It is hard to deny that pop culture has a huge influence on society and informs how people try to make sense of the world. Christopher Frayling, the British educationalist and writer, analyzed over 1000 films in Great Britain made between 1930 and 1980. In his book, Mad, Bad and Dangerous?: The Scientist and the Cinema, he noted that almost 30% of the films he analyzed had an evil character with features typical of a mad scientist. In contrast, only 1% of the scientists in these films were depicted in heroic roles! More recently, sci-fi films have undergone a subtle but crucial shift in their narratives about scientists. Scientists are being cast as virtuous heroes instead of lunatics bent on revenge or using science as a weapon of destruction. As portrayals of scientists became more positive from the 1990s forward, so has the public’s faith in scientists. Join us on 20 May 2021 to hear more about this sociological shift as Professor Mark Griep talks to us about the chemical conundrums in movies!
Fashions worn by people in society offer another unique insight into culture and history. It is impossible to remove fashion from popular culture. Lately, I have been noticing a ton of articles in C&E News about sustainable fabrics, and rightly so. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters on our planet. The average consumer throws away about 30 kilograms of clothing per year. Globally, textile waste adds up to 13 million tons each year. 85% of all textiles go to landfill each year, whereas 95% could be reused or recycled. Less than 30% of our clothes are donated, but the world is still swimming in second-hand clothes. The US exports more than a billion pounds (453.6 million kilograms) of used clothing each year. This rate of producing new clothes and discarding them is just unhealthy for the planet. Clothes dumped on landfills take decades to degrade and continue to emit greenhouse gases. Scientists are exploring greener fabrics that are biodegradable and innovative ways to make dyeing these fabrics more eco‑friendly, leading to a range of cleaner production strategies, as well as new and emerging textile technologies. Two of our upcoming talks will describe these advances in greater detail. In collaboration with the Golden Gate Polymer Forum, on June 9, we will host Dr. David Breslauer, the founder and chief scientific officer of Bolt Threads, for a talk about green fabrics they are creating. You will recognize Bolt from their well-publicized work on spider silk expressed in yeast cells and a leather-like material from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. Interestingly, Dr Breslauer also acts as an advisor to Huue, the source of our second textile talk. On August 19, Dr. Tammy Hsu, the co-founder and CSO of Huue, will tell us about engineered microbes that reduce the use of carcinogens in textile dyes. I look forward to seeing you all at these two exciting talks!
In April, we kicked off our pilot mentorship program, Paving the Path, for community college students looking to transfer to four-year university programs. We have a remarkable and eager group of mentors and mentees. I would like to give a huge shout out to Avni Gandhi, Jane Frommer, and Madalyn Radlauer for all their hard work in organizing this promising program.
Do you know any children who gravitate toward science, who love mixing ingredients to see the results, or who love figuring out how things work? Have them join us at our Pop-Up Chemistry event. This month, we kick-off our Citizen Science Project. Kids will get to take home a kit with all supplies to test the water quality in the watershed around them. Details can be found here.
A big thank you to Sogol Teschler for leading a wonderful Earth Day event in partnership with Pam Evans and Natalie McClure. The kids enjoyed learning about the shrinking our carbon footprint and insulating materials.
Last month, President Joe Biden proclaimed April 18 through April 24, 2021, as National Volunteer Week. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues for tirelessly giving their time, their energy and their skills through ACS events. It’s through your support and involvement that we’re able to fulfill the SVACS vision of improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.
