2008 ASABE Annual International Meeting

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Also Included In: Public Health;  Conferences;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 29 Jun 2008 - 2:00 PDT


The 102nd Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers will convene June 29 - July 2, at the Rhode Island Convention Center and the Westin Hotel in Providence, RI.

More than 1100 technical presentations are scheduled on subjects that include soil and water quality, pesticide application technologies, agricultural waste, wetlands management, renewable energy, food safety, and more.

Special programming on Tuesday, July 1, led by Shahab Sokhansanj, of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will focus on emerging issues and technology development associated with bioenergy alternatives, including biomass and biogas. Featured speaker Cindy Riley, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will provide a biofuels overview and strategic plan, at 9:30 a.m. The Biofuels program will take place in the ballroom of the Convention Center.

Additional special programming is planned for Advancements in Soil and Water Engineering, Monday, June 30, with presentations on ecosystem restoration, low-cost irrigation systems for the developing world, cropping systems for optimizing natural resources management. This special session will take place in the Convention Center Rotunda.

In addition to the technical programs, the ASABE Annual International Meeting will host two collegiate competitions. Fountain Wars (Monday, 5:45 p.m., Convention Center Exhibit Hall) challenges teams to design and create functional structures that must complete two technical tasks and provide an esthetic display. This year's ASABE Robotics Competition (Tuesday, 8:00 a.m., Convention Center Exhibit Hall) requires students to develop an autonomous timber-harvesting system for trees of varying diameter.

At the high-school level, three national finalists of the ASABE100 Multi-Media Competition will give oral presentations to compete for cash awards of up to $4000 (Monday, June 30, 9:30 a.m., Waterplace II, Westin Hotel). The thee were selected from participants nationwide who sought to answer the question, "What will be the greatest engineering challenge of the next fifty years?"

On Tuesday evening, ASABE will welcome National Broadcasting Hall of Fame journalist Orion Samuelson, to the ASABE Foundation fundraising dinner. The event will take place at 8:00 p.m. at the Westin Hotel.

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Visit http://www.asabe.org/meetings/aim2008/08aimonsiteprog.pdf.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an international educational and scientific organization dedicated to sustainable development, production and use of agricultural and biologically based products. A unique understanding of engineering principles and the biological world enables its members to lead the way in the use of renewable resources. ASABE and its members are on the cutting edge of sustainable solutions for the future. The society, headquartered in St. Joseph, Mich., comprises 9,000 members representing more than 100 countries. For additional information about ASABE, visit http://www.asabe.org/.

Source: Dolores Landeck
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers

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