Since the Romans first spread oil on water to calm the raging seas, curiosity has persisted about the unique nature of the interface between water and a hydrophobic liquid including how surfactants and dispersants adsorb at this unique junction. This presentation will focus on our most recent efforts in understanding the molecular structure of the oil-water interface and the unique environment it provides for adsorption of molecules, surfactants and macromolecules at both planar and nanoemulsion oil/water interfaces. The studies are a combination of spectroscopic and thermodynamic measurements coupled with theoretical simulations.
Geraldine (Geri) Richmond is the Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon. Her research using laser spectroscopy and computational methods focuses on understanding environmentally and technologically important processes that occur at water, semiconductor and mineral surfaces. The studies have relevance to current issues in energy production, environmental remediation and atmospheric chemistry. Over 200 publications have resulted from the studies conducted in her laboratory with undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Her teaching activities in the classroom and beyond focus on science literacy, science policy and building a strong and diverse science and engineering workforce in the U.S. and globally. Richmond received her B.S. in Chemistry from Kansas State University and her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prof. Richmond is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Science Board, and she currently serves as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She is also an appointed Science Envoy of the U.S. Department of State and is Chair and Founder of the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh)*. Awards for her scientific accomplishments include the ACS Olin-Garvan Medal, the Spiers Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the ACS Joel H. Hildebrand Award in Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Liquids and the APS Davisson-Germer Prize. Awards for outreach and science capacity building efforts include the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering Mentoring, the ACS Award for Encouraging Women in the Chemical Sciences, the Council on Chemical Research Diversity Award and the ACS Charles L. Parsons Award.
To be held in the Annenberg Auditorium of the Snite Museum of Art.
Sponsored by: Advanced Diagnostics & Therapeutics, College of Engineering, College of Science, as part of the Charles Edison Lecture Series
*During her visit, Prof. Richmond will also lead a valuable workshop for graduate students and postdocs, The Art of Persuasive Communication and Negotiation in the STEM Workplace. Details here.