2022 KTU Session 1
January 29, 2022
The Future of Powering the Planet
Interactive Session by Dr. Amanda Morris
Patricia Caldwell Faculty Fellow, Associate Chair, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech
Bio
Amanda Morris is a Professor of Inorganic and Energy Chemistry at Virginia Tech. Her research education conducted at Penn State University (B.S.), Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.), and Princeton University (Postdoctoral) has been focused on addressing critical environmental issues with fundamental science including water remediation, solar energy harvesting and storage, and carbon dioxide conversion. Morris is a classically trained photo-electrochemist with demonstrated success utilizing various techniques (cyclic voltammetry, spectroelectrochemistry, and pulsed-laser spectroscopy) to explore new frontiers in renewable energy. Her research group’s current focus is on light-matter interactions and catalysis. In addition to her academic pursuits, Morris has a demonstrated record in service including the recruitment and retention of minority chemists. In recognition of this work, she has received the Alan F. Clifford Service Award and College of Science Diversity Award. She currently serves as an American Chemical Society Expert in the area of Sustainable Energy and through this effort has worked to communicate science to the broader national audience with interviews on NPR, newspaper editorials, and press conferences. She also serves as an Associate Editor of Chemical Physics Reviews and sits on the Editorial Advisory Boards for ACS Applied Energy Materials and EnergyChem.
Global climate change has impacted our environment in numerous ways - higher average temperatures, shifting and more severe weather patterns, melting glacial ice, and ocean acidification. As chemists, we know that the addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere can trap solar irradiation leading to warming and other observed impacts. Unfortunately, we have reached the tipping point in terms of climate change, that is the point of no return. Therefore, there is a critical and immediate need to find alternative energy sources. Luckily for us, there is a massive one in the sky - the sun! In 1.5 hours the earth provides enough energy to power human civilization for an entire year! The trick that we scientists need to perfect is how to capture and store that energy. One thing that already does this is - plants! We can learn from plants to store solar energy in chemical bonds - creating a transportable liquid fuel that is carbon-neutral. Today, we will discuss all of this and current research at Virginia Tech that works to address the climate crisis. For example, my research group at Virginia Tech explores methods to capture carbon dioxide from the air and use sunlight to convert it to things like fuels and plastics. I have been passionate about environmental chemistry ever since my undergraduate career when I started research on water pollution - chemistry can provide solutions to the world's greatest challenges!
Hands-on activities- We are mailing home kits that will require minimal, if anything, supplies from the home. Parents may be needed to assist with poking holes and handling sharp utensils for an activity.