EARTH Director Presents Plenary Lecture at International Fluorine Chemistry Symposium

Lisbon, Portugal — August 4, 2025 — Dr. Mark Shiflett was honored to serve as an invited Plenary Speaker at the 21st European Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry (ESFC-21) in Lisbon, Portugal. The symposium, a premier international gathering of scientists advancing the frontiers of fluorine chemistry, provided an ideal platform to highlight the vision and research of EARTH, a newly funded Gen-4 National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center called "Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH)". Lead by the University of Kansas and in partnership with University of Notre Dame, University of Maryland, University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa, Lehigh University and the University of South Dakota, EARTH focuses on developing a circular refrigerant economy.

Mark Shiflett, who serves as the Center Director, introduced the global scientific community to the mission and goals of the EARTH ERC in his address entitled “Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH)”. The talk highlighted the Center’s multidisciplinary approach to advancing next-generation refrigerant technologies, addressing urgent atmospheric challenges, and training the future workforce in sustainable cooling solutions.

The European Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry is renowned for bringing together researchers from academia, industry, and government to exchange breakthroughs across inorganic, organic, materials, and applied fluorine chemistry. EARTH’s presence at this year’s symposium underscores the Center’s growing international engagement and leadership in refrigerant and cooling innovation.

By sharing EARTH's work on an international stage, the Center continues to expand its network, inspire new partnerships, and position itself at the forefront of next generation cooling technologies.