The Third International Emerging Technology Symposium (ETS) is over, but those who were unable to attend or wish to review any of the highly informative and engaging presentations delivered during the two‐day event, May 1‐2, in Washington, D.C., may watch every speaker, demonstration and panel discussion online at IAPMO’s YouTube page.
Presented against the backdrop of a national election that will no doubt shape the future of the construction industry and its products, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the World Plumbing Council (WPC) convened the ETS in response to the overwhelming popularity of previous symposiums in Chicago (2008) and Ontario, Calif. (2010).
A host of innovators and industry heavyweights gathered at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Md., to highlight the challenges facing the manufacturing, engineering and trade industries as they pertain to water and energy conservation, sanitation, renewables and the sustainability of the environment and suggest creative solutions in addressing them.
Among the presentations available to view online is keynote speaker Kerri‐Ann Jones, assistant secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs for the U.S. State Department, who called water security “one of the great challenges of our time.”
“Taken together, the lack of access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation and poor hygiene practices pose one of our greatest health risks worldwide,” she said. “Each day, nearly 6,000 people — mostly children under the age of 5 — die from preventable diarrheal diseases.”
A wide range of plumbing‐ and mechanical‐related presentations from industry experts, local, state and federal government officials, consultants and standards officials include topics such as pipe and fitting advances, so‐called “tipping points,” reclaimed water, rainwater harvesting and thermal insulation. Copies of the speakers’ PowerPoint presentations may be downloaded here.
Kyle Onda, a graduate assistant at the Water Institute of UNC Chapel Hill, also offered an update on “The Last Mile of Safe Water Delivery: A Global Problem.” The project is a joint effort between IAPMO and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
A series of videos from the previous two symposiums are available for viewing online.
In addition to the symposiums, IAPMO and the WPC have previously worked together to bring industry wide attention to the SARS epidemic and the measures necessary to mitigate its threat around the world.
Planning is underway for a fourth ETS and details will be released as soon as they are finalized. For additional information, please contact Maria Sol Alba at (708) 995‐3005 or Career.Services@iapmo.org.
Last modified: June 6, 2012