Chemistry student wins award for inspiring youth

Loyola University New Orleans chemistry senior Laura Thomas was awarded the Pittsburgh Conference Extra Effort award at a dinner meeting on March 3 at the New Orleans Marriot. The Pittsburg Conference is the world’s largest, most comprehensive conference and exposition for laboratory science.

Thomas earned the award by leading and organizing part of the 2007 Motorola Foundation Green Chemistry Experience, which included a series of outreach events involving demonstrations of “green chemistry” at elementary and high schools during the spring and fall of 2007. Green chemistry involves any modification of an existing organic process that removes environmentally harmful solvents or reagents, reduces waste or involves recycling of materials.