Clarkson University Associate Professor Selma Mededovic Thagard recently delivered a talk titled "Electron-Based Reduction of Organic Molecules at the Plasma-Liquid Interface" at the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Plasma Processing.

Plasma processing science is at the core of technologies for many applications, including plasma medicine and plasma water treatment, according to a press release from Clarkson University.

The conference highlighted the most cutting edge scientific advances in material synthesis, energy conversion and storage, as well as the interaction of plasmas with biological systems, the release said.

Thagard says her research will help scientists better understand chemical mechanisms and physical processes responsible for chemical transformations of dissolved organic molecules, which is important for further development of the aforementioned plasma applications.

The Gordon Research Conferences were initiated by Neil E. Gordon of Johns Hopkins University, who recognized in the late 1920s the difficulty in establishing good, direct communication between scientists, whether working in the same subject area or in interdisciplinary research.

The Gordon Research Conferences promote discussions and the free exchange of ideas at the research frontiers of the biological, chemical and physical sciences.

Scientists with common professional interests come together for a full week of discussion and examination of the most advanced aspects of their field.

These conferences provide a valuable means of disseminating information and ideas “in a way that cannot be achieved through the usual channels of communication -- publications and presentations at large scientific meetings,” the release said.