Professor of Chemistry Paul Connett's environmental activism goes beyond his classes.

Investigations into the scientific evidence against the practice of water fluoridation has become a family affair for the Connett household. His son Michael '99 is the research director and Webmaster for the Fluoride Action Network (http://www.fluoridealert.org), and his wife, Ellen, is also involved in researching the topic. All three presented scientific papers at the 26th Conference of the International Society for Fluoride Research, held in Wiesbaden, Germany, recently.

Paul Connett has received numerous awards and citations for his work, and frequently participates in community discussions on fluoridation. A graduate of Cambridge University, Connett holds a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College and joined the faculty at St. Lawrence in 1983. Connett's opposition to incineration as a method of managing solid waste, based on his chemical analysis of the byproducts of the process, has taken him to 49 states, five Canadian provinces and 44 other countries. He has given over 1,700 public presentations, written many articles on dioxin and waste management and co-produced several videotapes on those topics, as a result of that research.

In addition to his passionate interest in environmental chemistry, Connett is also a classical music aficionado, often playing favorite pieces for students in his classes, and hosting a music program on North Country Public Radio.

Connett says that he has devoted a great deal of time and effort to grass-roots environmental organizations during his career, because "that is the place where we can effect genuine change."