Syracuse Center of Excellence, Syracuse University selected to host major international conference on healthy buildings in 2009

Syracuse Center of Excellence, Syracuse University selected to host major international conference on healthy buildings in 2009May 16, 2006Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Conference will bring more than 1,200 attendees to Syracuse,have a major impact on local economy

Nadia Boschi, president of the International Society for Indoor Air Quality (ISIAQ), announced May 16 that the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and Syracuse University have been selected to host Healthy Buildings 2009, a premier international conference held every three years. The conference in Syracuse is scheduled for Sept. 13-17, 2009, and is expected to bring more than 1,200 registered conference attendees and their spouses–many from around the globe–to Syracuse. Another 1,000 are expected to make day trips to Syracuse to participate in the conference.

Boschi traveled from Italy to Syracuse to make today’s announcement. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at the Harvard School of Public Health and past president of ISIAQ, was also in attendance.

The conference and accompanying exhibition, at which multinational corporations showcase their latest technologies, is organized by the Finland-based ISIAQ and attracts manufacturers, architects, practicing professionals, academic researchers and companies from around the world. Syracuse was chosen on the basis of the international recognition and reputation gained by the Syracuse CoE through its work in the fields of built and urban environments. Both the OnCenter and War Memorial in downtown Syracuse have been booked to accommodate the conference and exhibition.

“In 2004, when ISIAQ started soliciting proposals to host Healthy Buildings 2009, a number of proposals from Asia, North America and Europe were submitted. None of them were close to the level of excellence shown in the proposal submitted by Dr. Edward Bogucz and Dr. Suresh Santanam on behalf of the Syracuse CoE,” says Boschi. “Their commitment to the interdisciplinary approach and the outstanding level of scientific research at the Syracuse CoE made Syracuse University and the Syracuse CoE the perfect candidate for ISIAQ in bringing back its message to the United States and the world.”

“The announcement that the Syracuse Center for Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and Syracuse University will host this prestigious global conference on healthy buildings demonstrates that New York is an international leader in cutting edge research and development,” says Gov. George E. Pataki. “By bringing together the talents of academia, government and the private sector, our universities and Centers of Excellence are developing innovative technologies and programs that will improve our environment and public health. I congratulate these outstanding institutions and all their partners for the work they have done and the recognition they have earned in being selected to host Healthy Buildings 2009.”

“The selection of our Center of Excellence to host this premier international conference is great news for Syracuse University, our academic and corporate partners and the entire Syracuse community,” SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor says. “This conference will highlight for an international audience the groundbreaking collaborative work our center is conducting in environmental and energy technologies to improve human health and productivity, security and sustainability in urban and built environments. Just as important, it will bring an estimated 1,200 academic and corporate professionals from the across the nation and globe into the heart of downtown Syracuse, which will spur new economic and tourist activity and provide another opportunity for us to engage the world?downtown, nationally and globally.”

“The siting of this conference in Syracuse is positive proof that our efforts to build upon our community’s environmental systems research and manufacturing heritage through the Center of Excellence is working,” says U.S. Rep. James Walsh (NY-25). “This conference and exhibition will provide Central New York with international exposure within the green construction and healthy building industries.”

“We’re thrilled to be selected to host ISIAQ?s Healthy Buildings conference in 2009,” says Syracuse CoE Executive Director Edward Bogucz. “Within the international community in our field, this is like being selected to host the Olympics. It is a tremendous honor, responsibility and opportunity for our partners and our region. We look forward to hosting a terrific conference.”

Russell W. Bessette, M.D., executive director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), says, “Educating professionals on systems that enhance human health and performance and improve the quality of built and urban environments is a key component in the mission of the Environmental Quality Systems (EQS) Center at Syracuse University. This conference will bring more than 1,200 participants from around the world to learn about the cutting edge research taking place here in New York State that can have a positive impact on a global scale.” NYSTAR established the EQS Center in 2001, and the center now serves as the research hub of the Syracuse CoE.

“This conference is a wonderful opportunity for the Central New York community, Syracuse University and the Center of Excellence to showcase the cutting edge technologies it will be developing by the year 2009,” says State Sen. John A. DeFrancisco. “The Syracuse Center of Excellence has the potential to thrust Central New York into the forefront of the environmental and energy systems industry. Innovative advances in indoor air quality not only will help to boost our region economically, but also will help to improve the quality of life for Central New Yorkers and others who benefit from such improved technologies. The ‘Healthy Buildings 2009’ conference will allow our local researchers and experts to exchange ideas with professionals from around the world and provide them with an opportunity to learn from one another.”

State Sen. David Valesky says, “With the Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems and Syracuse University leading the way, Central New York is fast becoming a recognized world leader in indoor air quality. This is exactly the kind of attention and recognition we need to continue to build on our success in this burgeoning industry.”

“This announcement is a testament to the value of the work being done here. The investments we have made in the Center of Excellence have all been well served,” says Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli. “They have allowed the center to focus on innovations in air quality, and build a reputation as a leader in the field. We have world-class research and development happening, right here in Syracuse. By hosting this international conference, it will allow us to showcase not only the work done in the field of air quality, but the entire Syracuse community as well, to organizations from various locations throughout the world.”

Assemblywoman Joan K. Christensen says, “The selection of Syracuse University to host Healthy Buildings 2009 is indeed a testament to the impressive research and work being done at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, and it is an honor for the City of Syracuse to invite all of the attendees to our great city. Syracuse, led by Syracuse University and its other great scientific and academic institutions, is well on its way to becoming a national leader in health and environmental technology and research. It is with great pride that I look forward to welcoming the attendees of the Healthy Buildings conference to our great city in 2009.”

“This is exciting news for Onondaga County and SU’s Center of Excellence, which has become an important catalyst for pioneering technology, commitment to academic excellence and innovation, and has proven effective in communicating the outstanding resources our community offers for this type of international conclave,” says Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro. “We look forward to working together to ensure its success.”

Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll says, “I commend Syracuse University and look forward to this conference, which will continue our city’s cutting-edge leadership in creating sustainable communities. Our continued partnership with Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence will showcase healthy building technologies that can be adapted to all economic development projects going forward.”

The Metropolitan Development Association’s Vision 2010 report helped to identify the region as a world leader in environmental and energy systems technology. “This conference will showcase to the world the considerable expertise that Central Upstate New York possesses in this fast-growing field,” says MDA President and CEO Irwin Davis.

“The selection of Syracuse as the location of this very important conference will focus the international spotlight on our city and region,” says Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Director Darlene Kerr. “Bringing this event to Syracuse is a prime example of the cooperation between the University and our business community that has embraced ‘green’ technology and the promise it holds for our future. We are very proud of the role that the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau played in securing this event for our city.”

The first Healthy Buildings conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1988. Subsequent conferences have been held in Washington, D.C. (1991 and 1997); Budapest, Hungary (1994); Milan, Italy (1995); Helsinki, Finland (2000); and Singapore (2003). This year’s conference (www.hb2006.org) will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in June.

The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems is a federation of more than 70 businesses, organizations and academic and research institutions. Gov. Pataki established the Syracuse CoE in June 2002 to create jobs and wealth across the state through collaborations in research, development and education. Within the Syracuse CoE, the Environmental Quality Systems (EQS) Strategically Targeted Academic Research (STAR) Center coordinates research relating to healthy buildings and environmental quality among 12 partner academic and research institutions. The EQS STAR Center was established in May 2001 by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR).