Profile

As a tenured senior instructor Haack’s courses (see examples below) engaged students in the study of chemistry by incorporating green chemistry and life cycle thinking into the curriculum. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Often referred to as a form of molecular-level pollution prevention, green chemistry relies on a set of principles that can be used to design or re-design molecules, materials and chemical transformations to be safer for human health and the environment.

The incorporation of green chemistry principles into the curriculum provides new opportunities to enhance the curriculum and engage a broad spectrum of students in the study of chemistry. The proactive approach that green chemistry takes appeals to students because many of them care deeply about their environment and are looking for a way to make a difference in society. Although many faculty and students recognize the benefits of a greener curriculum, widespread incorporation has been limited by the availability of educational materials and the scarcity of successful models for integrating green chemistry into the classroom and laboratory.

Dr. Haack has been actively involved in the identification, development and dissemination of educational materials in the area of green chemistry and designing tools and workshops that facilitate the development of a green chemistry education community.

Interdisciplinary Design Activities

Sustainable Invention Immersion Week - Student Workshop - Eugene, Oregon, September 2017

Color - Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference -Student workshop - Portland, Oregon, June 13, 2016

The Challenge:  Color dramatically influences human behavior from how we communicate to how we make decisions and is a ubiquitous component of consumer products.  The materials and processes used to generate color in consumer products have significant impacts on human health and the environment.  In light of the economic, social and environmental impacts of color on society, students will use the principles of green chemistry to design a comprehensive strategy for overcoming the challenges associated with dyes and pigments. The strategy should be economically viable, socially acceptable and have a net positive environmental impact compared to existing products/processes. During the workshop we will provide background information about the history, chemistry, impacts, and business of color and will describe how to use a variety of tools to address the unintended biological impacts of dyes and colorants. Throughout the day student teams will have opportunities to brainstorm ideas, test drive possible solutions amongst their peers, and then present their final ideas to the group at the end of the day.

Disrupting Color - HOPES - Eugen, Oregon, April 9, 2016

HOPES is an annual sustainability conference hosted by the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture & Allied Arts. It’s also the first and one of the only student-run sustainability conferences in the United States!

Courses

Green Materials in Product Innovation (CH 610 - traditional and on-line) - Part of the UO Sports Product Management graduate degree, green materials in product innovation provides students with a materials science foundation that (1) empowers them to lead efforts to select, compare, specify and influence the design of greener materials, (2) facilitates innovation at the nexus of product performance, business and sustainability today and beyond, and (3) enables students to communicate the value proposition for greener materials to diverse audiences. Taught Winter 2018, 2019.  Currently developing on-line course for Fall 2019.

Chemistry of Sustainability (CH 113 – large enrollment) is the result of a collaborative process with five other faculty, to design an introductory chemistry course that uses chemistry as a tool to explore grand challenges in sustainability.

Haack, J.A., Berglund, J.A., Hutchison, J.E., Johnson, D. W., Lonergan, M.C., Tyler, D.R. “Chemistry of sustainability:” A general education science course enhancing students, faculty and institutional programming.  Conferences on Chemistry “Educating the Next Generation:  Green and Sustainable Chemistry,” J. Chem. Educ., 2013. 90 (4): p. 515-516.

Green Product Design (CH 114- large enrollment) focuses on integrating green chemistry with product design, journalism and communications, and sustainable business practices to illustrate the central role chemists play in developing the more sustainable consumer products. The target audience for this course is students from the professional schools on camps.

Molecular Innovation in Material Life Cycles (ARCH 4/507, spring 2013) Working with architecture faculty member Erin Moore, students in this course explore the impacts of building materials across their life cycles from natural resource extraction, to material processing, to product use and material end-of-life or re-use.

Building materials meet chemistry head on in technology seminar
Monday, September 30, 2013
Story by Marti Gerdes, UO Department of Architecture

Science of Design (PD 199) Working with product design faculty member, Kiersten Muenchinger, students in this course use green chemistry to explore innovative ways to design greener athletic shoes.

Chemistry of Skiing (CH 199) Working with chemistry faculty member Jim Hutchison, students in this course explore the role of chemistry in designing materials used to manufacture high performance outdoor clothing, skis and snowboards.