ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - May 4, 2012. IWR Deputy Director Lillian Almodovar attended the Eighth PIANC-COPEDEC International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries held in February in Chennai, India. Ms. Almodovar represented IWR and PIANC USA Section and delivered the opening keynote lecture at the conference, addressing the topic of a programmatic approach to adaptations to climate change. International delegates expressed their satisfaction with the progress the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made in this area.
The conference was held on the campus of Indian Institute for Technology Madras (IITM). Chennai (formerly Madras) is one of India's premier ports on the Bay of Bengal (and the 2nd largest port in India). During five days, over 200 papers were presented in 4 parallel sessions to the conference’s 300 participants, all of them well attended. One of the technical tours available was a tour of Chennai’s port, more than a century old and undergoing continuous modernization. Many of India’s ports were represented in the exhibit hall. The next conference will be held in 2016 in Brazil.
More about the Conference
The conference’s mission was to provide an international forum where coastal and port engineers from developing countries could exchange know-how and experience amongst themselves and with their colleagues from industrialized countries and to enable the developing countries to have a sustainable human resource pool of coastal and port development professionals. Conference Chairs were Dr. Ranjit Galappatti and Professor Vallam Sundar. Papers were research oriented.
More about PIANC USA
PIANC USA is a national section of the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), an organization established to promote both inland and maritime navigation by fostering progress in the planning, design, construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of inland and maritime waterways and ports and of coastal areas for general use. PIANC USA was organized in 1902 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) serving as the Secretariat. Membership is comprised of engineers, scientists, economists, planners, dredgers, port operators, regulators, and marina and vessel owners. The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and the USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations serve as liaisons to the U.S. National Commission.
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