International Policy Makers, Educators and Industry Focus on Air Quality at Colorado State Conference Oct. 5-8

The past, present and future of vehicle emissions – and their impact on air quality – will be in the spotlight at the 20th Annual Mobile Sources/Clean Air Conference.

Hundreds of environmental policy makers, educators and industry representatives from the United States as well as Europe, Canada and Australia are expected to attend the conference Oct. 5-8 at the Copper Mountain Resort and Conference Center.

The conference, presented by the National Center for Vehicle Emissions Control and Safety at Colorado State University, will focus on mobile sources including diesel engines and two-stroke engines used in the developing world. A session on hydrogen as an alternative source of energy will be highlighted.

"This conference will explore what is has been done, what is being done and will be done in the future in the world of emissions control," center director Lenora Bohren said. "The future will be the focus of the session on hydrogen – a look at what can be done with cleaner fuels."

Merrylin Zaw-Mon, director of certification and compliance for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will open the conference by speaking on the progress of emission control over the past 30 years. Michael P. Walsh, an internationally recognized expert on emissions control will discuss the global picture of vehicle emissions.  Other highlights of the conference include panels discussing states’ issues and global concerns.

Colorado State professor Bryan Willson, director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, will talk about his work retrofitting two-stroke engines in the Philippines to reduce pollution caused by small engines. Colorado State students will demonstrate engine retrofits using the cleaner two-stroke engines they developed for use in snowmobiles. Representatives from the National Center at Colorado State will speak on a recent emissions’ training program in Sri Lanka.

The Annual Mobile Sources Clean Air Conference is sponsored by the National Center for Vehicle Emissions Control and Safety, a research and training center at Colorado State. The center is in the Department of Construction Management and part of the College of Applied Human Sciences. The center has a long history of international involvement, conducting training in Canada, Mexico and Sri Lanka. International Clean Air Conferences have been held in Germany, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica and other countries.

The National Center for Emissions Control and Safety was established in 1976 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is the nation’s only university-based center devoted exclusively to the study of light-duty vehicle emissions control.

For more information, call (970) 491-7240 or visit www.ncvecs.colostate.edu.

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