IUVA YPs Converge in Orlando
In May, the IUVA hosted its Americas conference in Orlando, Florida. It was great to see so many emerging professionals engaged in the UV industry and participating in our Trivia Night and “Ask Me Anything” panel. We hope our events helped you extend your network and gain some valuable advice from industry veterans!
At the Trivia Night, we combined with YPs from RadTech’s UV+EB Conference & Expo to tackle some brain-teasing questions. The night was filled with fun, laughter and some friendly competition. It was great to see so many smiling faces and networking from many of the conference attendees.
The “Ask Me Anything” panel was equally as successful. Emerging professionals got the chance to ask our esteemed panelists any question they wanted. Professor Blatchley (Purdue University), Professor Lawryshyn (University of Toronto), Dr. Adeli (Acuva Technologies) and Dr. Randiv (Crystal IS) all gave great advice on career paths, inspirations, lessons learned throughout their time in the UV industry and trends they believe will shape the field in the future. IUVA YP Co-Chair Danmei Chen (Ph.D. candidate, University of Toronto) had the following to say about the events and the conference itself:
I want to express my appreciation to the IUVA for supporting the YP activities at the conference. I hope the addition of these YP events contributed to making the overall conference experience a good mix of educational, relaxing and enjoyable – not just for our YPs, but for everyone attending!
The conference program featured a well-balanced mix of sessions on air, surface and water treatment, with a notable emphasis on emerging technologies like UV LED and UV AOPs. The program has a strong presence in the industry and among regulators. As a Ph.D. student, this conference was a great place for me to learn about practical applications and current trends, and also gain a deeper understanding of the innovative work being done in the industry.
The technical component of the conference saw presentations from many YPs. We’re proud to showcase the amazing research and industry advancements our members are contributing to! Marion Mogusu, a Master’s of Science in Physics student at Egerton University, YP member and contributor to the UV industry, had a “long, but fulfilling” travel experience:
I had to go through three long, but fulfilling, flights from Egerton University, Kenya, to attend the conference, and it was all a worthwhile experience! I had the opportunity to attend very informative sessions and exhibitions on UV technologies and got to network with experts in the field. One of the highlights of my experience was being honored with the 2024 IUVA scholarship award, which recognizes my work and contributions to UV research. My participation deepened my understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the UV research area and encouraged me to continue contributing to the advancement of sustainable water treatment solutions.
The unique balance between research and real-world engineering that the IUVA Americas Conference always seems to find was another mention by Anthony Pimentel, process engineer with Black & Veatch and YP member:
IUVA Americas 2024 is the place to be to learn about the remarkable advancements in the UV industry, both in research and in full-scale industrial and municipal applications. From learning about innovative UV-based treatment solutions to degrade PFAS, UV LED testing at the pilot and full-scale, and highly sophisticated UV AOP installations at projects like Pure Water San Diego, I always am thrilled to attend IUVA Americas to learn with and be around our amazing IUVA community.
We hope to see you at the next IUVA event. In the meantime, if you’d like to get involved with the IUVA or the YP committee, reach out through our website (https://iuva.org/IUVA-Young-Professionals) or by email (iuvayp@iuva.org). We’re always looking for new ideas and perspectives on our committees!
