June 27, 2008
The 2008 ACE continues tomorrow (Friday) morning, but today was the last day for most people. The vendors in the exhibition took down their exhibits, and we knocked down the combined Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau/2009 ACE Welcome Booth. I missed former EPA Administrator, William Reilly’s speech this morning, but I heard positive comments about it. I asked one of our LHC members to guest post a review and I’ll post it when I get it. I finally did get to work our Welcome Booth , learning from the master, Brian Walker.
The Attack of the 50 Foot Man
No, it’s Brian Walker standing in front of the large poster that served as a backdrop to the Welcome Booth. The view is from Cobo Center up river along the Detroit River Walk toward the Renaissance Center. It provided a great visual for visitors to our booth.
And we had many visitors. I spent the lunch time and early afternoon helping at the booth. Watching Brian work the crowd was watching an expert. Courteous, not pushy, he would reach out to greet passerbys and invariably, they would come to the booth where he would engage them in a conversation about Detroit and the 2009 ACE. In addition, he didn’t just stay behind the booth but walked out into the crowd.
So I tried my hand at working the crowd and I did OK. Funny, everyone who stopped to talk to me had already spoken with Brian earlier in the conference.
Here is a pictue of Michele Buckler greeting a visitor to the booth.
Michele is our social chair and based on the outing she prepared for the LHC Monday evening, our 2009 ACE social program will be wonderful.
Michigan State University Student Chapter wins Second Place in the Environmental Challenge International
Congratulations to the students from MSU who competed in the ECi - they took second place out of 8 schools that entered. As soon as I get a picture of the students, I’ll post it. I’d also like one of our Student Committe members to do a write up explaining the ECi and the work of the MSU students.
Critical Review
Each year, the ACE includes a Critical Review topic in which an expert in the field provides an extensive report on the topic, and other experts respond. The Crticial Review topic for the 2009 ACE will be satellite imagery and remote sensing. Expect NASA to be a major part of the program. For a mere glimpse into what they can do besides very cool exhibits (see yesterday’s post) and landing objects on Mars, check out this link:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18068
Local Content
To ensure that the ACE includes technical topics of interest to the local area where the ACE is held, each year, A&WMA asks the LHC to identify sessions and panel discussions labeled, ‘local content’. Often, the local content has national and global interest, but the LHC recognizes that the topics are of interest and must be part of the ACE. A couple of days ago, we submitted our local content session topics to Tech Council and today, we presented panel discussions. We have identified a preliminary list of people in the Detroit area to champion these panels and starting next week, the LHC will be completing the arrangements.
Note to LHC - next week, I’ll get you the final list of names and and suggestions as to who should make the initial contacts.
Last Images of Portland
As I mentioned yesterday, Portland is a beautiful city. Unfortunately, I also saw a lot of people who appeared homeless, many of whom were young people.
Most impressive was Portland’s MAX light rail system.
There is no charge for riding the MAX within the city limits
It was also interesting to see public water fountains throughout the downtown area.
Notice the pigeons, which I’ve seen taking baths in the water fountains.
Alan
June 26, 2008
I’ve decided to venture once again into dangerous territory and start a 2009 ACE blog. My colleague, Ken Dowell, actually put me up to it and despite some misgivings, a couple of false starts, here is my first post. Ken is as technologically skilled as any 20 year old, and he’s going to hold my hand electronically until I get comfy with this.
This blog is intended to provide another place where members of the 2009 ACE Local Host Committee (LHC) can check for the latest information about next year’s conference. It will include links to various databases. It will not replace emails but the most important information sent to LHC members via email will also find its way to this blog.
As a result, any LHC member will be able to find pertinent information about the 2009 ACE either by locating an email, the Chapter web site and Wiki, and eventually, via this blog. But it will also include information only found here - such as the Portland blogging that I am doing this week.
Because the information that will appear here will be valuable to anyone looking for information about the 2009 ACE, this blog is open to the public. It will take me a little while to work out some details but bear with me and with Ken’s help, I hope this blog is informative and fun.
The 2008 A&WMA Conference and Exhibition in Portland
Attendance by our LHC to the Portland conference is great - 17 of us are here to experience the ACE and take lessons that we learn back with us so our 09 ACE is successful.
Portland is a beautiful city with a great light rail system, and it took about 20 minutes for it to get us from the airport to the hotel downtown. As in any city, we passed some pretty seedy looking areas but the city by and large, and the downtown areas are beautiful. A little confusing getting around, witness these directional signs near our hotel.
Lee Johnson did a super job scheduling people to work the 09 ACE welcome booth. A lot of people stopped by the booth, and many spoke of their favorable experiences in Detroit. We heard stories about the last time the ACE was in Detroit - in 1985 - and about the Grand Prix, which started its initial downtown run that year. It was amazing the number of people who told us that they had ridden an elevator at the Ren Cen with Paul Newman!
Brian Walker of the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau was a master at introducing himself to people and gaining an opportunity to talk about Detroit and encouraging them to attend the ACE next year. Here’s a picture of Brian talking about Detroit with a visitor as well as Lee, Grant Hilbers, and Kay Bedenis at our booth, the three of them wearing our new 2009 ACE polo shirts, which each of us paid for, by the way (that is, it was not paid for by sponsorship money - have to make that clear).
The Bureau brought in a sketch artist and it has been a popular attraction.
I was pretty busy on Monday attending various A&WMA Technical Council meetings pitching the local content aspect of the 2009 ACE (Great Lakes water diversion and protection, Brownfields, climate change, and more - I’ll develop a link to the entire list, as soon as I figure out how.)
George Wolff, Ruthie Levy, Kathryn Buckner, Grant Hilbers, and Michele Buckler joined me at a meeting of the Sections and Chapters Council. We had a few minutes to talk about the planning for 2009 ACE and all did a great job - I know this because the next morning at the Keynote Session, I was told so by someone who was at the meeting.
Later on Monday, the entire LHC who went to Portland met with this year’s LHC at the 2008 meets 2009 meeting. The purpose of this annual event is to provide a face to face opportunity for the current year’s LHC members to discuss with next year’s LHC members their experiences and provide recommendations and suggestions. It was a very successful meeting.
Tuesday morning started with the Keynote Session. Experiencing it first hand has provided us with some ideas for the 2009 ACE. I had mixed feelings about the presentations and I’ll post my thoughts at a later time.
After the opening session, I had additional technical council meetings to attend and again pitch the 2009 ACE, but I was able to make some technical presentations that I wanted to see. I also was able to get to the exhibition area.
Probably the most popular attraction year after year is NASA’s booth - their focus at A&WMA is remote sensing of the environment. Their booth always has a crowd around it.
The internet café is always popular.
A major activity at the ACE is the student competition via the Environmental Challenge International (ECi - you’ll see this acronym a lot as we get closer to the 2009 ACE). Michigan State University was one of eight competitors. Here’s Meg Coughlin addressing the MSU students.
And Meg completing her review…
Some of our members participated in role-playing - Kathryn Buckner played the part of a very angry mom living near a source of air pollution. I did not see her performance first hand, but I heard stories that she played her role so well, the students were afraid of her!
I have another Tech Council meeting I have to run off to where again I will pitch the local content and then we are meeting with the East Central Section for lunch.
