oceans issue, but increasingly we are finding that plastic flows through freshwater systems on its way from land to