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This week: January 2, 2026 - Happy New Year - No meeting
Keith Peterman served as a Professor of Chemistry at York College of Pennsylvania for more than four decades, retiring in May 2020. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany and in Russia, a National Academy of Sciences Scholar in Poland, a Research
Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory in DC, and as a visiting professor in China and New Zealand. He is a member of the American Chemical Society Committee on Environmental Improvement. He takes a student group to Costa Rica each year to
investigate climate change issues linked to impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. He participates in the annual United Nations climate conferences as an accredited member of the press. His current research and writing focus on issues related to climate change and sustainability. His book with co-author Matt Cordes—The Overstory of Climate Change in the Anthropocene—is scheduled for release in Spring 2021. He is a recipient of the 2020 ACS-CEI Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemical Education.
With over 25 years’ experience, Katie is a recognized non-profit leader, field practitioner, and international conservationist. At the helm of Wild Earth Allies since 2003, and leading our re-branding in 2016, Katie focuses on delivering the Wild Earth Allies mission to protect vital areas of our natural world for the benefit of wildlife,
habitats and people by inspiring collaborative action. Her grounded leadership style draws from years spent living in Rwanda as director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program and as program technical director for the African Wildlife Foundation. Her earlier career included grant-making with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, private sector natural resource management consulting, and land use planning.
Katie serves as an Environmental Liaison with Rachel’s Network, a notable community of women philanthropists, and was recently selected as an inaugural member of Charity Navigator’s Consultative Council of Nonprofit Leaders.
She holds a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she combined study of landscape ecology with coursework at the Yale School of Management on applied economics and nonprofit management. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia with a major in environmental studies.
Every minute, two garbage trucks’ worth of plastic enter our oceans. It is now estimated that over 15 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. Plastic can be found in the deepest depths of our seas and the highest mountain peaks of our lands. Plastic can be found in the air, in the rain, and in our drinking water. Plastic pollution impacts us all and continues to worsen every year.
This presentation will focus on the impacts of plastic in our oceans and the varying types of plastic polluting our seas. Elizabeth will share firsthand experiences of seeing plastic adversely affect marine animals. The lecture will also emphasize where plastic is coming from and common myths surrounding the top plastic polluters on our planet.
Elizabeth Linske is an Environmental Metrology and Policy graduate student at Georgetown University, studying environmental chemistry and the connection between science and Federal policy. Before returning to graduate school, she spent six years working as a marine scientist specializing in marine animal conservation. During this time, Elizabeth helped to save over 1,500 sea turtles as well as hundreds of seals, dolphins, and whales. This work enabled her to visualize the connection between animals, the ecosystem, and how anthropogenic impacts are affecting both. She witnessed population shifts, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation, entanglements, and plastic ingestion. This allowed Elizabeth to recognize that she wanted her actions to protect marine life to be on a larger scale, spurring her decision to return to graduate school to further her knowledge on how science informs Federal policymaking. Over the past year, Elizabeth worked at Oceana on the Plastic Campaign team where she co-authored a national report title, Choked, Strangled, Drowned: The Plastic Crisis Unfolding in Our Oceans. Elizabeth is always looking to educate as many people as possible on how to reduce their plastic use and help make the planet healthier.
