Science Café to feature OHIO faculty member Mengliang Zhang on March 4

Ohio University Associate Professor Mengliang Zhang will lead the next Science Café presentation on Wednesday, March 4.

Beginning at 5 p.m. in the Baker University Center Front Room, Zhang will discuss “Supplement, Superdrug, or Something in Between?  A Forensic Look at the Evidence Behind Kratom.”

All members of the OHIO community are invited to attend in person or watch the livestream of the event.

Zhang is an associate professor of chemistry and a forensic chemist at Ohio University — and a proud Bobcat.

His research uses advanced analytical techniques to study complex substances, including botanical dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals and forensic evidence. His work explores how chemistry helps inform public health and regulatory decisions.

At this Science Café, Zhang will share how forensic science sheds light on the chemistry and controversy surrounding kratom.

• Those who cannot attend in person are invited to watch the livestream here.

The Science Café series is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity and the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi, the national science honor society.

Each event features a dialogue/conversation between the presenter and audience, and the topics are based on the research of the faculty presenters.

Questions are posed by the presenter or raised by members of the audience. In addition, free coffee/tea/hot chocolate coupons are presented to the first 50 in attendance.

For more information, see the Science Café website.