Glass fibre composites - a new ‘forever material’? The very thorny business of end-of-life boats and glass fibre composites with Dr Corina Ciocan on Wednesday 9th October at the Wagner Hall. Doors and bar open 7:15pm, talk starts at 8:00pm.
Over the past 80 years, glass reinforced plastic boats (GRP or composite boats) have become a mainstay of the boating industry while little attention has been given to the consequences of GRP degradation or boat disposal. Recent studies reveal widespread glass fibre pollution in heavily trafficked waterways while research and policy lag behind. With over one million GRP boats reaching the end of their life each year, disposal and recycling solutions that protect aquatic life and human health are urgently needed.
A marine biologist, Corina Ciocan’s expertise is in Ecotoxicology (the impact of environmental stressors on aquatic organisms). She has been a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton since 2012; prior to this, Corina was a full-time Researcher at the University of Sussex, part of the Aquatic Toxicology group. She is involved in a wide range of national and international research programmes, with focus on aquatic contamination. She has published scientific articles and books and her studies have been heavily referenced in numerous publications and television programs around the world. She is considered a pioneer in efforts to highlight coastal degradation, but also the lack of environmental protection legislation.
The Wagner Hall is 200 m down West Street from the Clock Tower, adjoining the Bright Helm pub and next to the Churchill Square Orange car park.