Science on Tap features talk by earth and atmospheric sciences professor
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University earth and atmospheric sciences professor Gabriel Bowen, an expert on how chemistry can be used to record the history of people and products, will be the featured speaker Thursday (Aug. 26) at the next Science on Tap forum.
Bowen's presentation, "I Know What You Did Last Summer … and Where You Were and What You Ate and What You Drank," will begin at 6 p.m. in the upstairs of the Lafayette Brewing Company, 622 Main St., in downtown Lafayette.
"When it comes to the chemistry of your body, you really are what you eat, breathe and drink," Bowen said. "Elements and molecules that enter your body through these pathways are locked in your breath, blood, bones and tissues, and to the astute chemist can provide a record of the environment in which you live."
Bowen's research focuses on understanding minor variations in the environmental chemistry of stable isotopes - atoms of the same element with slightly different weights - that occur naturally in different locations on Earth. These variations, he said, are reflected in the body chemistry of people, animals and products living or produced in different locations.
"Using this information, my Purdue research team can reconstruct the travel history or location of birth of an unidentified murder victim, the source of an illicit animal product, or the location of origin and authenticity of a craft-brewed beer," he said.
Bowen, who serves as co-director of the Purdue Stable Isotope Facility, also will introduce the concept of isotope tracking and provide examples of how it can be applied in the areas of forensics, environmental science and trade regulation.
Bowen, who has been at Purdue since January 2006, received his bachelor's degree in geological sciences from the University of Michigan in 1999 and his doctorate in earth sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2003.
This month's Science on Tap event, sponsored by Discovery Park, the Purdue Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the College of Science, is free and open to those 21 or older.
The Science on Tap program, organized by Purdue postdoctoral biomedical engineering researchers Kate Stuart and John Paderi, provides faculty from Purdue the opportunity to share their research activities in an informal setting, touching on subjects and providing presentations that are designed to appeal to a more general audience.
Writer: Phillip Fiorini, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu
Sources: Gabe Bowen, 765-496-9344, gjbowen@purdue.edu
Kate Stuart, 765-496-1460, kstuart@purdue.edu
John Paderi, 765-496-1460, jpaderi@purdue.edu