COLD REGIONS ENGINEERING EXPERTS MEET IN FAIRBANKS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 1996

Fairbanks, Alaska - National and international cold weather engineering experts will meet at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Aug. 13 - 16 to discuss the latest in high latitude construction and building techniques.

The international conference, now held every two years, is sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The host city for the conference changes among sites throughout the circumpolar north. The last meeting of the group was held in Edmonton, Alberta. UAF's School of Engineering, known worldwide for its research and instruction in cold regions engineering, will be a key participant in this year's conference. UAF was the site of the first international conference in 1970.

As many as 150 researchers, scientists and engineers are expected to address issues including rural sanitation in polar regions, river ice engineering, and housing and highway construction on permafrost.

A symposium will be held on the lessons learned from the construction and operation of the 800-mile long, 20-year-old trans-Alaska oil pipeline, considered a major success in cold-weather engineering. Thermosyphons, a cold-weather engineering invention, along the pipeline route allow hot oil to travel through the line without melting the permafrost below.

Conference registration information is available through ASCE's Technical Council on Cold Regions Engineering at ASCE Conferences and Expositions, 1-800-548-2723, or via e-mail at conf@ny.asce.org, or contact UAF's School of Engineering, 907-474-6121, for information.

CONTACT: Dr. Larry Bennett, UAF School of Engineering, 907-474-6121, or Clark Milne, Dames & Moore, 907-456-7892.

DPD/7-15-96/97-004