Indian River Lagoon Focus of Conference Sept. 27 at Florida Tech
Events Open to Public; Registration Required
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Scientists and researchers from around Florida will discuss the latest efforts to heal the ailing Indian River Lagoon as Florida Institute of Technology’s Indian River Lagoon Research Institute convenes its 5th annual Technical Conference on Coastal Water Quality Friday, Sept. 27.
The conference is open to the public, but registration is required.
It begins with opening remarks at 9 a.m. in the Hartley Room on the second floor of the Denius Student Center on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne. Keynote speakers, oral presentations and a posters reception will follow.
The conference will explore five themes:
- Muck removal and control
- Novel approaches to water quality improvements
- Policy, permitting and planning, governance
- Biosolids
- Stormwater
The keynote speaker begins at 9:15 a.m., with oral presentations and shorter “tech teasers” offered from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Lunch is served from 12:15-1:30 p.m. Additional oral presentations are held from 1:30-5 p.m. and the posters reception is from 3:30-5 p.m.
The keynote speaker is Larry McKinney, senior executive director at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University. Through his education and experience, he has a unique perspective to balance a healthy gulf and a healthy economy. With hands-on research and committed leadership, McKinney has developed a reputation for taking on difficult and controversial environmental issues like endangered species conservation, water resource development, and habitat loss in Texas.
Presentations include measuring groundwater entering the Indian River Lagoon; approaches for forecasting algal blooms; novel technologies for improving water quality; new techniques and sensors for measuring water quality; and citizen science projects aimed at monitoring the Lagoon.
Conference registration is $50 per person and includes access to all presentations and lunch as well as a ticket to Friday’s Estuary Affair Dinner starting at 5:15 p.m. in the Hartley Room. A student registration package is available for $25 but does not include the dinner. Tickets for the dinner only are available for $25.
Event sponsorship packages at various funding levels are available.
For more information on the conference and sponsorships, and to register, visit https://event.fit.edu/techcon/.
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