Madeira Hosts Natural Fibre Conference

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

(available from Amazon)

The University of Minho (Portugal), in partnership with Fibrenamics and Sciencentris, will host the 6th International Conference on Natural Fibres (ICNF2023) on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of June, at VidaMar Resort Hotel, Funchal, Madeira. The event will bring together more than 270 researchers, industry professionals, and academics from around 40 countries.

This is one of the world’s leading meetings on natural fibres; an area with high innovation potential to respond to the social and economic needs of sustainability and circular economy, with numerous projects applied in sectors such as health, defence, construction, mobility, and textiles.

The event’s theme, “Sustainable Solutions Inspired by Nature,” highlights natural fibers as fundamental to the creation of intelligent and ecological solutions for future generations, focusing on interdisciplinary discussions for the generation and transfer of knowledge.

Speakers include You-Lo Hsieh (University of California, USA), M. Auxiliadora Prieto (SusPlast Platform and National Research Council of Spain), and Nicola M. Pugno (Universities of Trento, Italy, and Queen Mary of London, UK). The presence of entities such as the VTT Technical Research Centre (Finland), Fraunhofer (Germany), Fibrenamics (Portugal), and the universities of Tohoku (Japan), Plymouth (United Kingdom), and Deakin (Australia) underlines the importance of international cooperation on the subject. The program includes more than 180 oral presentations, 85 posters, and 20 submissions for the “Natural Fibrenamics Award,” which distinguishes unique projects in this field.

According to the coordinator of ICNF2023, Raul Fangueiro, also president of Fibrenamics and vice president of the School of Engineering of UMinho, the size of this initiative demonstrates the relevance of natural fibers, considering the emergence in the development of more sustainable solutions, based on renewable resources and with less environmental impact. “We hope at the end of this conference to advance decisively in the knowledge about these fantastic materials, which can contribute to a better future for all,” he added.

For those interested, more information can be found at the official website www.icnf2023.fibrenamics.com.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com

Photo: JM