Continuing Education – Evening Lecture
Critical Issues of Waste Plastic Management in Developing Regions
Presenter: Jeffrey R. Seay, PhD, P.E.
PJC Board of Trustees Engineering Professor
Professor of Chemical Engineering
University of Kentucky, Paducah, Kentucky, USA
Wednesday, February 17,2021
5:30pm-6:30pm – Presentation
6:30pm-6:45pm – Q&A Session & Closing Remarks
PDH Credit: 1 credit
Location: Due to COVID, this will be an online presentation only
Price:
$10 each for attendees wanting PDH Credit and Certificate
Free for attendees wanting to monitor the session with no credit or certificate
Abstract:
As we all know, plastics are everywhere. It is nearly impossible to start your day without coming into contact with plastic. From household appliances, to electronics, to the synthetic fibers in your clothes, plastics make modern life possible. In fact, life as we currently live it isn’t possible without these amazing polymers. However, despite their benefits, plastics present a significant global environmental challenge – particularly in developing or infrastructure limited regions of the world. Strategies that are effective in OECD nations are difficult to apply in the developing world. This talk will highlight some of the key challenges in waste plastic management in developing regions.
Biography:
Dr. Jeffrey Seay is the PJC Board of Trustees Engineering Professor and Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering Paducah Extended Campus Program. He also holds an appointment as Visiting Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Dr. Seay joined the University of Kentucky in 2008 after a 12-year career as a process engineer in the chemical industry. His research interests include the integration of sustainable biomass supply chains with thermochemical modeling of biomass utilization processes as well as the application of appropriate technology to the production of alternative energy in underdeveloped regions. Dr. Seay is a past Chair of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Sustainable Engineering Forum (SEF) as well as past Vice-Chair and Education Committee Chair for the SEF and past Programming Chair for the AIChE Environmental Division. He currently serves as the Chair of the AIChE International Committee, is the Programming Chair for the AIChE Topical Conference on Waste Plastic and is a member of the Managing Board for the AIChE Institute for Sustainability.
Dr. Seay leads the University of Kentucky Appropriate Technology and Sustainability (UKATS) research group at the University of Kentucky Paducah Extended Campus. UKATS is focused on developing sustainable, renewable energy solutions for underdeveloped regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa and India. His group has collaborated with the African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (ACREST) in Cameroon, the Organization of Development Action and Maintenance (ODAM) in India and Upcycle Africa in Uganda to develop a sustainable process for producing fuels from locally available resources.
In 2020, Dr. Seay established the non-profit venture called Engineers for Sustainable Energy Solutions (ESES). ESES is a volunteer-based organization committed to combating plastic waste accumulation in the environment through sustainable community-based waste to energy projects.
Dr. Seay is the inaugural recipient of the AIChE SEF Sustainability Education Award (2013). He has been awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award in Chemical Engineering (2013) and the Dean’s Award for Service (2014) at the University of Kentucky. He is the 2017 winner of the University of Kentucky Provost Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2018 Henry Mason Lutes Outstanding Teaching Award and the 2020 UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in International Research and Scholarship. He has been selected as a Fulbright Specialist Roster Member for 2016 – 2022. Dr. Seay has a BS from Auburn University (1996), an MS from the University of South Alabama (2005) and a PhD from Auburn University, all in chemical engineering.
Registration:
Please register no later than Wednesday, February 17 at 12 noon. Cancellation requests received by the registration deadline will be fully refunded.
Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Cynthia Tarun at tarun.aichedvs@gmail.com, 832-341-4960 (Mobile).