AU Alumnus Returns to Discuss Green Chemistry

On Thursday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 112 of the Kettering Science Center, alumnus Dr. Marc Klingshirn will give a brief introduction to green chemistry with selected examples to illustrate how this mode of thinking has shaped his teaching, research and career. He explains that green chemistry can most easily be thought of as "sustainable chemistry." It is a tool box that allows one to think about chemical processes from an environmental perspective.

After completing his B.S. degree in chemistry and environmental science at Ashland, Dr. Klingshirn received an M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Tennessee, a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from The University of Alabama and completed his Postdoctoral at Saint Olaf College. From studying metal contaminants in Lake Erie soil sediment as an undergraduate with current AU faculty members Michael Hudson and Jeffrey Weidenhamer, to studying and developing ion-exchange resins for ground water remediation for his Master’s, and focusing on the rapidly emerging field of green chemistry in his doctoral work -- environmental issues and problems have always been his interest. While he has started to expand into the area of greener inorganic synthesis, sustainability, environmental, and efficient use (and reuse) of resources continue to be a foundation of his research. He is Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Honors Program at the University of Illinois Springfield.

AU Geology Alumnus Returns to Campus as Symposium Speaker

Consulting geologist and Ashland University alumnus (1972) Wayne Goodman will present a lecture titled “Carbon Dioxide Sequestration and Sustainable Energy” on Thursday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 112 of the Kettering Science Center on the Ashland University campus.

The lecture is the next event in the Ashland University College of Arts and Sciences’ biennial Symposium Against Indifference. The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Ashland University Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics.

As a consulting geologist on numerous projects in the Michigan Basin and surrounding region, Goodman’s primary focus is on exploration, development and enhanced recovery projects using and sequestering anthropogenic carbon dioxide. He is part of the operating and technical team for the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, which is conducting detailed geological and geophysical studies of rock properties in carbon dioxide sequestration zones in deep saline reservoirs in Michigan.

After graduating from Ashland with a B.S. degree in Geology and Mathematics, Goodman received an M.S. degree in Geology (Paleontology-Sedimentology) from the University of Cincinnati. He has previously worked at Shell and Tenneco, consulted for numerous companies, and is currently involved in several oil and gas projects in the US and eastern Canada.  He has extensive experience in the geology of intracratonic basins in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain Regions. Goodman has published and led field trips on the Niagaran (Silurian) carbonate hydrocarbon reef play in Michigan and Ontario and the Antrim (Devonian) natural gas shale play of Michigan.