February 2, 2010 meeting of the Rock Ice & Mountain Club Arlene Blum Breaking Trail: Molecules and Mountains From leading expeditions to some of the world’s highest and most challenging mountains to spearheading scientific research to protect human health and the global environment, Arlene Blum has led an extraordinary life. In this dramatic slide lecture Blum shares the best photos and stories from her memoir, Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, illustrating both her scientific research and her mountaineering expeditions to the world's highest and most dangerous mountains. Arlene Blum, biophysical chemist, author, and mountaineer is the founder and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute and a Visiting Scholar in Chemistry at UC Berkeley. Beginning with removing cancer-causing chemicals from children's sleepwear in the 1970s, Blum’s work to bring science into regulatory decisions has stopped the use of hundreds of millions of pounds of toxic chemicals. Blum’s current interest is to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy to help create a healthier safer environment. Blum holds a doctorate in biophysical chemistry, and has taught at Stanford University, Wellesley College, and U. C. Berkeley. Blum led the first American and all-women’s ascent of Annapurna I, among the world’s most dangerous and difficult mountains. She also led the first women’s team up Mt. McKinley; was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest; made the first traverse of the Great Himalaya Range of Bhutan, Nepal and India; and hiked the length of the European Alps with her baby daughter on her back. Her first book, Annapurna: A Woman’s Place was included in Fortune magazine's 2005 list of “The 75 Smartest Business Books We Know” and chosen by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the 100 top adventure books of all time. Her new memoir, Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life tells the story of how Blum realized improbable dreams among the worlds’ highest mountains, in the chemistry laboratory, and public policy arena. The National Women’s History Project recently selected Blum as one of 100 “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet.” Her other awards include a Purpose Prize to those over are 60 who are solving society’s greatest problems, and a Gold Medal from the Society of Women Geographers, an honor previously given to only eight other women including Amelia Earhart and Margaret Mead.