The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University is to host the 6th annual international conference on Advances in Textiles, Machinery, Nonwovens and Technical Textiles, (ATNT) 2009.

The event, held in collaboration with Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in India (BIT), will run from 7-9 December at the institute’s campus in Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, South India. The conference will feature papers from natural fibres to fashion design and nonwovens to technical textiles.

ATNT is expected to attract more than 250 people from around the globe, according to Seshadri Ramkumar, organizing secretary for the conference and an associate professor of nonwoven materials at TIEHH. The international conference seeks to enhance professional interaction, enable future collaboration and improve business opportunities in fibre and textile disciplines.

Organisers report that to date, more than 90 abstracts from different parts of the world have been received. Leading experts from the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Czech Republic, China and other nations are expected attend. An invitation has been extended to the Indian Government’s federal minister of textiles to inaugurate the event.

International and national organizations supporting the conference include Plains Cotton Growers, The Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry (INDA), Industrial Fabrics Association International, Nonwoven Engineers and Technologists division of TAPPI, all from the United States; The Southern India Mills Association, Tirupur Exporters Association and the Society of Dyers and Colorists (EC), all from India; and The Textile Institute from the United Kingdom.