The purpose of the conference is to provide an international forum where academia, government and industry can improve communication between the research and operational communities. Les Smith, chief of Industrial Hygiene Team 1, Detachment 1, Human Systems Center here, was the catalyst for the conference. Research leaders from academia, industry, the military and commercial aviation have all been attracted to the conference. She cited a recent jet fuel research agreement made between Det. 1, HSC and the Norwegian Royal Air Force. Conference attendees will be given the opportunity to network with colleagues involving jet fuel concerns, while providing a framework for them to identify current and future health and operational needs.
Academia plans to send researchers from nearly a dozen prominent universities.
Industry and commercial aviation representatives from airline and oil companies will also attend. The conference will feature a series of workshops on basic research, applied research and medical surveillance. This conversion resulted in the Air Force needing accurate and complete emissions data related to JP-8 fuel use to meet regulatory requirements. The conference keynote speaker will be Gary Vest , principal deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security. Blane Wempler from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, who will present issues from the Defense Department's Propulsion Environmental Working Group.