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One of the world's leading scientists responsible
for discovering the vulnerability of the Earth's ozone layer to
human activities and their byproducts, Mario J. Molina, will speak
at Florida International University on Thurs., April 4, 2000.
During his visit he will be presented with an honorary Doctor
of Science degree.
A Nobel laureate, Molina is an Institute Professor at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) and is the only Hispanic to win
a Nobel Prize in the sciences. Molina will present a free lecture
- as part of the 2002 Presidential Lecture Series -- in the Graham
Center Ballroom at University Park. Molina speech is titled "Antarctic
Ozone Hole: The Global Environmental Consequences of Human Activity."
"Dr. Molina's work continues to have an immense impact on
the daily lives of every citizen of the world, and the future
of our planet," said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique, who
will award the honorary degree. "It's an honor and a pleasure
to have him visit FIU, an institution deeply committed to environmental
research. "
A native of Mexico, Molina was coauthor (with F. S. Rowland) of
an article published in 1974 in the journal Nature on their research
on the threat to the ozone layer from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
gases used as propellants in spray cans, as refrigerants and solvents.
The thin layer of ozone in the stratosphere, together with ordinary
molecular oxygen, absorbs the major part of the sun's ultraviolet
radiation, preventing this dangerous radiation from reaching the
Earth's surface.
More recently, he has been studying the chemistry of air pollution
in the lower
atmosphere and is pursuing interdisciplinary work on tropospheric
pollution issues, working with colleagues from other disciplines
on the problem of rapidly growing cities with severe air pollution
problems. He was the recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry,
which he shared with Professors F. S. Rowland and P. Crutzen for
their work in atmospheric chemistry.
Molina, who was born in Mexico City, Mexico, holds a chemical
engineering degree from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico,
a postgraduate degree from the University of Freiburg, West Germany,
and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California,
Berkeley. He joined MIT in 1989 with a joint appointment in the
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and the
Department of Chemistry, and was named MIT Institute Professor
in 1997. Prior to joining MIT, Molina held teaching and research
positions at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the
University of California, Irvine, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
at the California Institute of Technology.
Molina is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the
Institute of Medicine and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
He has served on the U.S. President's Committee of Advisors in
Science and Technology, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board,
National Research Council Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology,
and on the boards of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation of Science and
other non-profit environmental organizations.
The lecture and honorary degree conferral, which is free and open
to the public, will take place at the University Park, Southwest
Eighth Street and 107 Avenue. Doors open at 7 p.m. and limited
seating will be available on a first come first serve basis. Event
starts at 7:30 p.m. Free visitor parking will be available in
the Blue parking garage. For more information on the event, please
call 305-348-2231.
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