Florida Tech’s International Sustainability Forum Program Set: Public Welcome
– The program is complete for Florida Tech’s “Sustainability’s New Age: Preservation and Planning (SNAP),” an international sustainability forum to be held
Feb. 21-23. The event is an outgrowth of the university’s collaboration with Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME).
Members of the general public may attend. All events on Feb. 21 and 22 take place in the Denius Student Center Hartley Room. Speakers include Florida Tech
and BME faculty, other international experts and Brevard County officials and scientists. Dr. Gordon L. Nelson, dean of the College of Science, is
coordinating SNAP.
On Feb. 21, the forum will emphasize Florida growth management issues. From 1 to 2 p.m., Dr. Robert Taylor, Florida Tech associate professor of humanities, will present an historical overview of Florida-500 years, from the time of Ponce de Leon.
From 2 to 5 p.m., a panel will discuss Florida planning issues that pertain to sustainability. The moderator will be Brevard County Commissioner Sue
Carlson. Panelists include Bill Kerr, Governing Board, St. John’s River Water Management District; Jeff Jones, East Central Florida Regional Planning
Council; and Mel Scott, former director of the Brevard County Planning and Zoning board. Reactors will include Truman Scarborough J.D., Brevard County
Commission; Paul Gougelman J.D., City of Melbourne attorney; and Dr. John Windsor, program chair of Florida Tech’s Environmental Science and Oceanography
programs.
At 7 p.m., Dr. William F. Carroll, president of the American Chemical Society, America’s largest scientific society, will deliver a keynote presentation on
green chemistry.
Feb. 22 focuses on European issues, ecotourism and sustaining a safe environment. From 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Florida Tech presenters will be: Dr. Michael
H. Slotkin, College of Business “Ecotourism and the Florida Tech-BME Exchange”
Dr. William F. Carroll
Dr. Karen Chambliss, College of Business
“Event Ecotourism: The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival” Dr. John G. Morris, Department of Biological Sciences “The Environmental Assets of
Hungarian National Parks” Gabrielle Griffin, Department of Biological Sciences “Hungarian Birds and Migration Pathways” Dr. Alexander R. Vamosi, College of
Business “Results from the Hungarian Birding and Wildlife Days Feasibility Study” Anne P. Birch, M.S., Indian River Lagoon Project Manager, The Nature
Conservancy “Lands Legacy: Preservation through Acquisition”
From 10:30 a.m.-noon will be: Dr. Carolyn Fausnaugh, College of Business, “Ecotourism New Business Development” Dr.
Charles Bostater, Department of Marine and Environmental Systems Sustaining a Safe Environment: Remote
Sensing and Modern Remote Sensing Platforms Dr. Alan Brown and Dr. Virender Sharma, Department of Chemistry, “Sustaining a Safe Environment: Green Chemistry”
A buffet lunch and presentation by Dr. William F. Koch, deputy director of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Chemical Science and
Technology Laboratory (CSTL), will take place at noon. Dr. Koch’s talk will include a discussion of federal activities in the area of sustainability and at
the CSTL in particular.
The afternoon, from 2 to 5 p.m., will feature speakers from Eastern Europe on sustainability issues in their geographies. They include: Dr. Imre Hronszky,
BME, “Sustainability, Technology and Europe”
Dr. William F. Koch
Dr. Halina Cybiskova, economist, Kiev National University, Ukraine
“Environmental Deterioration through Technologies in the Ukraine” Dr. Monica Alexandru, Ministry of Education, Bucharest “Romanian Perspective on
Sustainability” Dr. Marton Herczeg, BME, “Sustainability Issues in Hungary” Dr. Gyrogy Pokol, dean of the faculty of chemical engineering at BME, will
react with a presentation, “Sustainability, a Science and Engineering Perspective”
At 7 p.m., Dr. Duane De Freese, vice president of Florida Research, Hubbs Sea World Research Institut,e will give the third keynote presentation, returning
the focus to a sustainable Florida.
The last half day, the morning of Feb. 23, takes place in the F.W. Olin Physical Sciences Building, second floor conference room. Dr. Virender Sharma,
Florida Tech associate professor of chemistry, will moderate a panel of international scientists speaking on the role of new iron technology in mediating
pollution in European waterways.
Dr. Duane De Freese
Presenters include Dr. A. Vertez from Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest; Dr. L. Machala, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic; Dr. J. Madarasz and
Dr. Gyrogy Pokol, BME; Dr. J.-Q. Jiang, University of Surrey, U.K.; and Dr. H. Kim, University of Seoul, Korea.
There is no cost to attend the forum. For more information, contact Dr. Gordon L. Nelson at 321-674-7260.
