The Office of Research and Economic Development and the Chemical Engineering Department are hosting Tech Alum David Nicholas, CEO of Earth Science Laboratories in Rogers, Arkansas, at 11 a.m., Thurs., Apr. 29, in Room 113 of the Stonecipher Lecture Hall (SLH). Nicholas will be discussing ESL’s research and development ventures. ESL has found that a unique chemical composition accounted for many distinctive features of its products and is now the basis of the company’s rapidly growing technology platform. The primary acid comprising the company’s chemical composition is a polymeric arrangement of ammonium bisulfate, or PABS. The PABS has multiple unique characteristics that provide for specific benefits in water treatment, agriculture, metal plating, battery electrolytes, pharmaceuticals, and more. ESL is exploring opportunities for collaborative research as the company sees many opportunities for the chemistry that are outside its founding expertise in water treatment.