By thinking small, scientists can solve big environmental problems.

That is the message University of Iowa researcher Vicki H. Grassian delivered to colleagues Sunday, Feb. 18, at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco. She urged them to take a molecular view in order to understand problems, find solutions and move the country toward a sustainable society.

As one example, she cited Antarctic ozone thinning -- the "ozone hole" -- as an environmental problem that has already been well understood and alleviated.

"By taking a molecular perspective, scientists saw not only the role of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the problem, but also the role that ice particles play in the stratosphere by catalyzing reactions leading to ozone destruction," Grassian said. "This understanding has led to a ban on CFCs and a predicted stabilization of the ozone hole size and filling in of the hole over the next few decades."

She added that there needs to be more research focused on understanding molecular processes as they apply to a wide range of important environmental issues. "For example, there should be a design function of molecular assembly and disassembly and other strategies employed to safely degrade and recycle the materials contained in outdated computers so that they don't end up in landfills," she said.

Grassian said that her talk and other talks given during the AAAS session on sustainability were intended as a wake-up call to inspire scientific and technological innovations.

Her talk, titled "A Molecular Understanding of the Natural and Human-Impacted Environment: Laboratory Studies of Mineral Dust Aerosol Chemistry and Climate," was delivered during a AAAS session on the "Contributions from Chemical and Molecular Sciences in Achieving a Sustainable Future."

The AAAS session focused on the contributions that basic research in chemistry and re
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Contact: Gary Galluzzo
gary-galluzzo@uiowa.edu
319-384-0009
University of Iowa
18-Feb-2007