All Institutue Branches have finalised their programs for 2007 and seminars, technical meetings and site visits will commence during February.

Brochures for individual events will be forwarded to members in the coming weeks and a combination of mail and email notifications will be used as in the past.

Annual programs for each Branch will be posted to the institute's web site shortly.

Masonry is a traditional material, which is still widely used because of its aesthetic appeal, its strength, durability, and other desirable properties. However, with the advent of new materials and innovative building systems, sustainability considerations and the increasing costs of labour, the use of masonry will decline unless it can be shown it is also a material for the future.

This conference seeks to explore the above issues in the context of research and building practice. The 14th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference (this event will also incorporate the 8th Australasian Masonry Conference) will be held 17-20 February 2008 at the Manly Pacific Hotel, Sydney.

Further information is available from the conference web site including registration information.

The Concrete Institute of Australia National Bursaries are biennial awards made to final year post graduate students studying engineering, chemistry, materials science, building science and other relevant subjects which contribute to the research knowledge base in Australia.

For the 2007 awards eligible theses are those completed in 2005 and 2006, the years prior to the Biennial Conference of the Concrete Institute of Australia. The engineering award will be made for excellence in thesis work on concrete and cement-based products and processes. Eligible topics could be related to cement, cementitious materials, concrete, concrete admixtures, reinforcement, related design and construction procedures and the like.

To be eligible, the student must have been resident in Australia during the completion of the thesis, studying at an Australian academic institution with the research having been principally conducted in Australia. The overall value of the award for 2007 is approximately $4,500 and consists of a cash prize of $2,500, registration, accommodation and fares to attend the 2007 Biennial Conference and a compendium of books valued at $500. Submissions are to be forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer, Concrete Institute of Australia, PO Box 3157, Rhodes, NSW, 2138 by 31 March 2007.

Full details are available for download.

To be conducted from 18th to 20th February 2007 in Melbourne this Conference is a joint venture between Materials Australia and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainable Materials in Construction.

Pressure to incorporate sustainable materials in the vast construction and building industries is a reality which will continue to increase, and this conference will focus on materials, especially the new advanced materials and technologies that support sustainability in the building industry and will be aimed at the entire supply chain and in particular end users. The conference will bring together key players that make up the decision makers in the building construction industries including materials researchers, architects, engineers, builders, regulators and endusers of the products that are currently being developed. Interaction between these groups will allow for examination of problem areas, assessment of potential solutions and pave the way for improved communications into the future.

Details of the conference are also available on the conference web site.

For information on seminars and meetings conducted by Concrete Institute of Australia visit our web site at www.concreteinstitute.com.au

Concrete Institute of Australia may be contacted through its national office:

PO Box 3157, RHODES NSW 2138
Phone: +61 2 9736 2955 Fax: +61 2 9736 2639
Email: admin@concreteinstitute.com.au

All Concrete Institute of Australia publications including this electronic newsletter are made possible by continuing support received from our Platinum Company members. For information on these companies, link to their web sites through the Institute's site at www.concreteinstitute.com.au