CQUniversity Rockhampton is the main venue and co-organiser for this year's Engineers Australia, Central Region Engineering Conference, CREC09, on August 14-15.

The conference theme for 2009 is 'Regional Sustainability, Local Solutions to Global Problems' and an international expert on sustainable development - Alex Zahnd from Nepal - is a guest speaker for the conference dinner.

Alex has spent the past 13 years working as a volunteer in Humla, Nepal, as Project Director for Rural Integrated Development Services Nepal (http://www.rids-nepal.org/), performing sustainable electrification of impoverished villages in the Himalayans.

Speakers for the conference sessions include:

- Ian McLeod, Chief Executive Ergon Energy;

- Hon. Robert Schwarten, Minister for Public Works and Information and Communication Technology, Member for Rockhampton;

- Professor Elizabeth Taylor, AO, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health (and one of Engineers Australia's 100 most influential engineers, again this year)

- Professor Scott Bowman, the new Vice-Chancellor of CQUniversity.

CREC09 is hosted by the Engineers Australia Rockhampton Local Group. CQUniversity academics on the conference committee include Dr Mohammad Rasul (Chair); Ashfaque Chowdhury, Nirmal Mandal, Dr Amanullah Maung Than Oo and Professor Masud Khan.

Conference details available via: http://qld.engineersaustralia.org.au/jetspeed/portal/screen/Home?group=rock&rand=1247206532396