We were delighted to participate in, and contribute to the organisation of, the 1st Islands Water Congress of the IWRA from September 4-6, 2024, in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.  The research team was represented at the congress by Professor Jill Robbie, Professor Alasdair Clark, Dr Baptiste Poursat and Dr Elizabeth Lawson. Professor Robbie was also a member of the International Scientific Committee for the congress, and together with Dr Poursat, will be editing a special issue of Water International with contributions from the congress.

Dr Poursat delivered two presentations on “Using volatile organic compounds to monitor anaerobic digesters” and Professor Sloan’s research on “Islands as testbeds for sustainable water infrastructure”.

 

Dr Lawson also gave two talks, “What happened to the water? Exploring the need for wider integration of water policy in rural and island Scotland” and

“Voicing experiences of water scarcity in Scotland,” with the second presentation featuring a film that Dr Lawson and Dr Laura Major have produced as part of the “Taps Aff” project.

Prof Clark gave a presentation on “Nanoscale taste buds for monitoring drinking water treatment sites”.

Each of the researchers from the project were able to network with other researchers from around the world, in order to learn about best practice and potential applications of their research in diverse geographical locations.

Up to 200 international delegates attended the congress with each presentation generating enthusiastic questions and discussion.  The congress was a great success.”  Watch the official conference video here