Professional Development

The ABE department often hosts or helps sponsor professional conferences and short courses. Here is a listing of the ABE department's current professional development opportunities.

May 31 - June 3, 2009 -- International Starch Technology Conference:

The International Starch Technology Conference was initiated in 1999 to facilitate interaction among representatives from the starch processing industry, government research agencies and allied industries.

The theme for 2009 is "Water". Starch processors are facing increased scrutiny from regulatory agencies, regional and local governments and the media on how their processes use, reuse, recycle, treat and discharge water. Of similar concern, water removal from starch and related coproducts has a large impact on energy requirements and processing costs. The 2009 conference theme, Water, will encompass global water issues, process technologies to enhance water reuse and recycling, economic analyses and community impact.

Click here for more information, including online registration for the International Starch Technology Conference.

September 10-11, 2009 -- IFAC Bio-Robotics IV Workshop

The 2009 IFAC Bio-Robotics IV Workshop, September 10-11, I Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, Illinois, USA, will bring together researchers and professionals interested in automation, robotics, information technology, and intelligent controls used in bioproduction systems. Attendees will be able to share ideas, theories, techniques, challenges, and concerns with peers and expand their professional networks worldwide. They will also have the opportunity to visit the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the world’s premier higher education institutions, where much research in cutting-edge technologies involving robotics is conducted.

The workshop is open to researchers and engineers from all over the world. The intent of the organizers is that participants will exchange information about trends in fundamental robotic technologies and highlight the use of robotic equipment for food, fiber, and fuel production on open-field farming, in environmentally controlled greenhouse facilities, postharvest processing plants, and space-based environments.

Click here for more information.