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Oscar-nominated actor/director Mark Ruffalo (“The Avengers,” “Now You See Me”) will join Cape Cod-based scientist and entrepreneur Scott Smith (from OPFLEX®Technology) Feb. 24, 2014 at Cape Cod Community College to outline a new research collaboration with the college’s Environmental Technology program.

The collaboration will focus on demonstrating the use of emerging technology to fingerprint, monitor and help reduce pollution of Cape Cod waters, according to a press release. The public talk is free at Tilden Art Center’s Main Theater.

Ruffalo and Smith are due to talk, starting at 7 p.m., about their commitment to creating a curriculum at the college that supports baseline water testing that can keep the region up to date on water contaminants that accumulate over time. Both will be part of a question-and-answer session at the end of the program.

Keeping the country’s water contaminant-free is a key issue for Ruffalo. In 2013, he established a nonprofit foundation, Water Defense (www.waterdefense.org), to support that commitment. Smith has joined the foundation as its chief scientist. This new Cape-based effort is designed to provide CCCC students with opportunities to use state-of-the-art technologies as part of their science studies, according to the release.

College president John Cox praised the new initiative’s impact on student learning in the release. “This collaboration enables our students to gain exposure to new material applications while participating in the testing of a new methodology. It opens the doors for internship opportunities and allows the College to share information through community-wide education.”

In 2012, Smith gave an initial presentation at the college that included an overview of OPFLEX Eelgrass and how it replicates natural eelgrass to support a healthy coastal ecosystem. Early testing indicates that OPFLEX Technology’s design can collect important data.