Join biological sciences for a talk aby Dr. Michael Eze, assistant professor of chemistry, titled "Chemistry for Environmental Health."

Industrialization and increasing demand for energy have led to an unabating exploitation of natural resources, especially fossil fuels. Even beneficial activities (such as pest control in agriculture) are leaving behind unwanted and toxic effects. This often results in anthropogenic contamination of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, which threatens the survival of our planet and species. Similarly, the experience of the recent pandemic brought to bare the havoc that infectious diseases can cause. Even more important, it has shown the need for rapid and non-invasive diagnostic tools for early detection of diseases. Sadly, most traditional diagnostic methods are both invasive and expensive. In view of the environmental and health impacts of toxic contaminants and infectious diseases, it is worth asking: can science provide the urgently needed panacea? This talk will examine the answers to this question. Specifically, it will examine eco-friendly approaches for environmental pollutant remediation. It will also highlight how advances in (bio)analytical techniques, metabolomics and chemometrics are helping to innovate non-invasive diagnostic tools for early detection of human and plant diseases.