ASHRAE Journal - August 2023 - 6

INDUSTRY NEWS
ASHRAE Concludes Successful
Annual Conference in Tampa
The 2023 ASHRAE Annual Conference, held in
Tampa, Fla., concluded on June 28 with resounding
success.
The event brought together industry leaders,
researchers and professionals in the HVAC&R industry
to exchange knowledge, explore advancements
and foster collaboration. More than 2,050 HVAC&R
industry professionals attended the five-day
conference and committee meetings.
Ginger Scoggins, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, took office as
the 2023-24 ASHRAE President. During her inaugural
address as president, Scoggins introduced ASHRAE's
new Society Year theme, " Challenge Accepted: Tackling
the Climate Crisis. " She highlighted the climate change
migration that has taken place globally in the past
50 years and spoke about ASHRAE's commitment to
providing resources and thought leadership in global
building decarbonization.
" We have worked to integrate a carbon-reduction
focus throughout our ASHRAE committees, councils
and leadership and provide our industry with a clear
indication of our commitment to this issue, " Scoggins
said. " ASHRAE has accepted the challenge of our time...
and we need you to join us. "
Scoggins' presidential address manuscript and
presentation can be found at ashrae.org/president.
ASHRAE also announced the approval of its
anticipated pathogen mitigation standard, ASHRAE
Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols. This
groundbreaking standard is a major step forward
in reducing the risk of infectious disease spread in
buildings. It is available for sale now at ashrae.org/241.
During the President's Luncheon, ASHRAE presented
a special Presidential Certificate of Honor to former
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr.
Ashish Jha for his advocacy during the pandemic
that led to greater White House indoor air quality
investments including the release of a National
COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and the Clean Air in
Buildings Challenge. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Jha
praised ASHRAE's leadership through the development
of Standard 241 to improve indoor air quality as a
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A U G UST 2023
critical public health intervention in controlling the
spread of infectious disease.
" This effort to try to improve indoor air quality
and reduce the burden of respiratory pathogens is
something we have talked about at the White House-a
lot of experts have been talking about it, " Jha said.
" Talking is important, but what ASHRAE did over the
last six months in building out Standard 241, that just
got approved, fundamentally changes the game. It is
one of the most important public health interventions
I have seen in years, if not decades. It is really
heartening to see this organization take a central role
in tackling the biggest challenges facing human health
in the U.S. and around the world. "
During the plenary session, Jeff Littleton, ASHRAE
Executive Vice President and Secretary, reported on
the Society's current initiatives, and in his farewell
address, outgoing 2022-23 ASHRAE President Farooq
Mehboob reflected on his presidential year and the
accomplishments realized through the 2022-23
Society theme, " Securing Our Future. "
" I reminded you that the future does not belong to
those who sit and watch, but instead we must seek
it, create it and secure it. I have been amazed by
the dedication of our volunteers and staff who have
tirelessly worked to move our society forward and
secure its future, " Mehboob said.
In addition to tours, award recognitions and social
events, the conference featured 90 sessions, covering
a wide spectrum of topics including energy-efficient
design strategies, renewable technologies and building
decarbonization. The top technical session was the
ASHRAE Building Decarbonization Update.
ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered 10 courses.
New courses were as follows: V in HVAC - Efficiently
Improving IAQ Using the Ventilation Rate Procedures (Using
Advanced Options for Standard 62.1-2022), Introduction
to Building Decarbonization, Starting the Path to Net Zero
Buildings Using ASHRAE 90.1-2022 and Fundamentals of
Decarbonization Design Systems and Equipment Applications.
The 2024 ASHRAE Winter Conference is Jan. 20-24
and the AHR Expo is Jan. 22-24 in Chicago.
http://www.ashrae.org/president http://www.ashrae.org/241 https://ashrae.org/
ASHRAE Journal - August 2023

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