EPOC 2016 Annual Dinner Meeting
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Cheney Hall, Manchester, CT

The Environmental Professionals' Organization of Connecticut (EPOC) cordially invites you to attend our annual dinner meeting on Thursday, September 29, 2016, at the historic Cheney Hall in Manchester (directions/map). Our event begins at 5:30 PM with social hour, followed by an Italian buffet dinner, brief business meeting, and our keynote presentation.

Keynote Presentation:

Water for Rome: Past and Present
Dr. Gary Robbins, University of Connecticut

Did you know that Rome, Italy is the largest city in the world whose water supply is entirely groundwater? Did you know that most modern water supply systems are based on principles and practices developed in ancient Rome? You may have heard that ancient Roman water pipes were made from lead. Yet did you know that ancient Romans did not suffer lead poisoning from the water system? In his hour long lecture, Water for Rome: Past and Present, Dr. Gary Robbins, will answer these and other intriguing questions. The lecture covers two thousand years of water system development in ancient Rome, how water influenced the rise and fall and rise again of Rome, the hydrogeology of the area around Rome, and why the thousands of fountains in the eternal city keep flowing.

Dr. Gary Robbins is a Professor of Geology at UConn, specializing in Hydrogeology. He has been studying ancient Roman water systems since 2005 when he developed a new course Introduction to Water Resources. In 2012, while teaching in Florence, Italy, he had the opportunity to visit a number of aqueducts in Rome and was smitten. In 2014, he had an educational exhibit on the Roman aqueducts at the UConnHomer Babbidge Library. In the Spring of 2015, he was in Rome and other locations in Italy, Greece and Spain studying ancient Rome water systems. In May 2016, he taught a UCONN study aboard course in Rome with Dr. Glenn Warner for science and engineering students entitled, Water Systems of Rome: Ancient to Modern. The course will be offered again in May 2017. Gary and Glenn are also developing a new Water Systems of Rome Excursion for environmental professionals and interested adults that blends history, science, engineering (without math) and Italian wine and food, planned from May 26 to June 4, 2017.

About Location - Cheney Hall:

Cheney Hall is located at 177 Hartford Rd., in the heart of the Manchester Historic District. The building is an historic Victorian structure and today still serves the purposes for which it was originally built: theatrical and musical events, parties, balls and banquets, and lectures and meetings.

Cheney Hall was built by Cheney Brothers immediately after the Civil War as a community cultural center and theater. It was designed by the artist/architect C. H. Hammatt Billings and was dedicated in 1867 by Horace Greeley. The architecture is that of the French Second Empire style with features including mansard roof, brick and brownstone arches, carved oak and chestnut trim and a magnificently restored 1866 E. & G. G. Hook tracker organ built into the rear wall of the stage.
Note: Above description provided by the Manchester Historical Society.

Sponsors

EPOC is grateful to the following sponsors for their generous support of this special event (click on logo to link to sponsor website):

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