Engineering's Escobar Giving TEDx Talk on Sustainable Water Solutions
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 16, 2015) — Water scarcity affects every continent. Nearly 1 billion people in the developing world don't have access to it, according to The Water Project. How do we address this crisis? University of Kentucky chemical and materials engineering Professor Isabel Escobar thinks the solution lies in biologically inspired water treatments.
"This means trying to design artificial systems that have the same level of efficiency, and often elegance and simplicity, of biological systems," Escobar said.
Escobar will touch on the future of water treatment processes producing drinking water from lower quality sources, like seawater and wastewater, in her TEDx Toledo talk this Thursday, Sept. 17.
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
Escobar was invited to TEDx Toledo following her many media appearances in 2014 speaking on the Lake Erie water crisis. Last August toxic algae blooms disrupted the water supply of 400,000 people in Toledo and southeastern Michigan.
Speaking to Toledo's "leading thinkers and doers," Escobar will pull from her research to address an increasingly significant issue. Following the event, her talk, "Sustainable Water Treatment for the World using Biomimetics," will be posted online at http://www.tedxtoledo.com/ under "Media." It is also available to view at https://youtu.be/-wbHD77kMWE.
Escobar joined University of Kentucky faculty this semester after nearly 15 years in various roles at the University of Toledo.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu