Odour Conference Technical Program
Discover the latest information on all aspects of odour science!
Final Program available! View the speakers, sessions, presentations, and more.
Opening Keynote Speaker
Charles McGinley, Consulting Engineer, McGinley Associates, PA
Chuck McGinley is a 1970 Chemical Engineering graduate of the University of Minnesota and in 1978 earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minnesota). He founded McGinley Associates, P.A. in 1980, a consulting firm with industrial and government clients. Chuck is also part of a family business known as St. Croix Sensory, founded in 1993 by Donna McGinley. Donna is now the CEO of St. Croix Sensory. Their four children, Mike, President, Ken, vice-president, and Kelly and Jenny, both educators and who helped develop the company’s “ODOR SCHOOL” curriculum, are part of the family smell business. Nine of Donna and Chuck’s 12 grandkids have worked at St.Croix Sensory, forging a fragrant frontier. Chuck has been award three US patents for odor measurement.
Wednesday Plenary: International Regulations & Policy
Carlos Nietzsche Diaz, CEO, Ambiente et Odora
Carlos Nietzsche Diaz is CEO of Ambiente et Odora in Bilbao, Spain, a company dealing with environmental consultancy with a special focus on odour management. He has over 20 years of experience in odour management. He holds a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Seville in Spain. He has been responsible of projects related to odour management in many countries around the world. He is the main editor of the olores.org website and he has been keynote speaker in a few international conferences. Carlos served as president of the International Environmental Society of Odour Managers and he is member of several committees dealing with odour management in IWA, WEF, AMIGO and CEN.
Christopher Bydder, Principal Scientist for Odour, EPA Victoria
Christopher Bydder attended the University of Melbourne, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours, majoring in Chemistry, and later a master’s degree in environmental engineering. After completing his education, Christopher began his career at EPA Victoria as an Environmental Chemist in 2001. Over the years, he has held various positions within the organization, including Air Toxics Chemist, Senior Environment Protection Officer, Team Leader, and Principal Expert - Odour. In 2021, he became the Principal Scientist for Odour at EPA Victoria. In recent years he has completely revised and overhauled how odour is regulated in Victoria, producing many pieces of guidance on assessing and monitoring odour, separation distances and design and operation of biofilters. In addition to his work at EPA Victoria, Christopher has published several conference papers and journal articles on topics related to air pollution and odour. He has also been a keynote speaker at international conferences. He was recently awarded the Werner Stauss Clean Air Achievement Award in 2023 for making a significant contribution to achieving improvements in the quality of the air environment by the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand.
Sessions on the international days of the conference will cover odour topics such as:
- Science and Controls
- Field Assessment Methods
- Chemical Forensics and Source Identification
- Odour Modelling
- Regulation and Policy
- Community Management and Citizen Science
RWDI Wind Tunnel Facility Technical Tour
Monday, May 13 • 1:00 pm (Tour bus will leave The Sutton Place Hotel at 12:00 pm)
Cost: $50 (includes transportation)
Pre-registration required. Limited spots still available.
Attendees will tour RWDI’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility (located just outside of Toronto), used extensively by their consulting engineers & scientists to conduct air flow and turbulence visualization tests of scaled buildings and surrounding environs. Wind tunneling modeling is recognized by the USEPA and others as a highly useful tool, going beyond mathematical modeling, to assess and mitigate odours from a variety of sources such as industry, hospitals, and sewage treatment. The planned tour will include a view of the facility’s model shop, an opportunity to enter an idle tunnel, and a live demonstration of a tunnel in operation.
Dress Code: Closed-toe shoes are mandatory. Safety glasses are required and will be provided by RWDI.
