As major auto companies have committed to shifting exclusively to electric vehicle production, and some countries have announced plans to ban conventional cars, it is important to consider the human health implications from the expected increase in mining and smelting needed to supply the growing demand for key metal inputs. Efforts to recycle lithium-ion batteries are unlikely to alleviate metal supply constraints in the short-term, but are necessary to reduce the carbon footprint, mining impacts and avoid further environmental harm. Electric vehicles may provide health benefits from reduced air pollution in urban areas.

The United States is completely dependent upon southeast Asian sources of natural rubber, a critical raw material in 50,000 products, which cannot be replaced by synthetic elastomers. All commercially available natural rubber is tapped by hand as latex by poorly paid workers. Rubber trees are grown as genetically identical clones and are extremely prone to fungal pathogens and other diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragile nature of our rubber supply chain. Dr. Cornish will discuss these issues and how we can develop supply security with the United States and our own manufacture of protective gloves and other products.

As students in Dr. Burks’ classes delve deeper into the world of chocolate, particularly the culture and science of artisan (or craft) chocolate, they learn about multiple disciplines beyond science and work to make connections. All cacao grows "at origin" within the equatorial belt (except for Hawaii) and the taste of the chocolate depends on where it grows, how the cacao gets fermented and the drying and packaging processes at origin. Most making and consuming of chocolate, however, occurs in the Global North creating considerable economic disparities. The business of making chocolate has roots in global history and raises questions about social justice and environmental conservation.

Occupational Knowledge International is a non-governmental organization (NGO). Mr. Gottesfeld founded OK International in 1999 to build capacity to address environmental and occupational health in low and middle-income countries. Mr. Gottesfeld served as a member of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Lithium-ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Committee from 2019 to 2021.

Dr. Cornish is Professor & Ohio Research Scholar of Bio-Emergent Materials in the Departments of Horticulture and Crop Science & Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. Dr. Cornish leads a research program in alternate rubber production and bio-emergent materials including food processing wastes for value-added products and biofuels. She is also Director of Research for the Program of Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives (PENRA), an industrial academic consortium. Dr. Cornish is the leading U.S. scientific expert, and is internationally recognized as a principal authority, on alternative natural rubber production, properties and products, and on natural rubber biosynthesis.

Dr. Romi Burks (@ProfRomi on Twitter) is a Professor of Biology at Southwestern University. She collaborates with undergraduate researchers to study the distribution of a non-native species of apple snail in Texas. Together they use "bits of leftover genetic material" called environmental DNA to detect where the snails might spread. When not thinking about genetics and snails, Burks seeks to piece together the bits of knowledge that exist regarding the genetics of Theobroma cacao (the chocolate tree). By doing so, she has built a reputation for effectively translating science to students, public consumers and chocolate professionals through classes, networking and lectures. At SU, she teaches a First Year Seminar that identifies connections between chocolate and different disciplines (Art, Economics, Psychology, Literature) and a more focused class on the science of chocolate (Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Physics). In Fall of 2022, Burks taught an SU study-abroad course that examined artisan and craft chocolate in London and the UK within the shadow of industrialization. All of her courses incorporate questions of social justice. Interested in chocolate education for the last decade, Burks has given numerous lectures and tastings about chocolate, visited with many bean-to-bar makers and judged on the international level. More information can be found about her chocolate adventures at www.profromi.com