(Posted March 8, 2010)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Paper or plastic? Prius or Hummer? Foam cup or ceramic mug? These choices allow consumers to make decisions about how to affect the environment, but Dave Tyler, professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, will explain that people's assumptions about environmental impacts are not always right, at 7 p.m., Friday, March 19 at Abigail's, a tea room in downtown Huntingdon at the corner of 5th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Tyler is speaking as part of a "Science Café" sponsored by the local chapter of the American Chemical Society. The talk, "Paper, Plastic or Cotton Tote Bag? What Lifecycle Assessments Tell Us about the Sustainability of Everyday Items," will cover how consumers evaluate the environmental impacts of certain materials and products. In addition, Tyler will cover some principles of "green" chemistry and sustainability.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Tyler specializes in inorganic, organometallic and polymer chemistry and is a member of Oregon's Materials Science Institute. His research focuses on modifying organometallic catalysts so that they are water-soluble.

Tyler earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 1975 and went on to earn a doctorate in 1979 from the California Institute of Technology. He has taught at the University of Oregon since 1985.

He was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow in 1986 and was named a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.