Tapping the Power of Chemistry
From Green Products to Brewing Innovation
Jim Hutchison
Knight Campus Senior Associate Vice President
Lorry Lokey Chair in Chemistry
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm Lecture*
Location: Jaqua Concert Hall, The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, 868 High Street, Eugene, OR
About Jim Hutchison — Hutchison's research focuses on the synthesis of new materials made from nanoparticles for use in electronics, chemical and biological sensing systems, biomedicine and renewable energy applications. His lab aims to harness and fine-tune the properties of nanoparticles, which are thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair, using techniques that enhance their functionality while reducing waste during production and ensuring their safety in the environment and human health. Hutchison was a pioneer in green chemistry and green nanoscience. With UO colleagues, he produced the nation’s first curriculum on green chemistry for use in undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories and the first textbook for green organic chemistry. He has championed experiential graduate education in the UO’s Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program, an accelerated master's degree program that combines lab and lecture content with a 9-month paid internship.
Hutchison founded the first center for green nanoscience, the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, a state signature research organization. He launched the Knight Campus Brewing Innovation Lab and was instrumental in the development of Knight Campus academic programs, including the Bioengineering PhD program, the Bioengineering minor and the Brewing Innovation minor, which leverages science and engineering, history, innovation, and storytelling to teach the craft and science of brewing. He has co-authored several reports of the National Academy of Sciences on nanotechnology and green chemistry, has published more than 130 scientific papers and won numerous national awards.
*Starting at 5:30 pm, early arrivals are welcome to join us in the Cole Gallery (main venue entrance) prior to the lecture for an informal community networking opportunity. Beverages and cookies will be available for purchase. Doors to the lecture hall will open at 6:10 pm.
Science Knight Out is a community science lecture that is open to the public and is sponsored by the University of Oregon Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. The annual event supports the mission of the Knight Campus of science advancing society and the goal of engaging the public in the excitement and creativity of scientific research.
Questions? Email KCEvents@uoregon.edu.
Previous Speakers
"Boosting Performance and Improving Human Health"
Mike Hahn, director of the Bowerman Sports Science Center, professor of human physiology and associate director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Oregon, discusses what can we learn about human performance and injury prevention from wearable sensors and machine learning to improve performance and resilience for athletes around the world
"Precision Medicine for Better Bones"
Danielle Benoit, Lorry Lokey Chair of the Department of Bioengineering, discusses how we can make bones heal better, enabling people to recover more quickly after suffering from injury or disease.
"Eye on the Cutting Edge: Healing the Window on the World"
Bala Ambati,Knight Campus research professor and leading eye surgeon, discusses breakthroughs in vision science and a new gene therapy that could provide a treatment for Fuchs’ dystrophy.
"The Nature of Nurture"
Leslie Leve, Alumni Faculty Professor of Education, discussed intervention strategies that help prevent delinquency and drug abuse.
"Bioengineered Medical Devices and Regenerative Therapies"
Bob Guldberg, Vice President and Executive Director of the Knight Campus, highlighted his research on regenerative medicine and shared insights from his career translating new medical devices into improved patient care.
"A Spectrum of Promise"
Laura Lee McIntyre, a professor in the University of Oregon's College of Education, discussed how early identification of developmental disorders can lead to promising intervention and prevention strategies.
"Mind, Brain and Reality"
David McCormick explores how the brain creates the reality in which our minds operate and discuss how we may improve our perception of reality through a practice of being mindfully aware.
"Science at the Nexus of Life and Death"
Patrick Phillips, Provost and professor of biology, discussed his research on aging and the challenges and the opportunities created by the potential for prolonging life.