Marinda Li Wu is an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

, who has worked for more than 30 years in the chemical industry, primarily with Dow Chemical Company, in research and development and plastics marketing. She was involved in early research on the recycling of plastics and

environmental sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

. She has also worked as an entrepreneur, and founded the organization "Science is Fun!" to interest students in science. She holds 7 U.S. Patents. Wu has been a long-time member of the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(ACS) and has worked with it at various levels, most importantly as its 2013 president. She is the eighth woman president and the first Asian American to serve as president of the society. The theme of her presidency was "Partners for Progress and Prosperity". In 2015, she was named a fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Education

Marinda Li Wu received a B.S. in chemistry from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in 1971, and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

in 1976. She chose to go to Illinois because she wanted to work with Professor Russell Drago. She was told on arrival that he did not work with female students, but she convinced him to accept her as his second woman graduate student.

Work for STEM

She is known for her support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education through public outreach initiatives such as “Family Science Nights” connecting the California Section of ACS with school districts in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, and initiatives with libraries and restaurants. She founded the organization "Science is Fun!" to support science education. She serves on the advisory board for the non-profit "Catalyst for Success".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Marinda Li Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Presidents of the American Chemical Society American women chemists 21st-century American chemists Place of birth missing (living people) Plastic recycling Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Illinois alumni 21st-century American women scientists