Chair's Welcome

Dear Prospective Attendee,

It is my pleasure and privilege to personally invite you to attend the 2011 International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC), scheduled to be held in Portland, Oregon from May 23 through May 26. This conference’s theme of “Promoting the Science of Spill Response” continues the long tradition of the IOSC since 1969 of providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and lessons learned from actual spill responses and research around the world. This conference will also continue the North American part of the Triennial Oil Spill Conference Cycle established in 2005, to be followed by Interspill 2012 (Europe) and Spillcon 2013 (SE Asia), before returning to North America in 2014. The triennial agreement permits industry, government, and academic stakeholders to focus on one major international technical conference per year. This, in turn, ensures maximum participation of subject matter experts from around the world and guarantees that the most recent case studies and lessons learned are addressed.

This year’s conference will build on the highly successful format of the last IOSC held in Savanna, Georgia. We are excited about the number and scope of paper and poster presentations accepted this year. The IOSC will also continue hosting its well-received golf tournament on the first day and a gala dinner at the conclusion of the conference. These two events provide great opportunities for global, industry experts to foster technical and support networks in the relatively small community of oil spill response. The City of Portland and its surrounding communities will provide an exciting and enjoyable venue for the conference, and I hope that all of you can take advantage of what this scenic region has to offer.

I look forward to stimulating and challenging discussions and hope you will be able to join us at this year’s conference.

Sincerely,
Bill Lerch, Chairman
2011 International Oil Spill Conference