International conference on defective blocks to be live streamed

'The Science and Societal Impacts of Defective Concrete,’ conference, which is being sponsored by Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan MEP will be held in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, today, Tuesday, November 15 from 1.30pm until 10.00pm.It will be streamed on both YouTube and Facebook.The link to live streaming on YouTube is https://youtu.be/lXyP-xbe-20 and the link to live streaming on Facebook is https://fb.me/e/1S1CGFJtcAlthough this opens up the conference to a much wider audience, organisers still strongly encourage those who are local and can attend to please do so. Also note that because of the high demand, the conference is now taking place in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny.The registration is still open. You will still be able to attend the conference by turning up on the day if you are not registered. The link for registration is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-science-societal-impacts-of-defective-concrete-tickets-443321886697This conference will be the first day in a three-day research focused event which will see leading international experts in geology, earth sciences and engineering who research the impacts of deleterious minerals on concrete from Canada, the USA, Switzerland and Norway travel to the North West to speak about their own research as well as to learn more about the defective blocks issue in Ireland. Other researchers from a wide range of disciplines including Business, Psychology, Sociology & Communications etc. will also be presenting on their proposed research examining the wider societal impact of ‘mica’.

The organising committee for this initiative includes Professor Paul Dunlop (Research Director for Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ulster University), Dr Eileen Doherty (Lecturer in Digital Transformation, Ulster University) and Joseph Morgan (Director of Engineering, Druva), all of whom have been actively involved in researching various aspects of this important issue.

The conference will incorporate a number of key sessions. Firstly, there will be a session on the science of deleterious geological minerals and their destructive impacts on concrete. The delegates will present research on this issue from various parts of the world including the latest results of the causes of concrete failure in defective blocks from homes in Ireland.

There will also be a multi-disciplinary session that will bring together homeowners, community development groups and researchers from a number of disciplines including business, psychology, sociology to present their ideas on enhancing our understanding of the wider societal impacts of this crisis within affected communities.

There will also be a session that explores the research & application of EU Legislation relating to this issue. The focus will include a review of EU Legislation relating to construction product manufacture, the potential human rights infringements and a look forward to additional proposed research against similar cases taken up with EU institutions.

The day following the conference on Wednesday November 16, will involve a field trip where members of the international delegation will visit affected homes in Donegal to view first-hand the impact of concrete failure. On Day three, Thursday November 17, the research team will gather for a workshop at the Magee campus of Ulster University to strengthen research networks and develop future research plans.