Events Archive
Continuing Events
On April 4, 2016, ISTC hosted a pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the Environment conference in conjunction with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG). The scope was broadened for 2017 and 2018 conferences to include all emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment. In 2019, the scope widened further include emerging contaminants in all environments. The 2020 conference was planned to have the same broad scope as 2019 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on the title above to see the plans for the next conference. Visit the ECEC archive page for videos and slides from previous conferences.
Previous Events
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1987-2018 Illinois Sustainability Awards
From 1987-2018, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) presented the Illinois Sustainability Award (ISA) to organizations in Illinois that demonstrate a commitment to our economy, society and environment through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices. The award was previously named the Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award and the Illinois Governor's Pollution Prevention Award. Review the full Illinois Sustainability Awards summary and download programs and slides on IDEALS.
2015–2017 Emerging Contaminants Consortium
ISTC hosted the Emerging Contaminants Consortium (formerly PPCPs Consortium) from September 2015 to November 2017. It was open to anyone who was conducting research on pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hormones, or other harmful chemicals in the environment in the environment or related topics. Meetings were held 2–3 times per year at ISTC. In addition, one to two short presentations were usually given by consortium members to allow others to learn more about their research. Review the full consortium summary and download slides on IDEALS. Review recorded consortium presentations on YouTube.
2016 Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in the Environment Teacher Workshop
In June 2016, ISTC and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant hosted a workshop for science teachers on PPCPs in the environment and how to teach the subject to in classrooms. The free workshop was for middle school and high school teachers. The teachers earned 8 professional development hours and a $100 stipend for attending. These resources were discussed during the workshop:
2013–2014 Midwest Biochar Conferences
The Illinois Biochar Group, in conjunction with the ISTC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as co-organizers, hosted the 2014 and 2013 Midwest Biochar Conference, which both were held in Champaign, IL.
2013 Algae Biotreatment Symposium
In October 2013, a mini-symposium was held on the role of algae in future commercial applications for food, feed, bio-based materials, and bioenergy. Srirupa Ganguly of ISTC, Harry Dankowicz of the U of I Department of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, and Michael Stablein - head of Illini Algae Club at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign along with Fredrik Gröndahl and Maria Malmström of Division of Industrial Ecology at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm) presented talks and discussed their efforts in international collaboration on biotreatment of saline waters and mariculture and aquaculture projects. Click on their names to view individual presentations or view the whole playlist on YouTube. Download the 2013 Algae Biotreatment Symposium slides from IDEALS.
2010–2011 Sustainable Electronics Symposium
On February 23–24, 2010, ISTC hosted the 2010 Sustainable Electronics Symposium, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Over 20 speakers from academia, manufacturing, retail, government, and recycling presented their take on electronics and sustainability.
On March 23–24, 2011, ISTC hosted the 2011 Sustainable Electronics Symposium. A variety of speakers from different sectors discussed the ever-growing issues related to electronics and electronic waste. The symposium highlighted new ideas and alternative methods for dealing with the current electronic waste problem. The panel discussion offered at the end of the first day generated several new ideas and developed further partnerships in creating a better solution to this complex and evolving problem.
2010 Biochar Symposium
The 2010 Biochar Symposium was hosted by ISTC on September 1, 2010. It featured presentations on biochar production, properties, and use in agricultural environments.
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2009–2010 Sponsored Research Symposium
ISTC hosted one-day symposiums in 2009 and 2010 to showcase a number of the ongoing or recently completed projects funded through its Sponsored Research Program. They included projects related to environmental monitoring, assessment, and remediation, as well as industrial technology and pollution prevention. Access the symposium play lists using the links below. Links to download the presentation slides and associated final project reports are given in the video descriptions.
2010 Symposium
2009 Symposium
2009 Greenhouse Gas & Sustainability Symposium
ISTC hosted the 2009 Greenhouse Gas and Sustainability Symposium in conjunction with the 2009 Governor’s Sustainability Awards. Topics ranged from climate change to carbon markets to alternative energy sources. This symposium brought scientists from UI, the State, and private sector together to discuss aspects of climate change, carbon sequestration, and alternative fuels.
2008 Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the Illinois Environment Symposium
ISTC hosted a symposium on pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the Illinois environment in 2008. Topics included PPCPs in drinking water and surface water, ecological impacts, and disposal/management methods. The publication PPCPs in the Illinois Environment: Current Information and Research Recommendations provides a summary of the symposium, the agenda and attendee list.The video recordings of the presentations are arcived on YouTube. Download the slides from the IDEALS.
2007 Characteristics and Reuse Potential of Illinois River Sediments Conference
In 2007, ISTC (at that time named the Waste Management and Research Center) organized a mini-conference titled “Characteristics and Reuse Potential of Illinois River Sediments” in order to summarize the research that has been conducted on Illinois River sediments over the 10-year period: 1998–2007.
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1987 Illinois Hazardous Waste Reduction ’87 Conference
This conference on hazardous waste reduction in Illinois was held in Chicago on September 22–23, 1987. It included presentations from companies that had already begun to implement pollution prevention projects in their facilities. The conference was sponsored by the Illinois Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center (now ISTC) in cooperation with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Chemical Industrial Council, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Download the conference proceedings (PDF).