The Chickasaw Business and Conference Center on East Central University’s campus will be the setting for the 2018 Oka’ Institute Sustainability Conference, Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 2-3.
This year the Institute is excited to present a new feature, ‘Water Innovation and Technology on the ECU Centennial Plaza’—an event with seven exciting demonstrations that showcase new tools for water resource management. The event will feature Filtra-Systems’ SCOUT Mobile Fluid Filtration Unit, which uses advanced technology to clean waters produced in the oil and gas industry. SCOUT can recycle 10,000 barrels of water per day, is fully automated and remote cloud monitored. A facility in Marietta, Oklahoma will produce these SCOUT units.
Elite Tank, a local company that specializes in poly tanks and bulk containment for oil & gas, agriculture, waste management and rainwater harvesting, will have an exhibit as well. They will be joined by The Oka’ Institute’s Kevin Blackwood and Dr. Bruce Moring, who will show how UAS technology is used by scientists to gather information about groundwater and surface water interactions. ECU’s Eric Howard will provide water data visualization technology.
ODEQ and OWRA will be demonstrating leak detection technology and discussing the pilot program currently being implemented for rural water districts. The U.S. EPA’s RSKERC Geoprobe drilling unit will be at the event as well. Finally, Irrigation-Mart will also be in attendance. They will exhibit soil sensors that help agricultural producers irrigate with precision, limiting nutrient runoff from over-saturation. This, in turn, reduces costs while increasing crop production.
Tuesday at 6 p.m., Jimmy Emmons, of Emmons Farms in Leedey, Oklahoma, will be sharing insights into innovative farming practices for a successful future, including crop rotations, cover crops and planned grazing management to decrease soil erosion and increase water infiltration, thus increasing production and profit margins. Emmons was the first Oklahoman to receive the Leopold Conservation Award, which recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary stewardship and management of natural resources.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby will be the luncheon keynote at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The first morning keynote will be McEllhiney Lecturer Todd Halihan, followed by keynote Dr. Baruch HaLevi.
HaLevi, a rabbi and serial entrepreneur, will discuss how Israel has become a world leader in water governance, infrastructure, technology, innovation and impact and how Oklahoma can begin to collaborate with this innovative nation.
Additionally, on Wednesday, there will be sessions on a variety of topics, including Tribal Water Planning; State and Federal Agencies that Move Oklahoma Forward; Valuing Water: a Social Science Perspective; Sustaining Rivers for the Long Term: an International and Local Perspective and Water and Soil: the Sustainability Connection. At 2:30 p.m., the ECU faculty Summer Research Opportunity award winners, Dr. Randall Maples, Dr. Christine Pappas, Dr. Terrie Becerra, Dr. Dr. Leah Dudley, and Kevin Blackwood, will give a final report on their research. The day will close with a legislative panel with three State Senators.
This conference has been approved for continuing education credits for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, Registered Professional Environmental Specialists, and Registered Professional Sanitarians.
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