The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society and Vassar College Announce:

Nanotechnology in Your Life

Speaker: Beth Baumert, Ph.D., Chemistry Department, Dutchess Community College

Time: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 7 pm (Refreshments at 6:30)

Location: SciVis Laboratory, Mudd Chemistry Building, Third Floor, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

About the Lecture: Nanotechnology has been around for centuries. Why, then, is the study and use of materials so small suddenly so “big”? The myriad of applications of nanoscience is pervasive. In this talk, an overview of the theory will be addressed as well as how physical properties change with size. Interesting concepts will be discussed, such as the fact that the brilliant red in stained-glass windows comes from gold nanoparticles, how sunblock is made colorless, and why silver nanoparticles are contained in paint used on hospital walls.

About the Speaker: Beth Baumert has a B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, where she researched high-temperature superconducting thin films and junctions. She worked at Motorola for 11 years and subsequently at the Maricopa Community Colleges for 3 years, where she taught Chemistry and Nanotechnology. She is currently in a temporary, full-time position at Dutchess Community College, where she teaches Chemistry and Nanotechnology, and she is also an adjunct Chemistry professor at Vassar College. Nanotechnology is her favorite topic of discussion.

Directions: Vassar College is located off Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY. Refer to the following link for driving directions and campus map: http://www.vassar.edu/directions/. Enter the Main Entrance of the campus on Raymond Avenue and go right towards the Mudd Chemistry Building. The Security Guard at the Main Entrance will direct you to parking. 

Contact: Dr Joseph Tanski (jotanski@vassar.edu, 845-437-7503)