Chemistry Seminar Presented by Prof. Peter Mahaffy (University of Wisconsin- Madison) Realizing the Role for Chemistry and Chemistry Education in the Emergence of Sustainability: A Systems Approach

The Department of Chemistry is excited to host Prof. Peter Mahaffy (University of Wisconsin- Madison) on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for a departmental seminar.

The sustainability challenges facing our planet are so pressing that they require urgent attention by science through a convergence of disciplinary approaches. Chemistry, the science of transformation of matter, has a central role to play in addressing the unintended consequences that arise from the large-scale material transformation by humans over the past fifty years. How can we fully realize chemistry's role in the emergence of sustainability, beginning with the molecular basis of sustainability and integrating sustainability orientations, tools, and frameworks into the practice of chemistry and chemistry education? We take a systems approach to this question and draw on the chemistry of refrigerants and reactive nitrogen to illustrate how the profession of chemistry can transform itself through systems thinking to better contribute at multiple levels toward the emergence of sustainability of the Earth system. Visualization plays a vital role in reimagining chemistry education, and we will introduce several interactive learning tools recently released by our King's Centre for Visualization in Science (kcvs.ca) in collaboration with an IUPAC project, (a) for dynamic visualization of systems, and (b) to connect fundamental chemistry concepts and measurements to sustainability challenges and opportunities through the Planetary Boundaries framework (Stockholm Resilience Centre).

Seminar hosted by: Prof. Dorian Canelas