with
Donald S. Mavinic, The University of British Columbia
Nothing is simple about phosphorus. The agricultural
fertilizer that makes it possible to feed the world is poison
for many of the world's rivers, lakes and coastal systems.
And now, concern is rising that future supplies of the mineral
may not be adequate to meet demand.
University of British Columbia (UBC) civil
engineer Donald S. Mavinic is the co-inventor of a new Canadian
technology that is earning rave international reviews for
helping cities and towns remove phosphorus from wastewater
and convert it into fertilizer. He will talk about the challenges
and rewards of bringing a new environmental technology to
market in today's economy, and the larger issue of what
more will be needed soon to tackle the global phosphorus
problem.
Dr. Mavinic has headed the Environmental Engineering
Program at UBC since 1984, and is the author of more than
250 papers and technical reports. In 1992, he was awarded
the Albert E. Berry Medal by the Canadian Society for Civil
Engineering for major contributions to environmental engineering
in Canada. He is a Member of the Board of OSTARA Nutrient
Recovery Technologies Inc., a UBC spin-off company he helped
found in 2005. He also acts a special advisor on nutrient
recovery technologies and global phosphorus shortages to
the European Union and the governments of the United States,
China and Australia.
Organized by: The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering
(PAGSE)
Sponsored by:
--the Speaker of the Senate
--the Speaker of the House of Commons
--Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Date: Thursday November 26, 2009 from 7:30 am - 9:00 am
Place: Room 200, West Block, Parliament Hill
Cost: No charge to Members of the House of Commons, Senators
and Media. All others $20
Registration: Please register by contacting Donna Boag,
PAGSE Manager: 613-991-6369, pagse@rsc.ca
Registration Deadline: Monday November 23, 2009
