POTSDAM -- Peter Brimblecombe, chair professor of environmental chemistry at the City University of Hong Kong, will present the 2018 Hopke Distinguished Lecture Friday, April 13, at 3 p.m. in Clarkson’s B.H. Snell Hall 213.

A reception will follow.

The lecture is titled “The Social and Scientific History of Elemental Carbon.” Brimblecombe will speak about air pollution and human activity, beginning from the time of Egyptian mummies and Saxon England and continuing until contemporary times and activities such as biomass burning in Southeast Asia and its direct impact on human health.

Brimblecombe is a world-renowned atmospheric scientist and author of general interest books that tie human history with air pollution and other measures of the state of our environment.

According to reviews, his book, “The Big Smoke,” about the history of air pollution in England, “read like a thriller.”

He says, “Environmental pollution is not merely a matter of environmental chemistry. The smells have to be smelt. Painting and poetry can be as informative as a scientific description when trying to understand the complexities of environmental problems.”

The Hopke Lecture is supported by the Philip K. and Eleanor F. Hopke Endowment for the Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE).

Philip and Eleanor Hopke have been contributors to the Clarkson community since 1989.

The goal of the Hopke Lecture series is to continue Dr. Hopke’s tradition of making significant technical contributions to the fields of air quality, aerosol science, and atmospheric chemistry, as well as use scientific and technical knowledge to guide public policy decisions at the highest levels of government.

In honor of Professor Hopke’s work, the annual Hopke Lecture features distinguished researchers who have significantly contributed to our understanding of the environment and have used this scientific understanding to guide policy.

The Hopke Lecture series intends to stimulate interest in environmental research and motivate the participation of scientists in public policy.