Emerging contaminants to be examined by UB professor at seminar
Dr. Diana Aga
A seminar that examines lessons that have been learned from two decades of research on uncovering emerging contaminants and their ecological impacts will be led by Diana Aga, professor of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m.
The seminar, in the Science Center’s Kelly Family Auditorium, Room 105, will be preceded by a meet-and-greet, beginning at 4 p.m., at the Major Alice Conference Room, located on the Science Center third floor. Information about science careers and University at Buffalo graduate programs will also be available at the informal gathering.
In her presentation, Dr. Aga, the Henry Woodburn Professor of Chemistry, will present an overview of important research milestones in the area of emerging contaminants, focusing on the fate and treatment of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in municipal and agricultural wastewater.
Each semester, students in the Fredonia Chemistry Club, in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, organize a seminar and bring a guest lecturer to campus to give a public presentation.
Thousands of research papers covering various aspects of emerging contaminants have been published, ranging from environmental occurrence to treatment to ecological effects. Emerging contaminants, which are environmental pollutants that have been investigated for only the last 20 years, include naturally occurring and man-made chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, illicit drugs, engineered nanomaterials and antibiotic resistance genes.
Aga, who is also editor of the Journal of Hazardous Materials, was a research scientist in the Agricultural Division of Bayer Corporation before joining the University at Buffalo in 2002. She received a Ph.D. in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry from the University of Kansas and a B.S. in Agricultural Chemistry from the University of the Philippines at Los Baňos.
The seminar is free and open to the public and will conclude with a question-and-answer session. Light refreshments will be served.
