Short Conference Report
The Conference ECOpole’10 was held in hotel Uroczysko (near Szklarska Poreba, Poland), from Oct. 14th, 2010 to Oct. 16th, 2010. It was the nineteenth ecological conference of the series of meetings organised by the Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering, Opole, PL.
129 participants, including delegates representing 7 countries (from Austria, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine) took part in the event and presented 20 oral contributions and 143 posters.
The Abstracts of the Conference contributions were available on the Conference website before and during the conference.
The Conference issue of the quarterly Ecological Chemistry and Engineering S containing among others keynote speakers papers, was distributed at the Conference Reception desk together with a CD-ROM (containing short info on Keynote Speakers, Abstracts of the Conference presentations as well as ECOpole’10 Conference Programme).
On Wednesday (13th October 2010) at 21.00 the participants were invited for
Get-Together Party.
The Conference Agenda was divided into 5 sections:
* SI Ecological Chemistry and Engineering
* SII Environment Friendly Production and Use of Energy
* SIII Risk, Crisis and Security Management
* SIV Forum of Young Scientists and Environmental Education
* SV Health, Ecology and Agriculture.
The Conference was opened by prof. Maria Wacławek, Chairperson of the Organising Committee and prof. Witold Wacławek, Chairman of the Scientific Board and President of the Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering.
Prof. Jacek NAMIEŚNIK (Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, PL) initiated the Plenary Session with the invited lecture: “Green analytical chemistry”. During the conference the plenary lectures were delivered also by other invited lecturers:
prof. Eiliv STEINNES (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NO): “Monitoring of air pollutants on the local and regional scale using mosses: strong and weak points”, prof.Andrzej G. CHMIELEWSKI (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry
and Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, PL): “Dreams or reality – fossil fuels, renewables or nuclear power?”, prof. Artur PAWŁOWSKI (Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, PL): “Role of environmental engineering in introducing sustainable development” and prof. Manfred SAGER (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, AT): “Screening for biologically active elements: Sc, Y, La, Ce, Ti, Rb, Cs – by ICP-OES and ICP-MS methods”.
Very interesting lectures were also presented by prof. A.T. Solecki (University
of Wroclaw, Wrocław, PL): “Building stones as NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials)”, prof. W. Kamiński (Lodz University of Technology, Łódź, PL): “Biobutanol – methods of productions and purifications”, dr Ch. Jungnickel (Gdansk University
of Technology, Gdańsk, PL): “Ionic liquids – green solvents?”, dr I. Koliabina (Institute
of Environmental Geochemistry, Kiev, UA): “Features of absorbed uranium and strontium distribution in the sandy-clay rocks of the lower protective layer within near-surface solid radioactive waste repositories”, dr Z.A. Szydło(Highgate School, London, UK): “Experimental chemistry in English schools”, B. Barańska (Provincial Inspectorate
of Environmental Protection in Opole, PL): “Monitoring of air quality in the Opole province” and H. Ferster (Department of Safety and Crisis Management, Opole Provincial Office, Opole, PL): “Environmental risks in the Opole province”.
Thursday, a day of hard work, was finished with the Poster Session of the Section Chemical Pollution of Natural Environment and its Monitoring. Many of the discussions begun at the posters, lasted until the evening hours.
The next point of Thursday Conference Programme was the one-hour-long Musical Soirée. Students of the Public Musical School in Jelenia Gora (Band Cyjas Milongas and soloists playing the guitar, oboe and saxophone) played classical and contemporary compositions. The audience applauded the players and claimed for bis.
As usually during the ECOpole Conference, the second day included the Session of the Young Scientists (a forum of young scientists that present and discuss local ecological problems of their countries). During the Young Scientists’, Environmental Education and Renewable Energy Poster Session 49 posters were presented.
At 19.00 the Conference participants were invited for a Conference Dinner.
On Thursday and Friday an exhibition of books related to the conference subject was organized by Polish Publishing House Wydawnictwa Naukowo-Techniczne (WNT), Warsaw and Society of Ecological Chemistry and Engineering, Opole.
On Saturday morning an ecological excursion was organised to the Center
of Ecological Education in Karkonoszelocatedin Karkonosze National ParkinSzklarska Poreba. During thisexcursion conference participants could see the exposition“Virtual Karkonosze”.
Closing the conference, prof., prof. Maria and Witold Wacławek made short recapitulation. In general, ECOpole’10 was focused on monitoring of the quality of natural environment, its effects on human life, environmental education as well as application
of renewable sources of energy.
They expressed gratitude to all participants for coming and taking active part in the Conference and thanked all Chairpersons of Sessions.
They announced, that full text of the presented papers will be published (after obtaining reviewers’ positive opinions) in the successive issues of the journals Ecological Chemistry and Engineering A and S and they will be distributed to all participants.
The Extended Abstracts of the presentations will be published in two subsequent issues of semi-annual Proceedings of the ECOpole.
Thanks to the financial support of the Polish Ministry of Scientific Research and Higher Education, it was possible, among others to publish Extended Abstracts and full Conference contributions as well as to help to pay the fees for the young scientists taking part in the Conference.
At the end they invited all Colleagues to attend the ECOpole’11 conference, which will be held at the Conference Center „Rzemieślnik” in Zakopane, PL in next October.
Maria Wacławek
