Science presentation on “Making Fuels from Sunlight, Water and Air” offered
The Modesto Area Partners in Science (MAPS) will offer a presentation entitled “Making Fuels from Sunlight, Water and Air" by Frances Houle, Ph.D., deputy director for science and research integration in the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and Senior Scientist in the Chemical Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
The free event is scheduled for Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sierra Hall 132 on Modesto Junior College’s West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Avenue, Modesto.
Houle will discuss artificial photosynthesis as a potential solution to climate change, describing how sunlight, water and air can be used to make useful chemical fuels, and what might be involved in scaling up the technologies to meet our needs. Much of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere is generated by transportation, making this an important target for carbon-neutral fuels. A sustainable fuel technology also requires sustainable materials to make the devices used for the chemical conversions. Houle will talk about important factors controlling availability of those critical elements.
Houle received her B.A. from the University of California at Irvine and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology, both in chemistry. She was a postdoctoral fellow at LBNL and the University of California, Berkeley Chemistry Department. She has received numerous awards including the 2009 American Vacuum Society John A Thornton Memorial Award and Lecture, the 1999 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Northern California Section Research Project of the Year, and the 1998 IBM Environmental Affairs Excellence Award. She has over 130 publications and 28 US patents.
The free public MAPS event is intended for people over 12 years of age.
For more information about the MAPS program visit the website http://maps.events.mjc.edu/, the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Modesto-Area-Partners-in-Science/244618054801 or contact MJC Professor Noah Hughes at 575-6800 or hughesn@mjc.edu.