The Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the Austrian Academy of Sciences
invite you to participate in the international conference

WATER – HISTORY, RESOURCES, PERSPECTIVES

5-7 November 2010, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Blue Hall of Academy of Sciences of Moldova, 1, Stefan cel Mare Str.

Although composed of hydrogen and oxygen, water is more than a mere chemical substance. It is first and foremost a vital prerequisite for all known forms of life. Water covers more than 70% of the surface of our blue planet, but only one percent of it is directly usable for humans.

The availability of fresh, safe drinking water is essential to human and other life forms. It is one of the most important things in everyday life and although, in some parts of the world, it has improved over the last decades, there still are areas with no secure access to a source of water. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean water.

Furthermore, water plays an important part in the global economy: it functions as a solvent for a wide range of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. Agriculture would be absolutely impossible without water and ecologists warn that water resources are dwindling. The role of water in climate change is obvious. Mankind is facing a water crisis whose ramifications will exceed those of the existing financial crisis and which may further destabilize the world economy. In addition, related issues such as contamination, the rising sea level, and floods pose serious threats to human health. For instance, over 2.2 million individuals die of waterborne diseases each year.

When speaking about water, we usually refer to its liquid form or state, but the solid (ice) and the gaseous (vapor, steam) states of the substance are all connected in the hydrological cycle.

Consequently, the Academies of Sciences of Moldova and Austria organize the international conference "WATER – HISTORY, RESOURCE, PERSPECTIVES" so as to emphasize the importance of ongoing efforts to provide pure water for consumption, to identify problems and their solutions, as well as to explore the cultural role of water.

The international conference aims to bring together researchers from different disciplines (scientific areas), ranging from chemistry and physics to humanities.
Contributions may refer to general water-related phenomena, but a focus on the water sources of Moldova will be most welcome.

The conference will consist of the following sessions:

A. Physics, chemistry, and the evolution of water
B. Water and waters of Moldova
C. Environmental aspects

a. Quantity and quality of water
b. Water shortage and water-borne diseases as hazards

D. The cultural role of water

a. Water as a symbol
b. Water in traditional culture (folklore, music)
c. Water in literature and poetry

E. Water and technology

a. The technology of water supply
b. The technology of water treatment

International committee

1. Gheorghe DUCA, acad., president of Academy of Sciences of Moldova
2. Sigrid JALKOTZY-DEGER, acad. prof. dr., vicepresident of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
3. Michael METZELTIN, acad. prof. dr., Austria
4. Thede KAHL, prof. dr., Austria, Germany
5. Bernhard PLUNGER, dr., Austria
6. Herbert G. BOECHZELT, dr., Joanneum Research, Austria
7. Muefit BAHADIR, prof. Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Germany
8. Vladislav GONCHEARUC, acad., National Academy of Ukraine
9. Iuriy SCURLATOV, prof., Institute of chemical physic, Russia
10. Matei MACOVEANU, prof., Technical University „Gh. Asachi”, Romania
11. Serghey PHILIPENKO, Transnistrian State University, Tiraspol, Moldova
12. Margareta NICOLAU, dr., Romania

Local committee

1. Ion GUCEAC, dr. hab., ASM, committee chairman
2. Lazar CHIRICA, dr., Vice-minister of Environment
3. Tudor LUPASCU, dr. hab.
4. Dumitru UNGUREANU, prof.
5. Tudor COLAC, dr.
6. Lidia ROMANCIUC, dr.
7. Viorica GLADCHI, dr.
8. Elena ZUBCOV, dr.hab
9. Sergiu PORCESCU
10. Dorin LOZOVANU, dr.
11. Varvara BUZILA, dr.
12. Lucia NASTASIUC
13. Diana PORUBIN, dr., secretary of committee

Registration form

Technical support and scientific organization (Austria): Thede KAHL (Vienna, thede.kahl@oeaw.ac.at), (Moldova) Diana PORUBIN, Lucia NASTASIUC – water.conference@asm.md (or pdianamd@yahoo.com, nastasiucl@gmail.com)