Florida Tech To Host Global Meeting This Month on Marine Corrosion and Fouling

300 delegates from around the world will gather at Florida Institute of Technology

Nearly 300 delegates from around the world will gather at Florida Institute of Technology June 24-29 for the 19th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — Nearly 300 delegates from around the world will gather at Florida Institute of Technology June 24-29 for the 19th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling.

Delegates hail from 28 countries and represent government, academia and industry.

The five-day event, convened every two years (it was held every four years until 2002), features technical discussions, presentations and keynote addresses on marine corrosion and fouling – that’s when barnacles and other plant and animal life cling to the hulls and other areas of ships.

Participants will experience an interdisciplinary program that highlights research efforts in understanding and combating biofouling and corrosion of materials and structures immersed in the marine environment.

Florida Tech is home to the Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control, led by Geoffrey Swain, one of the world’s preeminent anti-fouling engineers, and featuring assistant professors Kelli Hunsucker and Emily Ralston. Hunsucker and Ralston are co-chairs of the congress organizing committee.

“It is ICMCF’s goal to bring experts from around the world together to discuss the latest basic and applied research advances in biology, microbiology, chemistry, physical chemistry, coatings, and materials to help face the challenges of biofouling and corrosion,” Hunsucker said.

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Presentations will focus on novel antifouling coatings, including those which are ice phobic and can be used in polar regions; non-paint alternatives to biofouling, such as ultraviolet light and aeration; the biology of biofouling organisms, for example understanding an organism’s mode of attachment; the drag penalties associated with biofouling on ship hulls; regulations and policies that are in place to for the chemicals used in ship hull coatings; research and development into underwater vehicles as a method to combat fouling; biofouling on acoustic sensors and photobioreactors; bioinspired solutions to fouling; marine corrosion; new methods to test the efficacy of ship hull coatings; and marine biofilms.

The Congress is open to students and the public for both single-day or full-event attendance, but registration and fees are required.

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