The 25th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium – Environ 2015 – takes place at IT Sligo from April 8th to 10th.
The three-day conference is being co-hosted by the Institute’s Department of Environmental Science and the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI).
The main hub of activity will be IT Sligo’s new MacMunn Science building. It houses the Institute’s strategic environmental research centre CERIS, and the building is where undergraduate science students begin their research development in state-of-the-art laboratories.
The theme of Environ 2015 is: “Are we sustainable?” The colloquium will address the need to review environmental change since the very first Environ was held in IT Sligo (then Sligo RTC) in 1991.
“Although technologies and knowledge transfer systems have developed exponentially since 1990, major challenges to global sustainability have concurrently evolved,” explains Dr Frances Lucy, Ecologist at IT Sligo and the Conference Convener for Environ 2015.
“This gathering will investigate current sustainability actions while addressing opportunities for positive changes in engagement.”
The opening event on Wednesday evening, April 8th, will be a question-and-answers style panel debate on ‘Paying for our water: quality and quantity matter‘.
The panel of speakers will include Jerry Grant (Head of Asset Management at Irish Water), Fiona Regan (Director of DCU Water Institute), Michael Ewing (Environmental Pillar Co-ordinator) and Michael Fitzmaurice (Independent TD for Roscommon-South Leitrim). The event will be free and open to members of the public, local stakeholders, professionals and students.
View the full conference schedule here.
Environ is the longest running and largest forum for environmental researchers in Ireland with over 275 delegates attending the event annually. It provides a high-visibility platform for young researchers to present their findings to an audience drawn from academia, government bodies and industry.
The event also has the backing of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
To register for a place, visit www.environ2015.org.
Photo caption:
Members of the organising team for Environ2015 at IT Sligo.
(L-R): Rory Sheehan, PhD student Environmental Student; Lorraine Archer, PhD Candidate, Environmental Science, Dr Frances Lucy, Conference Convener, Katie Stewart – Interin.