CIGR Newsletter No 64
A C T I V I T I E S B Y CIGR R E G I O N A L S O C I E T I E S
ISMAB 2004
The 2nd International Symposium on Machinery and Mechatronics for Agriculture and Bio-systems Engineering will be held from 8-10 September 2004 at Kobe University, Kobe City, Japan. Organised by the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and co-sponsored by the Korean Society of Agricultural Machinery and the Chinese Institute of Agricultural Machinery, it will provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and research results and for transmitting scientific information from East Asia.
This conference will deal with the following topics:
· Bio-systems engineering
· Bio-mechatronics
· Biological engineering
· Power and machinery
· Post harvest technology
· Food and processing engineering
· Precision agriculture
· Automation in agro-industry
· Robotics in agriculture
· Agricultural informatics
· Information communication systems
· Bioinformatics
· Environmental technology
· Alternative energy
· Nano technology
Further information is available on the conference website http://eloon.ans.kobe-u.ac.jp/JSAM/english/ismab.html or from Prof. Horio, Hisashi; Dept. of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University, 657-8501 Nada-ku, Kobe, Japan. Tel/Fax: +81 78 803 5916 E-mail: ismab@eng.ans.kobe-u.ac.jp
AgEng 2004: “Engineering the Future”
This conference will be held from 12 to 16 September 2004, at the city campus of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (University of Leuven). The conference addresses engineering issues related to the future of agriculture, the environment, biological systems and related industries in order to serve society and all people. Engineering and technology will be dealt with not just as a driving force but also as a catalyst that enables change.
New technologies are required to enable agriculture to meet future challenges. Changes in food production and food supply must be carefully prepared both to meet the expectations of consumers and to lead to a profitable and sustainable agriculture. Increased demands of consumers for safe food produced with techniques that are acceptable for the environment will lead to the development of advanced engineering as part of a new agriculture. This includes new technologies that are emerging for post-harvest treatments of food. All these technologies involve or incorporate engineering principles based on biological systems.
The conference will deal with the following topics:
I. Basic Natural Resource Engineering
· Soil properties and tillage practices
· Soil erosion: processes & control
· Land resources & landscape: planning & management
· Flow, transport processes and crop water requirements
· Irrigation & drainage
· Hydrology & water resources: management & pollution control
· Renewable energy sources & energy systems
· Technology for soil & water engineering
· Wastewater purification & recycling
II. Primary Production Technology for Food &Fibers
· Precision agriculture
· Sensors & actuation
· Combines & Harvesting machines
· Forest & nature engineering
III. Integrated Management Systems for Animals
· Livestock technology
· Animal welfare
· Process control & environment control for animal structures
· Modelling in precision livestock
· Aquaculture
· Laboratory animals
· Agricultural structures & design
· Particulate Matter emissions from animal production
· Manure handling
IV. Engineering Technologies for the Future
· Technology for organic farming
· Technological aspects of food safety & traceability
· Farming in a multi-functional environment
· Agricultural engineering in transitional & developing countries
· Agricultural engineering curricula
· Information Technology
V. Sustainability in Food Production
· Social aspects of food production
· Sustainable systems for food production
· Economical aspects of sustainable food production
· Education on sustainable food production
Contributions on engineering methods and results related to biological systems, agriculture, food and fibre production, and the environment are very much welcome. Abstracts, in English and not exceeding 400 words, will be judged by the Scientific Committee.
Extended abstracts, in the required format and max. 2 pages, have to reach the secretariat by 1 June 2004. The collected extended abstracts will be available to participants at the conference. Submission of conference papers to the Biosystems Engineering Journal (the scientific journal of EurAgEng) is encouraged.
Deadlines:
Abstracts: 1 December 2003
Notification of acceptance: 1 March 2004
Extended abstracts: 1 June 2004
For further information, contact: AgEng 2004 c/o Technologisch Instituut; Luc Baele; Desguinlei 214; BE–2018 Antwerpen, Belgium. Tel.: +32 3 2600861 Fax: +32 3 2160689; e-mail: info@AgEng2004.be The conference website at http://www.AgEng2004.be/ contains extensive information as well as online registration facilities etc.
VI Latin American Congress of Agricultural Engineering
Organised by the Latin American Association of Agricultural Engineers (ALIA) and the Costa Rican Association of Agricultural Engineers (ACIA), this event will take place from 15 to 17 November 2004 in San José, Costa Rica. It is the sixth in a series of congresses initiated in 1994 by ALIA and held at intervals of two years.
The purpose of the event is to bring together professionals in agricultural engineering and related fields and to gauge the potential of agricultural engineering to contribute to the growth and development of Latin America and to improve production systems and the quality of life of those who depend on agriculture.
The subjects to be discussed include:
· Agricultural mechanization
· Soil and water
· Food engineering and postharvest processing
· Constructions, environment & use of energy in agriculture
· Biological engineering systems
· Computer science and automation in agriculture
· Teaching and research in agricultural engineering
Please e-mail your proposals (.doc format MS Word 98 or later) for papers on these topics to congresoalia@costarricene.cr by 30 March 2004 or send them on a 3.5’’ disk to the address of ACIA given below. Works not meeting the following deadlines cannot be guaranteed to be included in the conference publication.
Important dates and deadlines:
Abstracts due 30 March 2004
Notification of acceptance 31 July 2004
Complete work due 31 August 2004
Information about registration fees is not yet available.
For further information, please contact the Costa Rican Association of Agricultural Engineers (ACIA), P.O. Box 2346-1000, San José, Costa Rica. Tel.: 506 253 5428, Fax: 506 224 9598. E-mail: congresoalia@costarricense.cr. http://www.cfia.co.cr/congresoalia
