Sustainable Nanomaterials for Sensing Human Health and the Environment

Presented by Professor Omowunmi (Wunmi) Sadik
BioSMART Center & New Jersey Institute of Technology

Abstract
This talk will describe the use of sustainable nanomaterials for understanding reaction mechanisms, small-scale synthesis, and biosensing. Sustainable nanotechnology is the research and development of nanomaterials with economic and societal benefits and little or no negative environmental impact. Hence, there is a search for nano-synthetic methods that utilize sustainable materials without employing other reductants, capping, or dispersing agents. Notable developments include safer-by-design, electrosynthesis, sonochemistry, and the use of biomass, sugars, and flavonoid precursors. This presentation will discuss a new frontier for safe nanomaterials with tunable surface and lectrocatalytic properties, high sorption capacities, and excellent reactivities. The sensing applications of these tunable materials will be presented for pain biomarkers and persistent pollutants.

Symposium Details Welcome Reception

Welcome Reception
Sunday: 6:00 – 8:00 PM, outside the Coulter Lecture

Kick off your Pittcon 2024 experience in style at our Welcome Reception. An evening designed for mingling, making connections, and fostering new friendships, featuring wine, beer, light refreshments, and an Exhibitor Poster Session. The perfect ambiance for networking and socializing.

Meet Wunmi Sadik

Distinguished Professor and Director of The BioSMART Center at the New Jersey Institutes of Technology (NJIT). Sadik has held appointments at Harvard University, Cornell University, the EPA, and the Naval Research Laboratory. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed works with 400 invited lectures and conference contributions. Her group focuses on understanding interfaces, particularly the electrochemical interface, and how to use this knowledge to pursue innovative bio (analytical) sensor technologies to improve human health and the environment. She has developed a biosensor technology to enable clinicians to assess the pain experienced by a patient objectively. Her pain biosensor uses the idea that the underlying cause of pain is a fundamental biochemical process. Coupled with a Bayes net model, preliminary data on 379 patients confirmed that the majority (80%) showed consistency among the biomarker data and the patient’s self-reported pain. Sadik is a fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), The National Academy of Inventors, and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). She is a recipient of the Radcliffe Fellowship, NIH Outstanding Scientific Achievement & WALS Lectureship, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities, and NSF’s Discovery Corps Senior Fellowship. She holds 12 US patents and patent applications and is the founder of three startup companies. As the Co-Founder and President of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (www.susnano.org), Sadik is building support for science and promoting the understanding of its broader relevance to society.