The Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International held technical workshops in Dubai. The April 4 workshops were in partnership with the ASHRAE United Arab Emirates Falcon Chapter at Amity University Dubai and Sheraton Mall of the Emirates Dubai.
The morning presentation was the inaugural technical workshop for the Amity University Dubai - ASHRAE Student Chapter. Over 100 aspiring engineers attended the event from five universities, including Amity University, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Dubai, Manipal University Dubai, and Heriot-Watt University Dubai. The presentation was organized by ASHRAE Falcon Chapter in conjunction with the Amity University ASHRAE student leadership team.
The evening session, AMCA Middle East indoor air quality workshop, had over 150 attendees and was co-sponsored by Maico Gulf (Dynair & Elicent), Hira Walraven, Beta Industrial LLC, Aldes, MEP magazine, KDK Japan, and Climate Control magazine.
The keynote speaker for both events was Dr. William Bahnfleth, professor and director of the Indoor Environment Center in the department of architectural engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Bahfleth is a past president of ASHRAE and is an ASHRAE distinguished lecturer. His morning session covered trends in HVAC technology, and his evening presentation covered the integration of indoor air quality and energy efficiency.
AMCA Senior Director of Industry Relations Michael Ivanovich also spoke at the morning and evening sessions. His morning topic was how to save energy in air systems, and in the evening, Ivanovich provided an update on the AMCA sand louver certification program, which is now well into its second year.
"To host multiple events in one day with ASHRAE Falcon Chapter demonstrates AMCA's support for ASHRAE's professional and student members in the Middle East and North Africa region," said AMCA Executive Director Mark Stevens. "We view our collaboration with ASHRAE for continuing education as a key instrument for AMCA's growth in the region."
"Once again, ASHRAE Falcon and AMCA have come together to put on an enriching and education workshop," said President-Elect of ASHRAE Falcon Chapter Liju Thomas Eapen. "This partnership further confirms the intention of ASHRAE and AMCA to push standards higher. The attendees heard from two distinguished speakers with over 50 years of industry experience and had the opportunity to clarify their questions on the services provided by AMCA in the Middle East."