"Multi-Disciplinary Workshop on the Biodeterioration of Construction Materials"
The durability of construction materials often depends on their resistance to the natural tendencies of microorganisms to break down organized materials to a more disorganized state. These activities are often called biodeterioration and result in damage to many civil infrastructure facilities. The objectives of this award are to hold a workshop to examine the current state of biodeterioration science and engineering and to discuss the future needs and opportunities for research. The workshop will be held during October, 1999 in Houston, Texas at the Hilton on the University of Houston campus.
The specific objectives of the workshop are to: 1) Identify the construction materials that are susceptible to biodeterioration and a) the rate of deterioration of the materials, b) the organisms and environmenta that cause the deterioration, c) the protective measures that prevent or slow down deterioration, and d) the direction for further study of the biodeterioration of construction materials. 2) Establish the tools and technology available to aid the continued research efforts. 3) Discuss teaching tools to incorporate this information into current engineering and microbiology courses.
