Anchorage Science Pub - Dr. Phillipe Amstislavski
Channel: alaska commons
Date: 2016-11-15

From underneath the Alaska Pipeline and roads to inside our homes insulation is everywhere in Alaska. The problem: traditional plastic foam board we use to keep the cold out is energy-intensive to produce, generates toxic waste streams, and often ends up as plastic litter in oceans and waterways. A group of researchers at the University of Alaska Anchorage are working to develop an environmentally friendly alternative. Dr. Philippe Amstislavski will discuss his team's efforts to use local Alaskan fungi to produce thermally insulating foams that are both renewable and biodegradable. 

Dr. Amstislavski is a professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His focus of study is on the interactions between climate change and community adaptation and resilience in the Circumpolar North and on sustainable biomaterials development.