GHGT

It’s the final countdown, with 4 weeks to go until the Opening Session of GHGT-11 and all is going well. The venue is ready, the programme is ready, the steering committee is ready, the authors are ready… lets go!

Delegate numbers are rising steadily, at the latest count well past 1100, and approaching 1200, so all is set for a fantastic conference!

I sent out an email on Friday suggesting all delegates for GHGT-11 follow this blog and download the relevant smartphone app before the conference so that you will receive any notifications of my posts during the conference.

What I neglected to realise was that in order to do this, you will not only need to download the app, but visit https://signup.wordpress.com/signup/?user=1 and sign up (as a User, not a blogger) to WordPress.

Alternatively (and possibly more simply), you can view the blog online, and in the corner of the browser, you should see a little tag that says ‘Follow’. Simply click this, and enter your email address and every post will be sent to your inbox. You can then keep track of my blogs during the conference, and comment via your mobile browser. Hopefully this will be simple to do, and I encourage you to comment on this post, and share your most anticipated elements of the forthcoming conference. Tell me what you are looking forward to, what you hope to get out of the conference, and anyone or any topic you are most hoping to hear from or about!

Your GHGT Blogger,

Toby AIken

So that’s it… the deadline for paper submission is passed, and the programme can be finalised. That means I have to complete the design work, which is well underway before sending the files off for printing in Japan, to minimise the airmiles that the conference programmes will cover. We have arranged with the local hosts to liaise with a local printer to print all our documentation out there to reduce the carbon footprint of our material.

On a related topic…while working on this blog, I was directed to another wordpress blog that is really interesting. A guy from the University of Leeds, Sam Pickard, is presenting at 2 conferences, the first in Beijing, and then GHGT-11 in Kyoto. His research is focused on Low Carbon Technologies, and he decided that in line with his work, he should look at low carbon travel options. He is therefore attempting to complete the journey for the Beijing and Kyoto conferences overland, rather than flying!

Now this does of course mean that he has already left, and he is keeping a blog at http://lowco2motives.wordpress.com/ detailing his progress. He has run into one hiccough already, and has therefore had to revert to a flight from Warsaw to Moscow, but is back on track on a train headed to China. Check out and follow his blog – it’s really interesting!

I will be conducting a short interview for this blog with Sam when we meet in Kyoto, discussing his experiences and the benefits of the trip, and I will be noting the details of my own travel to GHGT-11 by air for some direct comparison of the carbon emissions.

Watch this space for more details!

Your GHGT Blogger,

Toby Aiken

So the day has arrived, it’s the 14th of October, paper submission deadline day! You have until midnight GMT to upload your final paper, good luck!

Your GHGT Blogger,

Toby

So an idle thought in the office this week made us think. With almost 1000 papers due on Sunday, both oral and poster, for GHGT-11, that probably means that of all the researchers around the world working in CCS, the vast majority of them are currently writing papers, desperately trying to make the deadline!

That would explain why my email has been quiet this week, and why Sian Twinning’s email has been inundated with people asking last minute questions!

That reminds me… I must finish my paper!

More to follow next week!

Your GHGT blogger,

Toby Aiken

Last week we passed 1000 registrations – this puts us well on track for a fantastic conference. We expect totals to hit 1100, we hope they will pass 1200… either way, we are please with the technical programme, and are looking forward to the week. 

We can also confirm that when you pick up your delegate pack, either at the Granvia Hotel Welcome reception on Sunday the 18th, or at the Kyoto International Conference Centre at the start of the Conference, the pack will include a 5 day Kyoto subway pass, which will allow you free travel on the subway system for Monday – Friday. 

More news will follow shortly, including details of an intrepid Student Mentor who is combining the travel for GHGT-11 with attendance at a conference in Beijing… but in his quest to minimise his carbon emissions… he is travelling overland rather than flying. He has already left, and details of his blog will appear here shortly.

That’s all for now – don’t forget to follow this blog, and email me with suggestions for topics!

Welcome to the GHGT-11 Blog page.

Here you will find blogs about the conference, the sessions that are taking place as well as the exhibition, poster hall and social programme. If there is a topic of particular interest at any point, I will try to blog about it as soon as possible, and please feel free to comment and start the discussion!

I will be blogging throughout the day and evenings when appropriate, so if there’s something you think I should be talking about, tell me!  I’ll be around the Conference Centre during conference hours, and can be reached either by email or leave a message on the IEAGHG booth in the exhibition hall.

We are just over 6 weeks away from the conference now, so what does that mean. Well, there’s still plenty of time to register yourself for the conference, the technical programme is available to view on the website http://www.ghgt.info, and as you can see there are a lot of interesting presentations planned, along with panel discussions, posters, and an exhibition where you can meet technology providers and discuss potential future partnerships.

Remember to check back here to see more news on the conference as it draw nearer.