About this blog:
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you're here, that means me and you have something in common, an interest in natural materials, products, and chemicals! A couple years ago I helped run a public outreach event for Science Rendezvous that showed people how many products that are used on a daily basis actually contain chemicals extracted from natural sources or are inspired by natural chemicals. Most people's conception of a natural material is of course wood. But there is so much more that trees produce! But what about the sheer variety of chemicals from non-woody plants and what about chemicals from animals? What kind of products and applications utilize these chemicals? How well do they perform compared to synthetic materials? How can these chemicals and materials be supplied in a sustainable manner? What are the societal and environmental effects of using them? How can these materials be manufactured? How can they be manufactured to maximize a cradle-to-cradle philosophy, or to be recycled, or to biodegrade, or to be incinerated? On a bit of a tangent, let's not forget how natural chemicals and materials can be used for providing energy. What innovations are being made in bio-based fuels and utilization of biomass for heating?
Some of the different materials, products, and chemicals we produce from plants and trees
[Image from: Forest Products Association of Canada(http://www.fpac.ca/forest-industry-innovation/products/)]
These are some of the different things I'd like to talk about, hopefully posting occasionally on a different topic. I hope you enjoy reading these, please subscribe and provide comments and feedback. I'd love to heard what you think or if you have ideas for topics for me to write about and investigate. This is also a chance for me to learn about all kinds of different topics and help spread that knowledge to others.
About me:
How did I end up writing about this topic? Well I did my undergraduate degree in Material Science and Engineering, followed by a Master's of Applied Science and Engineering in Chemical Engineering (researching organic dyes for plastic solar cell applications) and finally finished a Ph.D in Forestry (researching plant-based plastics). Growing up in this age means that we are surrounded by issues regarding eco-awareness and sustainability. By studying materials and their design, I believe that I can contribute towards an important aspect of that movement towards sustainability that perhaps doesn't get the amount of attention it deserves. Along the way I discovered my passions for learning, teaching, and communication, and I'm hoping that this blog helps me share that information in an engaging and fun way that attracts people from all backgrounds and levels of education.
