Center for Sustainable Polymers at the Minnesota State Fair

From the Center for Sustainable Polymers website:

During 2014, CSP faculty, researchers, students, and staff all took time to volunteer at the Minnesota State Fair in our exhibit “Green Chemistry and Green Engineering: Science for a Sustainable Future.” The state fair runs for 12 days every summer and was attended by more than 1.8 million people in 2014. Researchers have the opportunity to talk to the public about their research and the ways that green chemistry and green engineering are impacting their lives daily.

Kids have the opportunity to complete puzzles and play tilt-a-mazes designed around the concepts of lab safety, green chemistry and green engineering, and adults can talk to UMN faculty and students about this important topic. The goal is to provide examples of products that people recognize from their every day lives (ibuprofen, plastics, LED lights, and pesticides) that have been improved by green chemistry and green engineering. We also want to draw their attention to the challenges that still exist in these fields, and illustrate how important basic research is to society.

We are based in the EcoExperience Building (2013 winner of the People’s Choice Award!), and if you missed us in 2014 we hope you’ll find us in 2015. We’ll see you at the fair!