UNT to host conference on bio-based materials and symposium on quail conservation
DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The University of North Texas will further its commitment to all things green by hosting two events related to sustainability and conservation this week.
The BioEnvironmental Polymer Society will have its 20th annual meeting in the UNT University Union Sept. 18 – 21 (Tuesday - Friday), and UNT Quail will present the first North Texas Quail Symposium on Sept. 19 (Friday).
BioEnvironmental Polymer Society annual meeting
What: UNT will host the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society's 20th annual meeting, a four-day conference including presentations from top government, academic and industry experts. Presenters will discuss the role of synthetic, renewable and natural degradable materials in construction, healthcare, manufacturing and energy production.
The BioEnvironmental Polymer Society has held its annual conference in metropolitan areas such as Vienna and Toronto in previous years. The society selected Denton for its 20th anniversary event because of UNT's commitment to sustainability and the work of the university's Renewable Bioproducts research cluster.
Who: Dr. Nandika D'Souza, UNT joint professor of mechanical and energy engineering department and materials science and engineering department and coordinator of UNT's Renewable Bioproducts research cluster, was elected to organize the conference.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Richard Dixon, an expert on agriculture and biorenewable products, who recently accepted a position with UNT's Signaling Mechanisms in Plants research cluster
- Harvard Medical's Sujata Bhatia, an expert on bio-based polymers for biomedical materials
- Stanford University's Dr. Sarah Billington, an expert on biobased composites for green construction
- Gregg Baumbaugh, CEO of FlexForm and an expert on the applications of bio-based polymers in the automotive industry
- Jeffrey Gilman, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will discuss cellulose
An open forum discussing the challenges architects, engineers and materials suppliers face in meeting LEEDS standards will be held Sept. 20 at 11:30 to 12:30. All are welcome to participate.
When: Sept. 18 – 21 (Tuesday - Friday); a full schedule of sessions and events is available at www.beps.org.
Where: University Union, 1155 Union Circle
Registration: Conference registration is available at www.beps.org. A limited number of complimentary single-session registrations are being supported by UNT. Contact Dr. Nandika D'Souza at nandika.dsouza@unt.edu for more information on the complimentary registrations.
North Texas Quail Symposium
What: UNT-Quail, a quail research and landowner extension program, will host the North Texas Quail Symposium, a one-day event bringing together the nation's top quail scientists and enthusiasts to discuss the philosophy and science of quail conservation. The event will honor Dr. Fred Guthery, Bollenbach Chair at Oklahoma State University, for his contributions to quail research. All talks will be summaries of chapters of a unified book to be published in 2013.
Who: Dr. Kelly Reyna, UNT professor of biological sciences and director of UNT Quail, organized the symposium.
Speakers include quail researchers from Texas A&M-Kingsville, Texas Tech University and other research centers across the state. Land owners Rick Snipes and Deborah Clark, as well as quail storyteller Henry Chappell also will present.
When: Sept. 21 (Friday), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: UNT Gateway Center Ballroom, 801 North Texas Blvd.
Registration: Conference registration is available at http://www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/events/north-texas-quail-symposium. Registration is $35 and includes breakfast, lunch and all of the presentations.
More information on the UNT Quail program is available at http://biology.unt.edu/unt-quail.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
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