Printing solar cells. Credit: Nanosolar.
I received a note from the organizers of Green Technologies for Materials Manufacturing and Processing symposium that will be part of this fall’s Materials Science & Technology 2011 conference. Tatsuki Ohji (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science), Mrityunjay Singh (Ohio Aerospace Institute, NASA Glenn Research Center), Richard D. Sisson (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Center for Heat Treating Excellence) and Makio Naito (Osaka University) say they are excited about the interest that has been shown in recent years about this symposisum (2011 marks the third time it will have been held), and they want to remind everyone that the deadline for submitting abstracts is March 15, 2011.
The organizers frame the symposium like this:
Sustainable development is globally recognized as a key issue for future society. Therefore, green, or environmentally-benign technology, should be the focus for materials scientists and engineers. Generally, two issues are substantially important. One is to avoid unnecessary use and generation of compounds directly hazardous to human health and the environment, such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. The other is to protect the global environment by preserving energy and conserving natural resources during the fabrication. The volumes of consumed raw materials, used energy (or emitted carbon dioxide) and disposed wastes are indicative of sustainability of the process.
Keeping these two aspects in view, this symposium deals with a variety of green technologies related with materials manufacturing and processing that are feasible in the industry. Topics to be discussed in this symposium include environmental impact of materials, products and processes; development of alternative technologies; waste minimization technologies and instrumentation development. Topics will also include the identification of green opportunities and/or upfront solutions to environmental problems in these or related processes, as well as recent initiatives and developments in education in green engineering.
If you are interested in presenting in this symposium, shoot off an abstract to the organizers by submitting your concept online here.
MS&T’11 will occur in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 16–20, 2011.