Tackling the plastic problem with Taraka Dale on April 19

What if scientists could develop completely novel kinds of bioplastics that degrade at the end of their lives? Plastic waste is an everyday part of modern convenience, and a huge environmental problem. Monday, April 19, 5:30-7 p.m., Los Alamos biochemist Taraka Dale shares insights into the new Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment, aka the BOTTLE program.

This collaborative undertaking will use the Lab’s R&D 100 award-winning smart microbial cells to create methods to upcycle today’s plastic trash and design new, more-degradable plastics for the future.

Other key participants in BOTTLE are the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Colorado State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Montana State University and Northwestern University.

Science on Tap is an opportunity to engage with Lab scientists on their current projects. A brief presentation is followed by questions, answers and discussion. The fun takes place on the third Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. virtually — and eventually at local watering holes in Los Alamos and White Rock.

The free lecture series is a joint project between the Bradbury and the Los Alamos Creative District, a program of the private not-for-profit Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation.