Rideal Travel Bursar Zaheer Ahmad Nasar reports
I attended the European Aerosol Conference (EAC2008), held in Thessaloniki, Greece. The conference ran from the 24 - 29 August at the Helexpo International Exhibition & Congress Center. In attendance were around 700 researchers from more than 40 countries, gathered to present work on a wide range of topics, including aerosol based nanotechnologies, modeling, aerosol chemistry, aerosol fundamentals, instrumentation and bioaerosols.
I presented two papers on particulate matter exposure and levels of bioaerosols in residential settings. Many researchers were interested in bioaerosols monitoring so I was able to discuss this area with others. It was an opportunity for me to present my work for peer review within an interdisciplinary forum and I receive some valuable comments. It was also an environment where I could defend my findings.
There were special sessions on bioaerosols, combustion aerosols and working group discussion on a wide range of topics. I found the large and well attended poster session was a great place to have one-to-one discussions with scientists involved in areas I am interested in. Networking with other scientists and developing future collaborations was another useful outcome, and I was able to renew existing contacts and make new ones from Europe and the rest of the world.
In addition, there were exhibitions from almost every manufacturer of aerosol science instruments. Talking to their representatives was a useful way of finding out how some of these worked, and this will help when comparing my work with studies performed using different equipment.
In short, it was very educational scientific event, which gave me an opportunity to extend my knowledge of this multidisciplinary scientific field and its diverse applications. It was a great gathering for getting up to date with recent developments in aerosol science.
I would like to thank SCI for offering me financial support from the Sir Eric Rideal Travel Bursaries enabling me to attend this conference.
Zaheer Ahmad Nasar
University of Essex
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