MGL Ambassador Spotlight: Cynthia Woodbridge Believes in a Greener Future for Labs

Say hello to My Green Lab Ambassador and physical chemist Cynthia Woodbridge! Originally from Michigan, Cynthia obtained her PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in physical chemistry and currently teaches at Georgia Gwinnett College. She believes in the power of sustainability and hopes to work with her research students to green the labs on campus.

Learn more about Cynthia and her sustainability journey below.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am currently living in Georgia, but grew up in Michigan and have spent most of my time in the Midwest. This term I am teaching Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). I am a physical chemist by training and my research involves spectroscopy, materials, and computational chemistry. Since coming to GGC, I have been teaching in the Environmental Science Program and obtained credentials in Green Chemistry (University of Washington) and Physics (GGC).

What drives you to be more sustainable in the laboratory?

As a computational chemist, I think my research is very green!  No, seriously, I see a great deal of waste in the labs and it is a challenge. Most of the labs I have worked in did not follow sustainable practices. We can't continue our unsustainable behavior in labs.

What is the most interesting thing you learned while becoming a My Green Lab Ambassador?

At the conference this March, I learned about Rheaply and SeedingLabs - two organizations that, I believe, will help, clean up labs. Interestingly enough, a week after the conference, Rheaply came to talk to the class I'm taking on Circular Economy.

How has the My Green Lab Ambassador Program enriched your sustainability journey?

I've learned that there is a community of people who feel as I do and I can use their support and ideas to make our labs here at GGC greener - both in terms of content and operation.

What are your 2021 sustainability goals?

First, to complete my Certificate in Sustainability through the Harvard Extension School. Second, to have a couple research students working on greening some of our labs. Third, to have GGC become a signer of the Green Chemistry Commitment. Finally, to work with (new) leadership here to move our lab operations to be more sustainable (purchasing ACT products, working towards getting our labs certified through My Green Labs).

To learn more about the MGL Ambassador program and get involved, click here.