AUSTIN, Texas —The University of Texas at Austin College of Engineering will host the first Texas Clean Air Conference on Oct. 12-13 at the J. J. Pickle Research Campus at 10100 Burnet Road. The conference will feature a cross section of Texas leaders discussing the influence of air pollution on Texas health, economy and environment.
“As Texas air suffers from the state’s growing population, UT Austin’s nationally ranked environmental engineering program seeks to play a leadership role in providing solutions,” said Dr. Robert Kratsas, executive director of the Texas Environmental Forum, which is sponsoring the event.
Texas Sen. J.E. “Buster” Brown of Lake Jackson will be the keynote speaker. Brown is the senior ranking Republican member of the Senate and currently chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee. His committee is charged with helping Texas meet federal air quality standards under the Clean Air Act and determining the implications of non-attainment on future economic growth.
UT Austin’s Engineering Foundation Advisory Council and the College of Engineering created the Texas Environmental Forum and its related Texas Environmental Research Institute to address the environmental challenges facing Texas and the surrounding region. The forum is designed to identify environmental problems and then elicit, organize and publicize scientific and engineering solutions, as well as regulatory alternatives to important environmental problems.
“We want to encourage frank discussion of environmental problems in a neutral environment,” Kratsas said.
Space is limited and priority registration deadline is Oct. 1. To register for the conference, contact Sharon Campos at (512) 232-5168 or email scampos@mail.utexas.edu
For more information, contact Becky Rische of the College of Engineering at (512) 471-7272 or see http://www.envforum.org
