Where:	Pavilion room 1
Time:	5:30 - reception 6:00 - dinner (vegetarian/vegan fare available) 7:00 - lecture
What:	reception/dinner: $tbd ($less for students) lecture only: free
RSVP/Contact:	dinner: please RSVP to Emma Rainforth no later than noon on Monday November 27 lecture: no RSVP necessary

Miracle Materials: The World of Plastics

A lecture given by Dr. Ariel Fenster (Office for Science and Society, McGill University, Montreal)

Abstract
Our life would be unimaginable without the modern synthetic materials that chemical research has produced. We sleep on polyester sheets, we walk on nylon carpeting, we wear acrylic clothes and we pay with "plastic" money. This presentation traces the development of these miracle products from the early wood derivatives to the materials used in the space program. Accounts of the discovery of rubber, the story of nylon are mingled with the description of super-absorbent materials and bullet-proof vests and are accompanied with numerous fascinating demonstrations.